Introduction
The spread of Christianity has a long history. Long before the Christian Kingdom spread to
various regions of the Horn of Africa, there were churches and their adherents. For instance,
early Christians in Shewa kept in touch with their distant relatives in the northern region of
Ethiopia. Those early Christians were crucial in the development of Christianity in a number
of places. During the middle Ages, Amde-Tsion carried on a territorial expansion that gave
the spread of Christianity a boost.
Muslim Arab traders had arrived in Ethiopia's highlands throughout the tenth and eleventh
century, and they eventually came to control the region's economy through their hegemony
over the trade in ivory and slaves. The sultanates of Shewa and later Ifat were formed in the
early twelfth century when a collection of trade communities united under the control of a
single dynasty. The powerful and unified kingdom of Ethiopia, ruled by the Zagwe and
Solomonic dynasties, would soon come into battle with these sultanates.
The Christian kingdom was at war constantly from 1270 until 1529, especially with the
Muslim sultanates. The dispute emerged about who would dominate the commercial channels
used for the region's long-distance trade. In addition to being a significant source of income,
trade also had a significant role in the emergence of Muslim Sultanes and continued to be a
significant cause of dispute between the Christian Kingdom and Muslim sultanates. Muslim
traders who occasionally served as the monarchs of Christianity's agents completely
controlled this trade. But because the traders were independent of the kings' sovereign
authority, it was challenging for the Christian kings to rely on them. On the other hand, the
merchants paid tribute to the Muslim sultanates whose territory the trade routes traversed. As
a result, the Christian kings were unable to guarantee that their traders and other subjects
could reach the coast safely. As a result, the kingdom's economic interests were always in
danger. The extension of the Christian kingdom's rule to these areas where the trade routes
ran was the only option to protect this economic interest. The quarrel and ensuing war
between the Christian kingdom and the Islam sultanates in the Horn of Africa actually had
this as its primary cause.
One of the iconic "Solomonic" emperors of Ethiopia, Amde-Tsion, began a policy of swift
and extensive territorial expansion. His primary reasons for expansion were political and
commercial, i.e., to dominate trade routes and annex territory. At the time of Emperor Amde-
Tsion, the Christian Kingdom held sway over a wide area.
The First Military Campaign Of Emperor Amde-Tsion
Amde-Tsion is the the successor of emperor Wedem Arad. His throne name was Gebre
Meskel, and ruled Ethiopian christian highland kingdom from 1314 to 1344. One of the few
notable achievements of Amde-Tsion is his vast military campaigns and territorial expansion.
Amda-Tsion was merciless in his treatment of enemies, rivals, and conquered territories.
When dissidents rebelled, the response was swift and harsh, resulting in the execution of the
rebels' leaders and the distribution of their lands and titles to the emperor's supporters.
According to historical documents, his battle against Muslims sultanates and other kingdoms
began in 1316 against the Damot and Hadya kingdoms.
His first military campaign was against the kingdom of Damot, a strong kingdom established
in 900 AD under the Blue Nile river and that long has been an independent kingdom. This
kingdom was so powerful that it forced the muslim Showa sultanate to pay its tributes. To
combat Damot's dominance in the area, He gathered his soldiers and destroyed the forces of
Damot and exiled many of its people.After his campaign Damot came into his control.
Right after conquering the Damot kingdom he proceeded his expansion and attacked Hadya
and later on defeated it. Similar to the Damot kingdom some of the people of Hadya were
Exiled. Although Hadya was defeated it wasn't fully integrated until 1332(or 1329).
After his successful campaign in the south, Amda-Tsion turned to the north and started to use
his forces to expand his authority and establish his control in the northern provinces of
Gojjam, Inderta, Semien, Wogera, Tselemt, and Tsegede. He assigned his family in control of
several of the conquered administrations.
● The Hadiya campaign
Emperor Amda-Tsion's expedition against Hadiya was one of his first. The emperor
celebrated his victory at the time, which was 1316–17. The territory probably became an
integral tax-paying part of the Christian kingdom early in the further conflicting situation
during the reign of Amda-Tsion. Following Amda-Tsion's takeover of the Kingdom of
Hadiya, at least one land grant appears to have been issued to a Hadiya courtier.
These early victories provided him with a significant source of wealth and labor in the rich
interior south and southwest of the Awash River. The king's control over these areas appears
to have been limited at first to collecting occasional tributes from the local rulers. This
appears to have been the case, in particular, with Hadiya.
