The Battle of Wayna Daga was part of both the Ethiopian-Adal War and the Turkish-Portuguese War.
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi was defeated at Wayna Daga on February 21, 1543.
Ethiopians
- Emperor Galawdewos
- 8,000 Ethiopian infantry, 500 cavalry
- 70 Portuguese musketeers, 60 cavalry
Adal Sultanate
- Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi
- 14,000 Adal infantry, 1,200 cavalry
- 200 Ottoman musketeers
In 1529, troops from the Adal Sultanate invaded Ethiopia. Led by Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, and utilizing a variety of early firearms, they were able to repeatedly defeat the forces of Emperor Dawit II (Lebna Dengel) and quickly moved to occupy much of the country's lowlands. Retreating to the Ethiopian Highlands in 1533, Dawit continued fighting through a series of guerrilla raids and hit-and-run attacks. During this period, his eldest son was killed at Zara, while his second eldest was captured by Muslim forces and taken to Yemen.
Realizing that help was needed to expel the invaders from his country, Dawit sought assistance from the Portuguese who were fighting their own war with the Ottomans in the region. While waiting for aid to arrive, Dawit was killed near Debre Damo on September 2, 1540. As his eldest sons had been killed or captured, the Ethiopian crown passed to his younger son, Gelawdewos. Continuing his father's resistance, he was heartened to hear that the Portuguese had arrived at the port of Massawa on February 10, 1541. Led by Cristovão da Gama, the younger son of explorer Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese prepared to campaign.
Possessing 400 musketeers and a small force of cavalry, de Gama defeated Muslim forces at Baçente and Jarte, but was unable to link up with Gelawdewos' small army. To regain the upper hand, Ahmad turned to the Ottomans for support. To aid their ally, they sent reinforcements which included 2,000 musketeers, 900 pikemen, and a small force of cavalry. With his army bolstered, Ahmad attacked de Gama while the Portuguese were in winter quarters. Winning a stunning victory at the Battle of Wofla on August 28, 1542, Ahmad succeeded in capturing de Gama and scattering the Portuguese army.
Believing that he had won the war, he released all of his Ottoman forces, with the exception of 200 musketeers. After his capture, de Gama was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam. Moving to Emfraz, near Lake Tana, Ahmad went into camp to wait out the coming rainy season. After Wofla, the surviving Portuguese troops and their Ethiopian allies rallied around Queen Sabla Wengel at Amba Sel. Rearming themselves with weapons that had been stored at Debre Damo, they soon returned to being an effective fighting force. Shortly thereafter, Gelawdewos arrived to take command.
Pulling together his Ethiopian troops, Gelawdewos spent the fall campaigning in the provinces with approximately 9,000 men. On February 13, 1543, his men defeated a cavalry force under Ahmad's lieutenant Sayid Mehmed. Following the battle, the Ethiopians learned from prisoners that Ahmad's camp was only a five-day march from their location. Arriving at Lake Tana, Gelawdewos hesitated as he was waiting for a force of 50 Portuguese musketeers to join him. Pausing for several days, the two armies harassed each other with cavalry raids.
With the death of one of Gelawdewos' best soldiers, Azmach Keflo, the moral of his army began to waver. Seeing that he had to strike soon, the emperor opened the battle on February 21. In the opening phase of the battle, Ahmad's forces succeeded in pushing back the Portuguese and Ethiopians. This advance was halted by a timely cavalry charge from Gelawdewos' forces. Reforming his men, Ahmad personally led a second attack. Riding forward, Ahmad was shot in the chest and tumbled from his horse. Seeing their leader fall, the Adalite army began to waver and then fled the field.
Casualties for the Battle of Wayna Daga are unknown, though sources indicate that Ahmad's army incurred heavy losses. In the wake of his victory, Gelawdewos was able to drive much of the leaderless Adalite army from Ethiopia. The turning point of the Ethiopian-Adal War, the Battle of Wayna Daga allowed the Ethiopians to liberate their country and to go on the offensive against their Muslim enemies.
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