Ethiopian–Adal War
Ethiopian–Adal War | |||||||||
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Part of the Imam Ahmad's deaths. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Ethiopian Empire Portuguese Empire (1541–43) |
Adal Sultanate Ottoman Empire (1542–43) | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Ahmad ibn Ibrahim † Nur ibn Mujahid Matan ibn Uthman † Abu Bakr Qatin Bati del Wambara Ahmed Girri Wazir Abbas |
The Ethiopian–Adal War or Abyssinian–Adal War, also known in Arabic as the "Futuḥ al-Ḥabash" (
: 188Background
Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi was a military leader of the medieval Adal Sultanate in the northern Horn of Africa. Between 1529 and 1543, he embarked on a campaign referred to as the Futuh Al-Habash, bringing the three-quarters of Christian Abyssinia under the control of the Muslim empire.[7] With an army composed of Afar, Harari, and Somalis,[8] al-Ghazi's forces came close to extinguishing the ancient Ethiopian kingdom. However, the Abyssinians managed to secure the assistance of Cristóvão da Gama's Portuguese troops and maintain their domain's autonomy. Both polities exhausted their resources and manpower in the process, resulting in the contraction of the two powers and altering regional dynamics for centuries to come. Many historians trace the origin of hostile Ethiopia–Somalia relations to this war.[9] Some scholars also argue that this conflict proved the value, through their use on both sides, of firearms such as the matchlock musket, cannons, and the arquebus over traditional weapons.[10]
Course of the war
In 1529, Imam Ahmad's Adal troops defeated a larger Ethiopian contingent at the Battle of Shimbra Kure. The Harari cavalry was instrumental in this battle, as the Abyssinian troops were outmaneuvered.[11]
The victories that gave the followers of Imam Ahmad the upper hand came in 1531. The first was the
He defeated the armies of
Dawit II died in September 2nd, 1540. and his son and future emperor Prince
The 500 musketeers were led by
Emir Nur ibn Mujahid succeeded his uncle Imam Ahmad as leader of the Adal forces and consolidated his power by marrying Bati del Wambara.[20] In 1559, Emir Nur's cavalry defeated and killed Emperor Gelawdewos in battle, and sacked the Abyssinian town of Waj.[21][22] Simultaneously, Abyssinian General
J. Spencer Trimingham postulates that the captured Sultan Barakat was in fact returned to Adal in exchange for Prince Menas in negotiations led by Bati del Wambara.[25] Emir Nur ibn Mujahid, returning from his campaign, would display the head of Emperor Gelawdewos in Harar as a show of triumph.[26] In 1577, Emperor Sarsa Dengel defeated, captured, and executed Sultan Muhammad V in Bale.[27] He was succeeded by Imam Muhammad Gasa, a relative of Imam Ahmad, who relocated the capital of Adal to Aussa,[28] while Susenyos I relocated the capital of Abyssinia to Gondar.
Aftermath
The war was devastating for the
See also
- Ajuran-Portuguese wars
- Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1559)
- History of Somalia
- History of Ethiopia
- Ethiopian–Somali conflict
- Battle of Hubat
References
- ^ Gikes, Patrick (2002). "Wars in the Horn of Africa and the dismantling of the Somali State". African Studies. 2. University of Lisbon: 89–102. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ISBN 1-85065-522-7.
- ^ Historical dictionary of Ethiopia By David Hamilton Shinn, Thomas P. Ofcansky, Chris Prouty pg 171
- JSTOR 27828848.
- ^ Malone, Barry (28 December 2011). "Troubled Ethiopia-Somalia history haunts Horn of Africa". Reuters. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- OCLC 36543471.
- ^ Saheed A. Adejumobi, The History of Ethiopia, (Greenwood Press: 2006), p.178
- ^ John L. Esposito, editor, The Oxford History of Islam, (Oxford University Press: 2000), p. 501
- ^ David D. Laitin and Said S. Samatar, Somalia: Nation in Search of a State (Boulder: Westview Press, 1987).
- ^ Cambridge illustrated atlas, Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492–1792, by Jeremy Black pg 9
- JSTOR 41960546.
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" Archived 28 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 28 January 2008)
- ^ Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), pp. 350f
- ISBN 978-1-926585-99-4.
- JSTOR 41856679.
- ^ Richard Whiteway, The Portuguese expedition in Abyssnia, pp. 82
- ^ "20 Famous Historical and Biblical Figures from Africa". 28 May 2021.
- ^ Whiteway, pp.82
- ^ Fortunes of Africa: A 5,000 Year History of Wealth, Greed and Endeavour By Martin Meredith, In the Land of Prestor John, chapter 11
- ^ R.Basset (editor), Histoire de la conquete de l’Abyssinie (History of the Conquest of Abyssinia), Paris, 1897–1901
- ^ A Survey History of World, Africa, and Ethiopia – Page 280
- ^ Abyssinia: Mythical and Historical – Page 31 Richard Chandler
- ^ The Oromo of Ethiopia, Mohammed Hassan p.184
- ^ Merid Wolde Aragay, Southern Ethiopia and the Christian kingdom
- ^ Islam in Ethiopia By J. Spencer Trimingham Page 91
- ^ Dictionary of African Biography – Volumes 1–6 – Page 451 by Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Henry Louis Gates
- ^ J.S. Trimingham, Islam in Ethiopia pp.96
- ^ Social History and Theoretical Analyses of the Economy of Ethiopia – Page 14 Daniel Teferra · 1990
- JSTOR 43660080.
- ^ Mohammed Hassen, The Oromo of Ethiopia: A History (1570–1860) Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1994.