The incorporation of Hadiya into the Christian Kingdom was not without challenges.
According to Amda Tsion's Chronicle, Sultan Sabr al- Din's rebellion spread from Ifat to
Hadiya, as Richard Pankhurst reported. Bal'am, the "prophet of darkness," advised the local
governor, known as Amano, to rebel.
"Go not to the king of Amda Tsiyon, (i.e.) to the emperor, he was said to have declared. Do
not give him gifts: if he comes against you, be not afraid of him, for he will be delivered into
your hands and you will cause him to die with his army."
The Hadiya ruler, as we can deduce from his name, was almost certainly a local man who
obeyed the prophet's advice and rebelled against the emperor. The emperor then rose in rage
and marched to Hadiya, where he crushed the people with the point of his sword. Some he
destroyed, and those who survived, he captured along with their old and young men, women,
and children, and led them away to the capital of his kingdom. The prophet Bala'm then fled
to the land of Ifat.
Despite this, many Hadiyans served in Amda Tsiyon's army, which also included soldiers
from neighboring Damot and the central province of Shawa. According to Amda Tsiyon's
chronicle, he dispatched a Hadiya contingent, along with soldiers from Damot, on an
expedition against the people of Semen, Wogara, and Alamt in 1332. Already in 1332, a
contingent called Hadiya was dispatched as part of the Christian troops to put down a Falasha
revolt in Wagara. Amde-Tsionappears to have done a thorough job of re-conquering Hadiya,
which quickly became an important source of labour for the Christian army, contingents from
Hadiya would henceforth form a large part of Ethiopia.
Amde-Tsion was now within measurable distance of completing his initial program of
controlling the inland trade of Muslims, with Hadiya and the regions immediately to the north
and west under his control. Hadiya's re-conquest, in particular, dealt a severe blow to the
slave trade, which it had long supplied. Muslim activities in the area were largely based on
this trade, and the impact was felt not only by Hadiya and its immediate neighbours, but also
by all chains of Muslim settlements as far as the Red Sea coast.
The Ifat Campaign
Under the Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad the Mamluk Dynasty, centred in Cairo, started
torturing Copts and destroying their churches around the year 1320. However, in 1321-1322,
Amda-Tsion despatched an envoy to Cairo warning the sultan that he would exact revenge on
the Muslims in his realm and promised to send a legion to conquer Egypt by altering the
stream of the Nile if the persecution continued. The envoys were disregarded by Al-Nasir
Muhammad, but Egypt would remain terrified of the Nile’s flow for centuries afterward.
Ti’yintay, a representative sent by the Emperor, was detained and imprisoned by Haqq ad-
Din I, governor of Ifat, as a result of the argument and threats. He was traveling from Cairo
back to Ifat. Ti’yintay was killed when Haqq ad-attempt Din’s to convert him failed. In
response, the Emperor invaded Ifat with only seven horses, according to the Amda-Tsion
royal chronicler, and massacred many of the rebel governor’s soldiers. The province’s
capital, Ifat, was afterwards demolished by a portion of the army that followed him, and
Amda-Tsion grabbed the majority of its treasure, which included gold, silver, bronze, lead,
and clothing and Haqq ad-Din got arrested and died in prison. Amda-Tsion continued his
retaliations throughout the entire Muslim regions, plundering the at-the-time predominantly
Muslim Kuelgora, Biqulzar, Gidaya, Hubat, Fedsé, Qedsé, Hargaya, and Shewa, taking
livestock, killing numerous residents, destroying towns, and abducting prisoners who were
later assimilate.
Several Muslim regions rebelled as a result of Amda-Tsion retaliations because they saw
that his army had weakened due to the protracted campaigns. Following their uprising, the
“extremely proficient in combat” Gebel and Wargar people pillaged various Christian areas.
As Muslims at the time, the people of Medra Zega and Manzih (Menz) also rose up in revolt,
encircling and attacking the Emperor. The Emperor put an end to their uprising and killed
their commander Dedadir, a son of Haqq ad-Din.
