Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of Kotte

Siege of Kotte was a siege conducted in November 1557 at Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, in what is now Sri Lanka; it ran into the following year. The recorded result: Portuguese victory. Recorded strength: 50,000 Sitawaka men against 480 Portuguese,; At least 9,000 Lascarins; 12 fustas; Unknown number of reinforcements from Mannar.

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FoughtNovember 1557ran into the following year
WhereSri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka6.911N, 79.888E
OutcomePortuguese victory
BelligerentsKingdom of SitawakaagainstPortuguese Empire; Lascarins (local soldiers on the Portuguese side); Supported by: Kingdom of Kotte
Casualties and lossesLowandModerate

Record

DateNovember 1557 (month precision)
to November 1558
PlaceSri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka
6.911N, 79.888E
KindSiege, early modern
Strength50,000 Sitawaka men480 Portuguese,; At least 9,000 Lascarins; 12 fustas; Unknown number of reinforcements from Mannar
Casualties and lossesLowModerate
Commanders
  • Mayadunne
  • Rajasinha I
  • Afonso Pereira de Lacerda
  • Diogo de Melo Coutinho
Siege of KotteSiege of KotteSiege of ColomboBattle of MulleriyawaAction of 2 May 1654Battle of GannoruwaSiege of GalleAction of 2 May 1654Battle of GannoruwaSiege of GalleMoratuwaBadullaRatnapuraPuttalan100 km6.911N, 79.888E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Elsewhere in 1557

Siege of Kotte is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 19 in present-day Sri Lanka.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7510161, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Kotte (1557–1558), revision 1384609453, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.