Augustus of Saxe-Gotha vs Kirti Sri Rajasinha

Augustus succeeded his father Ernst II as Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. His reign was marked by eccentricity and a focus on his extensive art collection rather than governance.

Augustus amassed a vast collection of paintings, sculptures, and curiosities at Friedenstein Castle. The collection included works by old masters and became one of the largest private art collections in Germany.

Augustus died childless, ending the direct line of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The duchy passed to his brother Frederick IV, but the line went extinct three years later.

Kirti Sri Rajasinha, with the assistance of the Siamese monk Upali, re-established the higher ordination (Upasampada) for Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka. This revived the Buddhist Sangha, which had declined under earlier Nayakkar and Portuguese rule, and restored Buddhism as the state religion of the Kandyan Kingdom.

Kirti Sri Rajasinha commissioned the construction of the current Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy to house the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. This temple became the most important Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka and a symbol of Kandyan sovereignty.

Kirti Sri Rajasinha successfully repelled a Dutch invasion of the Kandyan Kingdom. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) attempted to conquer Kandy but were defeated by the Kandyan army, forcing the Dutch to sign a peace treaty in 1766 that recognized Kandyan independence.

Kirti Sri Rajasinha patronized Sinhalese literature, poetry, and traditional arts. He sponsored the composition of Buddhist texts and the revival of classical Sinhalese poetry, contributing to a cultural renaissance in the Kandyan court during his reign.