Surname: "The Conqueror"
Date of Birth: c. 1507
Spouse: Bati del Wambara
Reign: c. 1527 – 1543
Predecessor: Mahfuz
Summary: Ahmad was a Somali Muslim born in the Imamate of Adal, at the time a Muslim tributary state to the Christian Empire of Ethiopia. When he was in his teens, he married Bati del Wambara, the daughter of the governor of Zeila, a neighboring city. Mahfuz, the governor, was killed in 1517 while fighting against his Ethiopian overlord, Emperor Lebna Dengel. The war caused Adal to fall into anarchy for a decade and Ahmad was the soldier who took up the cause of his father-in-law to defeat the Ethiopians once and for all.
In 1529, Ahmad invaded Ethiopia with a vengeance and defeated Lebna in March. He returned two years later, defeating the emperor again, and then looting a number of religious institutions in the north of Ethiopia. With few option remaining, the Ethiopians petitioned for help from the Portuguese, who were just making inroads into East Africa at this time. It was not until 1541 that Portuguese help arrived and by that time, Emperor Lebna was dead and Gelawdewos was ruling. The Portuguese were led by Cristóvão da Gama, son of Vasco da Gama, and consisted of 400 musketeers and their attachments. The two armies finally met in April 1942. Ahmad was wounded in the confrontation and his army scattered, but it was able to reform and was reinforced. The armies met again two weeks later and the Muslims were again forced to retreat. Rains and winter forced da Gama to sit out further fighting. Ahmad, however, used this opportunity to enlist aide from Muslim neighbors, swelling his numbers to the thousands. He attacked da Gama's camp and decimated them, killed all but 140 men and executing da Gama. The Ethiopians, however, were not injured in the engagement and attacked Ahmad's army the following winter. Ahmad was killed by a Portuguse musketeer in February. His wife fled the battle and married his nephew, Nur ibn Mujahid, in the hope that Adal would again rise against Ethiopia. Nur would go and avenge Ahmad's death by killing Emperor Galawdewos in battle and continuing a Jihad against Ethiopia for the next twelve years.
In 1529, Ahmad invaded Ethiopia with a vengeance and defeated Lebna in March. He returned two years later, defeating the emperor again, and then looting a number of religious institutions in the north of Ethiopia. With few option remaining, the Ethiopians petitioned for help from the Portuguese, who were just making inroads into East Africa at this time. It was not until 1541 that Portuguese help arrived and by that time, Emperor Lebna was dead and Gelawdewos was ruling. The Portuguese were led by Cristóvão da Gama, son of Vasco da Gama, and consisted of 400 musketeers and their attachments. The two armies finally met in April 1942. Ahmad was wounded in the confrontation and his army scattered, but it was able to reform and was reinforced. The armies met again two weeks later and the Muslims were again forced to retreat. Rains and winter forced da Gama to sit out further fighting. Ahmad, however, used this opportunity to enlist aide from Muslim neighbors, swelling his numbers to the thousands. He attacked da Gama's camp and decimated them, killed all but 140 men and executing da Gama. The Ethiopians, however, were not injured in the engagement and attacked Ahmad's army the following winter. Ahmad was killed by a Portuguse musketeer in February. His wife fled the battle and married his nephew, Nur ibn Mujahid, in the hope that Adal would again rise against Ethiopia. Nur would go and avenge Ahmad's death by killing Emperor Galawdewos in battle and continuing a Jihad against Ethiopia for the next twelve years.
Date of Death: 21 February 1543
Successor: Nur ibn Mujahid
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- James I, king of Scots (1437)
- Julius II, pope of Rome (1513)
- Benedict XIII, pope of Rome (1730)
- Ninko, emperor of Japan (1846)
No comments:
Post a Comment