| Yesehaq I ቀዳማዊ ዓፄ ይሥሐቅ | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
| Reign | 23 June 1414 – 1429 |
| Predecessor | Tewodros I |
| Successor | Andreyas |
| Dynasty | House of Solomon |
| Father | Dawit I |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox |
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Yeshaq I (Ge'ez:ይሥሐቅ), throne name:Gabra Masqal II (Ge'ez: ገብረ መስቀል) wasEmperor of Ethiopia from 1414 to 1429/1430, and a member of theSolomonic dynasty. He was the second son of EmperorDawit I.[1]
OfAmhara lineage. Yeshaq I was a son of EmperorDawit I, probably bySeyon Mogasa, one of Dawit's wives.[2][3]
Yeshaq had several notable brothers among them EmperorTewodros I who he succeeded in 1414. His younger brothers included EmperorTakla Maryam and EmperorZara Yaqob.[1][4]
Much of the details of Yeshaq's reign is found in the works of the medieval Arab historianAl-Maqrizi as well as in scatteredGeez sources, and in an earlyAmharic poetic text. The overall image of Yeshaq which emerges from the sources is one of a powerful and confrontational Christian leader who fought his enemies, both political and religious, on several fronts.[3]
Yeshaq's reign was marked by a revolt of theBeta Israel. In response, the Emperor marched intoWegera, where he defeated the rebels at Kossoge some 30 kilometres (19 mi) north ofGondar, thereby ending the revolt. He also had the church Debre Yeshaq built there to commemorate his victory.[5] Yeshaq also invaded theShanqella region beyondAgawmeder, and to the southeast he fought againstMansur ad-Din andJamal ad-Din II.
Yeshaq, according to the Islamic historianal-Maqrizi, hired a group ofMamluks led by al-Tabingha to train his army in gunnery and swordfighting, they also taught him the secrets ofGreek fire.[6] This is the earliest reference to firearms (Arabicnaft) in Ethiopia.[7] About the same time another Egyptian visitor, aCopt, "reorganized the kingdom," according to al-Maqrizi, "and collected so much wealth for the Hati [the Emperor] that he enjoyed the king's authority." This unnamed Copt also introduced the practice of the Emperor dressing in "splendid" clothes and carrying a cross, which made him stand out from his subjects.[8]
Further,George Wynn Brereton Huntingford suggests that it was during Yeshaq's reign that the rulers of Ethiopia ceased having permanent capitals; instead, their courts were held in their encampments as they progressed around their realm.[9]
Yeshaq made the earliest known contact from post-Axumite Ethiopia to aEuropean ruler. He sent a letter by two dignitaries toAlfonso V of Aragon, which reached the king in 1428, proposing an alliance against theMuslims and would be sealed by a dual marriage, that would requireInfante Peter to bring a group of artisans to Ethiopia, where he would marry Yeshaq's daughter. It is not clear how or if Alfonso responded to this letter, although in a letter that reached Yeshaq's successorZara Yaqob in 1450, Alfonso wrote that he would be happy to send artisans to Ethiopia if their safe arrival could be guaranteed, for on a previous occasion a party of thirteen of his subjects traveling to Ethiopia had all perished.[10]
A notable example ofEthiopian literature that has survived from this period is apanegyric addressed to Yeshaq, whichEnrico Cerulli singled out as a gem of Ethiopian poetry.[11] The first mention of theYem people is found (under the now pejorative exonym "Jangero") in the victory song of Yishaq I, with them stated as paying tribute in the form of horses to the king.[12] The first mention of the ethnonym "Somali" dates to the reign ofEmperor Yishaq who had one of his court officials compose ahymn celebrating a military victory over theSultan of Ifat's and his eponymous troops.[13] Along with this, theShanqella first appear where they're listed at the very beginning when the regions and tribes of the kingdom are evoked.
E. A. Wallis Budge states that he was assassinated, and "buried inTadbaba Maryam", aconvent inSayint,[14] while Ethiopian historianTadesse Tamrat believes that the primary sources mask Yeshaq's death in battle against the MuslimAdalites under the Adal SultanJamal ad-Din II.[15][16]
Sultan of AdalJamal ad-Din II later undertook a further expedition in which it is recorded that he killed or took prisoners of everyone within twenty-days journey of his frontier. The Emperor's forces countered by attacking three different parts of Adal and threatening its capital where the royal family resided. Jamal ad-Din rushed home covering the distance of what was twenty days of journey in only three days. He met the imperial army at Harjah, where Yeshaq's army, though exhausted, fought well but was eventually defeated. The Emperor Yeshaq according to Maqrizi was killed in this battle. His death like that of Dawit, is not recorded for the same reason that the royal Ethiopian chronicles suppressed the violent deaths of their kings whose reigns they extolled.[17]
The principal antagonist of theSirat Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan, a 15th century Arabic epic set during theAxumite conquest of Yemen, is namedSayf Ar'ed (Sword of terror). Likely inspired by theNegus due to his wars with neighboring Muslims, this reference to the emperor played a crucial role in dating the medieval work.[18][19] How the protagonist is built up as a hero propagating Islam was doubtlessly encouraged by the event that triggered the writing of theSīrat, which was according to Jean-Claude Garcin the capture ofZeila in modern-day Somalia by Yeshaq I in 1415 and thejihād that followed it until 1445 without the Muslims getting the upper hand over the Ethiopian power.[20] As a criticism of contemporaryMamluk politics thesīrat could provide comfort to the Egyptians despite their lack of victories. The hero of the plot has the mission to redirect the waters of the Nile, held by the Ethiopians, back towards Egypt. This was doubtlessly inspired to the same threats made by contemporary emperors to the Egyptians.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Emperor of Ethiopia 1414–1429 | Succeeded by |
