Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History
The Portuguese Horse and the Ethiopian Alliance That Never Was
Why did Portugal send horsemen to Ethiopia in the 1540s? This episode follows the strange, nearly forgotten story of Cristóvão da Gama, the son of Vasco da Gama, who led a small force of Portuguese musketeers and cavalry into the highlands of Ethiopia to help Emperor Gelawdewos fight the Adal Sultanate under Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. We explore the military logistics of moving horses across the Indian Ocean, the cultural exchange between Portuguese soldiers and Ethiopian Christians, and the battle of Wayna Daga in 1543 where Ahmad was killed. The alliance ultimately failed, but it left a…
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