Dawit II

Lore & Background

Dawit II ascended the throne in 1508, with his step-great-grandmother Empress Eleni acting as regent until 1516. During her regency, Eleni dispatched the Armenian Mateus to Portugal seeking military aid against Muslim states backed by the Ottoman Empire. A Portuguese embassy led by Dom Rodrigo de Lima arrived at Massawa on 9 April 1520, reaching Dawit's camp on 19 October of that year. Francisco Álvares described the Emperor: 'We saw the Prester John sitting on a platform of six steps very richly adorned... In age, complexion, and stature, he is a young man, not very black... they said that he was twenty-three years of age... his face is round, the eyes large, the nose high in the middle, and his beard is beginning to grow.' Dawit denied that Mateus had the authority to negotiate treaties, ignoring Eleni's counsels, and the Portuguese left after six years. A follower of his late father, the monk Gebre Andrias, slayed Emir Mahfuz of Adal in 1517 at the Battle of Fatagar (1516). About the same time, a Portuguese fleet attacked Zeila and burned it. Dawit then ravaged Adal and laid waste to Sultan Muhammad ibn Azhar ad-Din's residence in Dakkar. Contemporaries concluded the Muslim threat was over. Two decades into Dawit's reign, a young man named Ahmed Ibrahim rebelled against Adal's leaders. Dawit sent his general Delghan, but the Abyssinian army was defeated at the Battle of Hubat. Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi consolidated control of Adal and, backed by Ottoman firearms, invaded Ethiopia in 1527. Dawit, ill-equipped with only two swivel-guns from the Portuguese and fourteen muskets from Turks, faced thousands of Turkish and Arab flintlocks and matchlocks. After the inconclusive Battle of Shimbra Kure on 7 or 9 March 1529, Ahmad returned in 1531, scattering Ethiopian armies and forcing Dawit to withdraw into the highlands. The Emperor was nearly captured at the Battle of Amba Sel on 27 October 1531, and his eldest son Fiqtor was killed at Zara in Wag on 7 April 1537; another son, Menas, was captured on 19 May 1539 and later sent to Yemen. Living as an outlaw in his own realm, Dawit came to see Eleni's wisdom in seeking European help and dispatched João Bermudes to Portugal. In 1539, Ahmad Gragn offered to marry Dawit's daughter, but Dawit replied: 'I will not give her to you for you are an unbeliever; it is better to fall into the power of the Lord, Whose majesty is as great as His mercy, than into yours.' Pursued by Ahmad's soldiers, Dawit fled to the mountain of Tchelmefra in Simien, crossed the Tekezé River, and killed Ahmad al-Din, the Adalite governor of Tigray. Shortly after, Dawit died of a sickness and was succeeded by his son Gelawdewos.

Reader's Guide

Dawit II's reign marks a pivotal turning point in Ethiopian history. His early successes against Adal, including the slaying of Emir Mahfuz and the burning of Zeila, gave a false sense of security that left Ethiopia unprepared for the Ottoman-backed invasion of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. Dawit's inability to secure effective Portuguese aid early in his reign, due to his dismissal of Mateus's authority, proved costly. The war devastated Ethiopia's churches, including the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, and saw the capture of his son Menas. Dawit's later realization of his mistake and his dispatch of Bermudes to Portugal laid the groundwork for eventual Portuguese military assistance, though it arrived after his death. His refusal to surrender his daughter to Ahmad Gragn, even when reduced to a fugitive, underscores the religious dimension of the conflict. Dawit's legacy is that of a ruler who lost his kingdom but preserved its Christian identity, passing the struggle to his son Gelawdewos.

Did You Know?

• Dawit II had only one wife, Seble Wongel, whom he married around 1512–13, and they had eight children: four sons and four daughters.
• The Portuguese embassy did not reach Dawit's camp until 19 October 1520, and he denied that Mateus had authority to negotiate treaties.
• At the Battle of Shimbra Kure on 7 or 9 March 1529, many Somali on the left flank retreated, but the Harla on the right flank held their ground.
• Dawit's son Menas was captured on 19 May 1539 and later sent to Yemen.
• Dawit refused to give his daughter in marriage to Ahmad Gragn, saying 'it is better to fall into the power of the Lord... than into yours.'