Bhuvanaikabahu VII of Kotte
| Bhuvanaikabahu VII | |
|---|---|
| King of Kotte | |
| Reign | 1521–1551 |
| Predecessor | Vijayabahu VII |
| Successor | Dharmapala |
| Born | 1468 |
| Died | 29 December 1550 Kingdom of Kotte |
| Issue | Samudra Devi |
| House | House of Siri Sanga Bo |
| Father | Vijayabahu VII |
| Mother | Anula Kahatuda |
Bhuvanaikabahu VII (1468 – 29 December 1550) was King of Kotte in the sixteenth century, who ruled from 1521 to 1551. He was the eldest son of Vijayabahu VII of Kotte, whom he succeeded, and his chief queen Anula Kahatuda. He was born in 1468 and his brothers were Mayadunne of Sitawaka and Rayigam Bandara. After his father married a second time, his new queen brought a son from another relationship called Deva Rajasinghe, who the king intended to pass on the crown to, and Bhuvanaikabahu and his two brothers responded by fleeing the kingdom, and on their return they had an army given by the King of Kandy.
Bhuvanaikabahu VII was succeeded by his grandson Dharmapala.
After Mayadunne successfully led the men of Jayavira, the king of Kandy, against his father, the Kingdom of Kotte was divided into three among Vijaya Bahu VII's legitimate sons in 1521: Bhuvanaikabahu was crowned the King of Kotte as Bhuvanaikabahu VII, Sitawaka was given to Mayadunne of Sitawaka and Rayigam was given to Rayigam Bandara, who was also known as Parajasinghe or Maha Raigam Bandara. However, after their brother, Rayigam Bandara, died in 1538, Mayadunne seized his kingdom and became an enemy of his elder brother, who had already been suspicious of him due to the large role he played in the assassination of their father.
During Bhuvanaikabahu's reign, Mayadunne, along with his son Rajasinghe I, fought continuously against the Portuguese in order to drive them out, and they also attempted to get rid of Bhuvanaikabahu to get the Kingdom of Kotte. This resulted in the King siding with the Portuguese, and he required their protection against his younger brother During his reign he was a weak king, being overly dependent on the Portuguese and eventually allied with them.
However, King Bhuvanaikabahu VII also went against the Portuguese, in terms of religion. In the mid 1500s, the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier was sent by King John III of Portugal to India and Ceylon to preach Catholicism. He met with the king of Kotte, and discussed with him the conversion of his religion. Fernão de Queiroz describes the conversation between them: "I understand father that your religion is the only true one. All others have so much errors and is clear to anyone. I know fully well that continuing the path that I follow I can end only in hell. It is true that my father and my ancestors died pagans. But I see that the religion of Buddum contains errors as intolerable as they are incompatible with reason.
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