Susenyos I
Susenyos I, also known as Susenyos the Catholic, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1607 to 1632, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne names were Seltan Sagad and Malak Sagad III.
He was the son of Abeto Fasil, as well as the grandson of Abeto Yakob and the great-grandson of Dawit II. As a result, while some authorities list Susenyos as a member of the Solomonic dynasty, others consider him—rather than his son, Fasilides—as the founder of the Gondar line of the dynasty.
The life of Susenyos is known through his chronicle, written by several official writers. The Jesuits, who were closely associated with Susenyos’s reign, also left numerous documents on their mission in Ethiopia.
Manuel de Almeida, a Portuguese Jesuit who lived in Ethiopia during Susenyos reign, described the emperor as "tall with the features of a man of quality, large handsome eyes, and an ample and well groomed beard. He wore a tunic of crimson velvet down to the knee, breeches of the Moorish style, a sash or girdle of many large pieces of fine gold, and an outer coat of damask of the same colour, like a capelhar."
The Spanish Jesuit, Pedro Paez described him as "tall and well-proportioned, with large eyes, a straight nose and thin lips, a joyful expression and dark complexion. He is very good-natured and has excellent qualities; he is very prudent, a great and courageous captain, cunning and experienced in matters of war, because he has spent most of his life in it, and he has made it his office to govern an army. He is very generous, affable and a man who has the word of a king, because no fault can ever be found in what he says or promises, which is something rare in Ethiopia"
Ancestry
Of Amhara descent, Susenyos was born to Hamalmal Warq, the daughter from a provincial chief from the noble family of Shime, and Abeto Fasil the son of Prince Abeto Yaeqob, who in turn was the son of King Dawit II.Susenyos was the youngest of his mother's five sons. His brothers Se'ela Krestos, Make'd Krestos, Yamana Krestos and Afa Krestos held the most important posts during his reign.
Early life
As a boy, a group of marauding Oromos captured him and killed his father Abeto Fasil and a number of others. Susenyos resided among the Oromos for over two years where he learned their language and customs. He was rescued by the Dejazmach Asbo in 1585 in a military campaign against the Oromos led by Emperor Sarsa Dengel, his uncle.Upon his rescue, Susenyos was entrusted to the care of Dowager Empress Admas Mogasa, who supervised his early education. The Queen mother was the mother of Sarsa Dengel and widow of Emperor Menas, and great-aunt of Susenyos. So that he could support himself, the queen mother, returned to him the lands previously held by his father in Gojjam.
Struggle for the throne
After the death of Emperor Sarsa Dengel, and the accession of his very young son Yaqob on the throne, Queen regent Maryam Sena and her sons-in-law Ras Atnatewos the governor of Gojjam and Keflawahd the governor of Tigray and other chief nobles among them Ras Za Selasse governor of Dembiya and Wogera perceived older princes such as Susenyos as potential successors, and thus as legitimate threat to their own ambitions to exercise power during Yaqob's minority. Susenyos and other would be claimants were forced into exile. As a wandering shifta prince, Susenyos with a few faithful followers took refuge in Gojjam and Shewa, and led a guerrilla war from Walaqa. His control over this territory was strengthened earlier through his marriage, around 1595, to Wald Saala, a princess from the ancient Christian family of the rulers of Walaqa and Mahrabete. Susenyos spent most of this period as shifta in his father's province of Gojjam fighting off raids by Oromos. When Susenyos went to Walaqa, he helped the governor against the Oromo who were invading the province at the time. However, Susenyos soon abandoned the governor and joined the Oromo in their attack on the province. Once the Oromo accepted him Susenyos took control of Walaqa. From the latter province he went to Debra Selalo, where he impressed some Oromo bands who soon flocked to his standard. With his new Oromo followers, he pillaged Christian peasants on mountain tops in Shewa and returned to Walaqa, where he mercilessly looted a large commercial caravan. Whenever and wherever the Christian peasants revolted against him he attacked them with his Oromo bands and he settled them in the territory of the peasants.His one-time ally and cousin, Emperor Za Dengel, led a large army against Susenyos and his Oromo supporters in Walaqa. Susenyos fled with his
Oromo warriors and Za-Dengel had to be content with the large amounts of loot he took from them. Once the Emperor returned to Gojjam, Susenyos followed him. While crossing the Abay Susenyos met the Liban Oromo from among whom about 400 cavalry joined him on his march on Gojjam. After the death of Emperor Za Dengel on December 13, 1604, Susenyos was coronated as Emperor on December 14, 1604 by a faction led by Ras Atnatewos, however Za Selasse's faction restored his cousin Yaqob to the throne.