Sabr ad-Din had come from Muslim sultanates. The goal of Sabr ad- Din’s was to rule over
a Muslim Ethiopia, not independence. According to the royal chronicle of Amda-Tsion, Sabr
ad-Din declared:
“I wish to be King of all Ethiopia; I will rule the Christians according to their law
and I will destroy their churches…I will nominate governors in all the provinces of
Ethiopia, as does the King of Zion…I will transform the churches into mosques. I will
subjugate and convert the King of the Christians to my religion, I will make him a
provincial governor, and if he refuses to be converted I will hand him over to one of
the shepherds, called Warjeke [i.e. Werjih], that he may be made a keeper of camels.
As for the Queen Jan Mangesha, his wife, I will employ her to grind corn. I will make
my residence at Marade.”
Sabr ad-Din really appointed governors for distant provinces in the north such Damot,
Amhara, Angot, Inderta, Begemder, and Gojjam following his initial incursion, as well as
close-by provinces like Fetegar and Alamalé (i.e. Aymellel, part of the “Guragé region”).
Additionally, he threatened to grow khat, a stimulant used by Muslims but taboo for
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, in the nation’s capital. The nearby Muslim province of
Dewaro (the first known mention of the province), under the governor Haydera, and the
western province of Hadiya, under the vassal local ruler Ameno, immediately joined Sabr ad-
rebellion Din’s because of its religious backing and ambitious goals, which were perceived as
a jihad rather than an attempt at independence. Sabr ad-Din divided his army into three
divisions, sending one to attack Amhara in the north-west, another to Angot in the north, and
a third, under his direct command, to Shewa in the west.
Amda-Tsion then enlisted his army to combat the threat, showering them with gifts of
gold, silver, and opulent clothing. According to the chronicler, during his reign, “fine clothes
were as common as the leaves of the trees or the grass in the fields” and “gold and silver
abounded like stones.” Despite the extravagance he showered upon his warriors, many of
them choose not to engage in battle because of the hostile hilly, desert terrain, and complete
lack of roads in Ifat. The dissident governor was located and dispatched as they advanced on
24 Yakatit thanks to an attachment. Sabr adDin once more managed to flee as the rest of
Amda-Tsion’s army arrived, destroyed the city, and slaughtered numerous troops.
Afterwards, the Amda-Tsion army gathered for one more assault, burning one of his camps,
slaughtering many men, women, and children while capturing the remainder and plundering
it of its money, silver, and “beautiful garments and jewellery without number.”
Sabr ad-Din then filed a peace petition with Queen Jan Mengesha, who rejected his offer
and stated Amda-Tsion's resolve to delay returning to his palace until he had located Sabr
adDin. As soon as Sabr adDin learned this, he gave up on his revolt and joined Amda-Tsion
camp .Sabr ad-Din was demanded to be put to death by Amda Tsion's courtiers, but he
instead offered him some mercy and had the rebellious governor imprisoned. Jamal adDin I,
the governor's brother, was subsequently named as the new governor of Ifat by Amda-Tsion.
But, as soon as the Ifat uprising was put down, the adjacent provinces of Adal and Mora to
the north of Ifat rebelled against the Emperor. Amda-Tsion quickly put an end to this uprising
as well.
The Adal campaign
Amda-Tsion's troops were exhausted after the long campaign in Ifaat and wished to return
home, pleading that the rainy season was approaching. Amda-Tsion, on the other hand,
refused, saying to them:
"Do not repeat in front of me what you have just said, for I will not leave so long as
the ungodly Muslims make war on me, who is the King of all the Muslims of Ethiopia,
and I have confidence in the help of God."
The new governor of Ifat also begged him to return, lavishing him with gifts and pleading
with him not to "ravage it again," so that its inhabitants could recover and work the land for
the Emperor. [1] Amda-Tsion rejected the governor's pleas, declaring:
"While I am attacked by wolves and dogs, by the sons of vipers and children of evil
who do not believe in the Son of God, I will never return to my kingdom, and if I leave
without going as far as Adal I am no longer the son of my mother; let me no more be
called a man, but a woman."
Amda-Tsion continued and was attacked twice in skirmishes before making camp. The
Muslims returned in much greater numbers during the night and attacked him with an army
raised from Adal's seven "great towns" (i.e. districts): Gebela, Lebekela, Mora, Paguma, and
Tiqo. Amde-Tsion won the battle and dispatched extra troops who had not fought to pursue
the surviving enemies. By morning, they had reached the survivors on the banks of a nearby
river and killed them, taking many swords, bows, spears, and clothing.
