The Portuguese arrived in the Kingdom of Kotte in 1505. By 1551, they had appointed a captain-major to control the Portuguese occupied territory called Ceylon on the island of modern-day Sri Lanka. In that time, there were numerous captains-major until 1594. The post of captain-major was preceded by that of the captain in 1518. In 1594, the captain-major was replaced with a governor.
| Portrait | Name | Birth | Death | Captain-major from | Captain-major until | Sovereign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| João Henriques | - | - | 1551 | 1552 | John III | |
| Diogo de Melo Coutinho (1st time) |
- | - | 1552 | 1552 | John III | |
| Duarte de Eça | 1480 | 15?? | 1552 | 1553 | John III | |
| Fernão Carvalho | - | - | 1553 | 1555 | John III | |
| Afonso Pereira de Lacerda | - | - | 1555 | 1559 | John III Sebastian | |
| Jorge de Meneses Baroche | - | - | 1559 | 1560 | Sebastian | |
| Baltasar Guedes de Sousa | - | - | 1560 | 1564 | Sebastian | |
| Pedro de Ataíde Inferno | - | - | 1564 | 1565 | Sebastian | |
| Diogo de Melo | - | - | 1565 | 1568 | Sebastian | |
| Fernando de Monroy | - | - | 1568 | 1570 | Sebastian | |
| Diogo de Melo Coutinho (2nd time) |
- | - | 1570 | 1572 | Sebastian | |
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António de Noronha | - | - | 1572 | 1575 | Sebastian |
| Fernando de Albuquerque | - | - | 1575 | 1578 | Sebastian | |
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Manuel de Sousa Coutinho | 1540 | 1591 | 1578 | 1583 | Sebastian Henry Filipe I |
| João de Correia de Brito | - | - | 1583 | 1590 | Filipe I | |
| Simão de Brito | - | - | 1590 | 1591 | Filipe I | |
| Pedro Homem Pereira | - | - | 1591 | 1594 | Filipe I |
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Captains of Portuguese Ceylon→
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| Captains (1518–1524) |
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| Captain-majors (1551–1594) |
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| Captain-generals (1594–1658) |
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