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
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Portugal's empire in Asia — the feitorias, the carreira da Índia, the encounters with Japan and China. But there's a whole other chapter that's often overlooked: Portugal's deep involvement in Ethiopia, which at the time was a powerful Christian kingdom in the Horn of Africa. It began with a legendary figure — Prester John. Luna: Prester John — that mythical Christian king somewhere in the East. Lucas: Exactly. Medieval Europeans believed there was a powerful Christian monarch beyond the Muslim world, and they hoped to ally with him against Islam. When Portuguese explorers reached the Indian Ocean, they thought they'd found him in Ethiopia. So for decades, Lisbon sent envoys to the Ethiopian court — most famously Pêro da Covilhã, who arrived around 1490 and never left, living there for decades. Lucas: But the real military alliance came in the 1540s, when Ethiopia was on the brink of collapse. A Muslim general named Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi — often called Ahmed Gran, meaning 'the Left-Handed' — had launched a devastating jihad from the Adal Sultanate, conquering most of Ethiopia, burning churches, and forcing the emperor to flee. The emperor, Gelawdewos, sent an appeal to Portugal for help. Luna: And Portugal actually answered. Lucas: They did. In 1541, a fleet of about 400 Portuguese soldiers under Cristóvão da Gama — son of Vasco da Gama — landed at Massawa, on the Red Sea coast. They were armed with matchlock muskets, which were rare in that region, and they brought some horsemen and artillery. It was a tiny force, but they marched inland to join Gelawdewos. Lucas: The Portuguese and Ethiopians met, and at first, they had a series of victories. At the Battle of Benet, they used their firearms to devastating effect against Ahmad's cavalry. But Ahmad regrouped, brought in Ottoman reinforcements — including Janissaries with their own muskets — and cornered the Portuguese in a winter campaign. Luna: Wait — so there were Ottomans involved too? This was a real international clash. Lucas: Absolutely. The Ottomans were expanding into the Red Sea and supported the Adal Sultanate with troops and weapons. In 1542, after months of guerrilla warfare, Cristóvão da Gama was captured in battle and executed. Some sources say he was beheaded after refusing to convert to Islam. The Portuguese survivors, broken and leaderless, retreated to a hilltop and held out. Lucas: But that wasn't the end. Gelawdewos rallied his remaining forces, and the Portuguese survivors — maybe 120 musketeers — joined him. In February 1543, at the Battle of Wayna Daga, they caught Ahmad's army in a narrow valley. The Portuguese muskets proved decisive at close range. Ahmad himself was killed — shot in the chest by a Portuguese marksman named João de Castilho. Luna: So a single Portuguese bullet basically changed the fate of Ethiopia. Lucas: That's the dramatic narrative, and it's partly true. Ahmad's death broke the momentum of his invasion. But it's not like the Portuguese saved Ethiopia single-handedly. The Ethiopians did the bulk of the fighting. Still, the Portuguese contingent provided a crucial edge — the combination of their firearms and tactical experience against the Adal cavalry. Lucas: After the war, Gelawdewos allowed the Portuguese to establish a small colony in Ethiopia, and Jesuit missionaries tried to convert the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Catholicism — which eventually caused huge problems and led to the expulsion of the Portuguese decades later. But that's another story. Luna: What about the broader alliance? Did Portugal get anything out of it? Lucas: Strategically, almost nothing. The Estado da Índia had hoped for a Red Sea stronghold or a reliable ally against the Ottomans, but Ethiopia was too landlocked and fractured. Trade never really flourished. The alliance faded after a few decades, and Ethiopia turned inward again. So it's a story of a moment — a brief, intense collaboration that changed the course of a war but not the long-term balance of power. Lucas: And there's a sad coda. A few years later, in 1547, Gelawdewos wrote a letter to the Portuguese king, asking for more soldiers and settlers. It never arrived — or if it did, it went unanswered. Portugal was already stretched thin in Asia, and Ethiopia was too far from their core interests. So the alliance that had once seemed so promising just... evaporated. Luna: It's amazing that such a small force could have that kind of impact, even temporarily. Lucas: It really is. And it's a reminder that history isn't just about the big battalions, but about the moments when a few hundred people with the right technology and motivation can tip the scales. That's something we try to capture in these conversations — the human scale of empire. Luna: For sure. And speaking of keeping these conversations going — if you've been enjoying the show, and want to help us keep it ad-free, we have a small ask. Lucas: Yeah. We don't run ads, and that's because of listeners who chip in. If you can spare the price of a coffee, you can do it at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It genuinely makes a difference. Luna: Yeah. And now, back to Ethiopia — after the Portuguese left, what happened to the kingdom? Lucas: It recovered slowly. Gelawdewos reigned until 1559, when he was killed in battle — ironically, by a new Adal invasion. But the empire survived. The Oromo migrations in the following decades reshaped the region. And later, under Emperor Susenyos in the 1600s, a second Portuguese Jesuit mission briefly converted the royal court to Catholicism — leading to a civil war. It's a tangled story. Luna: So the Portuguese-Ethiopian connection didn't really end in the 1540s. Lucas: Not at all. It flickered for another century. But the early alliance, the one with Cristóvão da Gama — that remains the most dramatic chapter. It's a story of faith, firepower, and a very near miss at building a lasting Christian alliance across continents. Luna: Thanks for walking us through that. I think I'll go read up more on Gelawdewos. Lucas: Do that — his story deserves more attention. And that's all for this episode. Until next time.