Vira Parakramabahu VIII, also known as Ambulagala Kumara, was King of

Kotte Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (), also known as Jayapura or Kotte, is Capital of Sri Lanka, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is located adjacent to the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic, executive, and judi ...

in the fifteenth century, who ruled from 1484 to 1518. He succeeded Parakramabahu VII and was succeeded by his son Dharma Parakramabahu IX. Another son Vijayabahu VII also became king. An adopted son of

Parakramabahu VI Parâkramabâhu VI (, ) was the first king of Kingdom of Kotte, Kotte, ruling from 1410 until his death in 1467. He is the last great king in Sri Lanka who managed to unite the island under one flag. His rule is famous for the renaissance in Sri ...

, he overthrew Panditha Parakramabahu VII, the son of Sirisangabo Bhuvanaikabahu VI (another adopted son of Parakramabahu VI) and claimed the throne of

. The Portuguese led-by

Lourenço de Almeida Lourenço de Almeida ( – March 1508) was a Portuguese explorer and military commander. He was born in Martim, Portugal, the son of Francisco de Almeida, first viceroy of Portuguese India. Acting under his father, Lourenço distinguished hims ...

arrived at

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

in 1505 during his reign, and diplomatic ties with the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

were initiated. The Portuguese who met the king, made an agreement that they would protect the coastal region of the country, and as payback the king should pay a tribute of 80

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

s of

Cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

to them. During the end of Parakramabahu VIII's lifetime, he divided his kingdom among his sons, and made the eldest son Dharma Parakramabahu as the next heir to the throne.

References

External links

Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka

Codrington's Short History of Ceylon
Monarchs of Kotte House of Siri Sanga Bo P P P {{SriLanka-hist-stub

See also

References

External links