Despite being his appointee, Jamal ad-Din joined the rebellion, collaborating with the ruler of
Adal imam Salih to encircle the Emperor, which prompted the ruler of Adal to mobilise his
forces. The Ethiopian army was encircled by the two armies in the Battle of Das, but despite
his illness, Amda-Tsion was able to defeat them. He then led his army against Talag, Adal's
capital, where the governor's brother Emperor returned to Bequlzar in Ifat, where he
commanded Jamal ad-Din to deliver him all of the province's apostate Christians. The
Emperor first gave the priests, deacons, and soldiers thirty lashes each and imprisoned as
slaves. He then turned his attention to the other traitors, whom Jamal ad-Din refused to
release. Amde-Tsion deposed Jamal ad-Din and appointed Nasir ad-Din, another brother of
Sabr ad-Din, as governor. After finishing his campaign in Ifat, he marched his army to Gu'ét,
then invaded modern Somaliland, where he defeated an attack by the Harla people. Amde-
Tsion then made his way to Dilhoya. The town had previously deposed his governor by
immolating him, along with other Christian men and women, to which the Emperor retaliated
by seizing and looting the town and its livestock, as well as killing many of its inhabitants.
Amde-Tsion then proceeded to Degwi, killing a large number of nearby Werjih pastoralists
who had previously attacked and pillaged some Christian areas during his reign. The people
were described as "very wicked" because they "neither knew God nor feared men," according
to the chronicle. Amde-Tsion ravaged Sharkha and imprisoned its governor Yosef before the
end of the month of December. Ethiopian rule was extended across the Awash River for the
first time, gaining control of Dawaro, Bale, and other Muslim states.
After maths
The outward movements of expansion of both Church and State were most vigorous from
1314 to 1344 AD. The rich Sidama country between the left bank of the Abbay and the lake
region of the rift valley in the south, the Agew and Felasha country consisting of Gojjam and
what is now the Province of Begemdir in the west. After Be'lde-rule, Maryam's the Christian
kingdom suffered from
alf-century of weak, divided leadership that greatly diminished its political and military
power and ultimately led to Ahmad ibn Ibrahim, also known as Gragn, and his spectacular
achievements.
Amde-Tsion asserted the strength of the new Solomonic dynasty and therefore legitimised it.
These expansions further provided for the spread of Christianity to frontier areas, sparking a
long era of Christianization,and integration of previously Islamized areas.
By stating the new Solomonic dynasty's power, Amde-Tsion gave it legitimacy. Through
these subsequent expansions, Christianity was able to reach border regions, beginning a
protracted period of Christianization and integrating previously Islamic territory.
The rise of the Solomonic Dynasty in 1270, an epoch of military, political, and cultural
expedition of the Christian kingdom to southern Ethiopia, began in the early 14th century.
This is inscribed in the chronicles of Christian kingdoms and the works of the Arabian
historiographers. King Amda Tsion's first military expedition in 1316/17 was a successful
campaign against Hadiya. During King Amda Tsiyon 1316/17, campaign Hadiya grew
among Islamic religion followers, but mass populations were pagan. This successful
campaign tremendously boosted Christian morale and contacts between Christian
communities and new subject areas became more open and more frequent. For the 1332,
military campaign reason was the ruler of Hadiya, known as Amano, refused to come to the
king Amde-Tsion court and submit the usual tributes. For this Amde-Tsion fought against
sultanate of Hadiya made is pay tributes.
All of these offered invaluable opportunities for territorial expansion and Christianity in
southern parts of Ethiopia.
References
● King Amda Tsiyon (r.1314-1344) territorial expansion to the kingdom of Hadiya,
South West Ethiopia by Anwar Ayano Idris
● Pankhurst, Ethiopian Royal Chronicles,
● Huntingford, The Glorious Victories, passim
● Mohammed, H. (1991). The pre-sixteen century oromo presence inside the medieval
Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia. African Series of Maxwell School of Citizenship and
Public Affairs. No. 44, 43–61
● Gedeon, A. (2008). A Socio-Economic and Cultural History of Hadiya from 1941-
1991. M.A. Thesis Addis Ababa University
● Alebachew, K., & Samuel, H. (2002). People of Hadiya history and culture. Sefri
printing PLC.
● A History of Ethiopia: Volume 1 Nubia and Abyssinia.
E.A Wallis Budge (pg 288)
● Amde Seyon I, Wikipedia
● Kingdom of Damot, Wikipedia
● Amde Seyon, ethiopianhistory.com
