Portuguese Ceylon

Portuguese Ceylon was a colony in Tamil south and Sri Lanka (South Asia) that lasted from 1505 to 1658 CE, about 153 years. Its people spoke Latin and Romance languages (Latin, Italic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian).

Portugal arrived in 1505, fortified Colombo and by 1600 controlled the coastal lowlands and the cinnamon trade. The Dutch, allied with Kandy, took its last forts in 1658.

See Portuguese Ceylon on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1505 to 1658 CE

Duration

153 years

Type

Colony

Region

Tamil south and Sri Lanka, South Asia

Language family

Latin and Romance

Capital

Colombo

Came from

• Jaffna Kingdom c. 1215 to 1619 CE
• Kingdom of Kotte 1412 to 1597 CE

Became

• Dutch Ceylon 1640 to 1796 CE

Events in South Asia during its time

• 1526 First Battle of Panipat
• 1565 Battle of Talikota
• 1632 Taj Mahal begun

Neighbours in South Asia

• Mughal Empire 1526 to 1857 CE
• Ahom Kingdom 1228 to 1826 CE
• Kingdom of Mysore c. 1399 to 1950 CE
• Kingdom of Kandy 1469 to 1815 CE
• Delhi Sultanate 1206 to 1526 CE
• Vijayanagara Empire 1336 to 1646 CE
• Bengal Sultanate 1352 to 1576 CE
• Bahmani Sultanate 1347 to 1527 CE
• Timurid Empire 1370 to 1507 CE
• Sur Empire 1540 to 1556 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE, Europe
• Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• Kingdom of Kongo c. 1390 to 1914 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Mali Empire c. 1235 to 1670 CE, North and West Africa
• Ayutthaya Kingdom 1351 to 1767 CE, Southeast Asia

Questions