Phillippe de Oliveira
Phillippe de Oliveira or
Filipe de Oliveira (died 1627) was the
conqueror of the Jaffna Kingdom in northern modern day
Sri Lanka on behalf of the
Portuguese Empire in 1619. He stayed behind as the
captain-major of the conquered kingdom until his death in 1627. His instructions were to collect the tribute due from the last indigenous king of the Kingdom
Cankili II but a chance encounter lead to a sharp but brief battle that led to the defeat of Cankili II. By his order, Cankili II was killed by hanging and Cankili's remaining soldiers were executed by decapitation. His rule over the Jaffna Kingdom is remembered both for the destruction of over 500
Hindu temples and the
forced conversion of the natives to the
Roman Catholic religion as well as for his efforts in controlling and moderating the desire of colonial officials in
Colombo and
Goa to constantly increase taxes on the local population. After his death, the taxation policy followed by the Portuguese colonial rulers led to the de-population of the
Jaffna peninsula.
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