|
Imam
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al Ghazi (Ahmad Gragn )
After he ordered the Muslim
town of Adal not to pay its tribute to the Christian
emperor of Ethiopia, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi defeated
the emperor’s army at the battle of ad-Dir in 1527. In
1529, Ahmad won a key battle against Emperor Lebna Dengel
at Shembera Kure and by 1535 he had invaded Dewaro, Shewa,
Amhara, Lasta, and Tigray. Emperor Lebna Dengel became
nothing but a fugitive running from one hiding place to
another. His son, Galawdewos, took over after his father’s
death in 1540, but he inherited a small disconcerted army
(Prouty and Rosenfeld, 101-2).
Before Lebna Dengel’s death, he had requested military
assistance from the king of Portugal. In February 1541,
400 well-equipped musketeers led by Dom Christovao de Gama
arrived in Massawa. He joined his forces with Empress
Sebla Wangel and the Tigrean army in April of 1542, where
they were able to force Ahmad to surrender the lake Tana
area. But with the aid of 700 Turkish troops, Ahmad
returned in August and defeated the Ethiopian force. Dom
Christovao was captured and beheaded in that battle (Pankhusrt
92-93).
After the success of this battle, many of the Turkish
troops returned to Zebid (Yemen). Later that year, Emperor
Galawdewos joined wtih his mother along with the remaining
Portuguese army. On February 21, 1543, the Ethiopian force
led by Emperor Galawdewos invaded Ahmad’s army in Lake
Tana. The outnumbered Portuguese and Ethiopian forces shot
and killed Ahmad in the battle. His troops, upon the loss
of their leader, scattered and fled (Henze 88).
The Ethiopians were dully wounded from the 14-year of
warfare. The Muslims didn’t reestablish a new resurgence
large enough to threaten the Ethiopian empire. Although
the Christian empire was once again restored, the
Ethiopians were unable to prevent the Turks from taking
Massawa
|