Dominicus Corea
| King Dominicus Corea (Edirille Rala) | |
|---|---|
| Pretender | |
| Born | 1565 Colombo |
| Died | July 14, 1596 Colombo |
| Title(s) | King of Kotte and Sitawaka |
| Father | Don Jeronimo Corea (Mudaliyar Vikramasinha)(Commander-in-Chief of King Mayadunne's army) |
| Mother | Anna Devi |
| Spouse | Princess Subadra Devi, daughter of King Veediya Bandara, ruler of the Principality of the Seven Korales |
Dominicus Corea (Sinhalese family name Edirille Bandara) also known as Domingos Corea and Edirille Rala, was the son of Don Jeronimo Corea and Anna Corea. Don Jeronimo Corea was also known as Mudaliyar Vikramasinha, Commander-in-Chief of King Mayadunne's army. Jeronimo Corea was executed by King Mayadunne's son, Rajasinghe. Dominicus Corea was born in Colombo in 1565. At that time, the Portuguese had colonised Ceylon, and his parents converted to Catholicism.
Following the death of Don Jeronimo Corea, his two sons, Dominicus and Simon were sent to Colombo for safety – at the time King Dharmapala was reigning in the Kingdom of Kotte. Dominicus and Simon were baptised as Catholics and grew up with the young Prince Konappu Bandara – later on he reigned as King Vimala Dharma Suriya of the Kandyan kingdom.
De Queyroz, the great Portuguese historian writing about Dominicus Corea noted that "he was able to read and write like a well bred man." Trained from boyhood warlike pursuits, he was skilled in arms, and was dreaded as being one of the most expert swordsmen in his time.