Bahr negus Yeshaq (died 1578) was a Bahr negus, or noble of medieval Ethiopia. His loyalty to the Emperor of Ethiopia during the invasion of Ahmed Gragn helped to preserve that country from its extinction. Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... The Emperor of Ethiopia (Amharic ንጉሠ ነገሥት, niguse negest, King of Kings) was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. ... Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (c. ...

As Bahr negus, Yeshaq ruled the parts of Ethiopia north of the Tekezé River as far as the Red Sea, making him the second most powerful political figure in the Ethiopia during his lifetime. The Tekezé River is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea (Arabic البحر الأحمر al-Bahr al-Ahmar; Hebrew ים סוף Yam Suf; Tigrigna ቀይሕ ባሕሪ QeyH baHri) is a gulf or basin of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ...

Life

Bahr negus Yeshaq first appears in history about the time the Portuguese fleet arrived at Massawa in 1541. When Christovão da Gama marched inland with his 400 matchlockmen, Yeshaq not only provided him provisions and places to camp in his realm, but also about 500 soldiers and information about the land.¹ The Bahr negus also joined Emperor Gelawdewos in the decisive Battle of Wayna Daga, where Imam Ahmad Gragn was killed and his forces scattered (1543). Massawa in the 19th century Massawa or Mitsiwa (15° 36′ 33″ N 39° 26′ 43″ E) is a port on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... Cristovão da Gama (1514 - 1542), was a Spanish captain and explorer and son of Vasco da Gama. ... The Matchlock was the first firearm to have a trigger mechanism for firing. ... Gelawdewos or Claudius (1522 - March 23, 1559) was negus (throne name Asnaf Sagad I) (1540 - 1559) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... The Battle of Wayna Daga took place in 1543. ... // Events February 21 - Battle of Wayna Daga - A combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeat the armies of Adal led by Ahmed Gragn. ...

When the Ottoman general Ozdemur Pasha crossed over from Jedda in 1557 and occupied Massawa, Arqiqo and finally Debarwa, capital of the Bahr negus, Yeshaq led the local peasantry against the invaders, recapturing Debarowa and siezing the "immense treasure" the invaders piled up within.² Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... Jedda (1955) was the last movie made by Charles Chauvel, and the first to star two Aboriginal actors, (Robert Tudawali and Ngarla Kunoth), in the leading roles. ... Events Spain is effectively bankrupt. ...

Although he repeated demonstrated his loyalty to Emperor Galawdewos, his relations with his successors were not as positive. In 1560, the year after Menas became emperor, Bahr negus Yeshaq revolted against the new Emperor. While he was successful at first, eventually Menas drove Yeshaq out of Tigray, and the noble was forced to seek refuge at the court of him former enemy. In return for ceding the town of Debarowa, Ozdemur Pasha extended military support to the exiled Bahr negus, and Yeshaq resumed his revolt. Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... Mennas or Menas, a Christian saint was appointed by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I as patriarch of Constantinople in the 536 The Pope Agapetus consecrated him to succeed Bishop Anthimus, who was a monophysite. ... Map of Ethiopia highlighting the Tigray region. ...

Emperor Menas campaigned against the forces of this alliance again in 1562, but was not able to decisively defeat Yeshaq. When Sarsa Dengel was made emperor, Yeshaq at first pledged his loyalty, but within a few years he once more went into rebellion, and found another ally in the ruler of Harar, Sultan Mohammed IV Mansur. Despite these alliances, Emperor Sarsa Dengel defeated and killed Yeshaq in battle (1578), and regained unquestioned control of the northern provinces.³ Events Earliest English slave-trading expedition under John Hawkins. ... Sarsa Dengel (Amharic Sprout of the Virgin) (1550 - 1597) was negus (throne name Malak Sagad I) (1563 - 1597) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Harar enclosed within the city wall, Jugol Harar, sometimes spelled Harrar or Harer, is a city in Ethiopia situated in the eastern extension of the Ethiopian highlands, about five hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa. ...

Pankhurst concurs with the judgement of James Bruce on Yeshaq, who points out that the status of the Bahr negus "was much diminished by Yeshaq's treachery. From then onwards the governor of the provinces beyond the Tekezé was not allowed the sandaq and nagarit, and no longer had a place in Council unless especially called on by the Emperor".⁴ See also James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin. ...

Notes

1. As described by Miguel de Castanhoso in his account of the Portuguese expedition (translated in R.S. Whiteway, The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia [London: The Hackluyt Society, 1902]).
2. Richard Pankhurst, An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia, p. 327.
3. Pankhurst, pp. 327f.
4. Pankhurst, p. 328.