1. Sarsa Dengel, known as Sarsa the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty.
15 Facts About Sarsa Dengel
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Sarsa Dengel is considered one of the greatest warrior-kings of the Ethiopian Empire.
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Sarsa Dengel fought against the Ottomans, defeating regional ruler Bahr Negus Yeshaq and Adal Sultan Muhammad V He repelled the Turkish invaders in Debarwa and Hirgigo.
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The son of Emperor Menas and Empress Admas Mogasa, Sarsa Dengel was elected king by the Shewan commanders of the army and the Dowager Empress.
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In 1572 Sarsa Dengel fought off a raid by the Borana Oromo under a luba named Ambissa near Lake Zway.
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Sarsa Dengel successfully defeated the Oromo, compelling them to flee toward Fatager.
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Sarsa Dengel later learned that the Adal Sultan, Muhammad ibn Nasir, had launched a Jihad and was campaigning in Hadiya.
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Sarsa Dengel defeated and liquidated the combined army of the Ottoman Empire and their rebellious allies at the Battle of Addi Qarro in Tigray, where he killed the Ottoman commander Ahmad Pasha along with the rebellious Bahr Negus Yeshaq.
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Sarsa Dengel then seized the vast riches stored by the Turks in Debarwa and ordered the destruction of the mosque and the fort erected during the Ottoman occupation.
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Sarsa Dengel then took the initiative against the Oromo in the south, where he forced the Dawe Oromo in Wej to flee south.
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Sarsa Dengel's body was interred in Medhane Alem church on Rema Island.
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German Historian Franz Dombrowski credits Sarsa Dengel with ending the Ottoman threat to the independence of his Empire and restoring the powerful position of the Ethiopian Emperor in the region.
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Robert Silverberg, However, argues that Sarsa Dengel died in 1597 having enlarged the realm he inherited.
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Silverbger further calls the Emperor a valiant warrior and refers to his time on the throne as "the 35 triumphant years" during which Sarsa Dengel scored several decisive victories over his various enemies.
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Sarsa Dengel thus argues that Sarsa Dengel left the Ethiopian Empire much stronger and larger than he found it at the time of his accession to the throne.