Reign
Susenyos became Emperor following the defeat of first Za Selasse, then on 10 March 1607 Yaqob at the Battle of Gol in southern Gojjam. After his defeat, Za Sellase became a supporter of Susenyos, but fell out with Susenyos early in his reign, and was imprisoned on an amba in Guzamn. After a year, Za Selassie managed to escape and lived as an outlaw or shifta for a year until he was killed by a peasant, who sent his head to the Emperor. In his early reign he was defeated by Hadiya rebels led by Sidi Mohammed at the Battle of Hadiya.In 1608, a rebel appeared near Debre Bizen. Because the body of Yaqob had never been found after the Battle of Gol, there had been some doubt that the previous Emperor was truly dead, and a pretender announced that he was the dead Emperor Yaqob. The pretender managed to disguise the fact he did not resemble Yaqob by keeping part of his face covered, claiming that he had suffered grievous wounds to his teeth and face from the battle. The governor of Tigray, Sela Krestos, eventually heard of the revolt, and not trusting the loyalty of a general levy of troops struck against the rebel with his own household and the descendants of the Portuguese soldiers who had followed Cristóvão da Gama into Ethiopia. Despite defeating the rebels thrice, the pretender managed to escape each battle to hide in the mountains of Hamasien.
Meanwhile, Emperor Susenyos was preoccupied with raiding parties of the Oromo. An initial encounter with the Marawa Oromo near the upper course of the Reb River ended in a defeat for the Ethiopian advance guards; Susenyos rallied his men and made an attack which scattered the Oromo. The Marawa allied with other Oromo, and the united force entered Begemder to avenge their defeat. Upon hearing of this, the Emperor responded by summoning his son-in-law Qegnazmach Julius and Kifla Krestos to join him with their troops, and defeated the raiders at Ebenat on 17 January 1608. According to James Bruce, the Royal Chronicle of Susenyos reports 12,000 Oromo were killed while only 400 on the Emperor's side were lost. With the Oromo threat dealt with, Susenyos now could turn his attention to Yaqob the pretender; he marched to Axum by way of the Lamalmo and Waldebba, where he was formally crowned Emperor 18 March 1608, in a ceremony described by João Gabriel, the captain of the Portuguese in Ethiopia. Despite this act legitimizing his rule, Susenyos had no luck capturing the pretender, and was forced to leave the task to his servant Amsala Krestos. Amsala Krestos induced two brothers who had joined the rebellion to assassinate Yaqob the pretender, who then sent the dead man's head to Susenyos. Without a scarf obscuring his features, writes Bruce, "it now appeared, that he had neither scars in his face, broken jaw, nor loss of teeth; but the covering was intending only to conceal the little resemblance he bore to king Jacob, slain, as we said before, at the battle of Lebart."
Sennar War
acknowledged Susenyos' authority in 1606, receiving a negarit drum, sign of vasselage, and giving a trained falcon. Similarly, his brother and successor Adlan I maintained the relationship, giving a number of fine horses as a present. Badi I of Sennar, son of Abd al-Qadir II and successor of Adlan I, however, outraged by the shelter given in Chilga to his father by the Ethiopians, severed these ties, sending as an insult two lame horses and an army led by the Nail Weld Ageeb from Atbara, to pillage the border areas.The hostilities between the two kingdoms increased when the governor of the Mazaga, Aleko, who was a servant of Emperor Susenyos, fled to Sennar with a number of the Emperor's horses and kettledrums. Susenyos complained of this to Badi, who refused to reply; further insulting him.
In 1615, Susenyos, this time allied with the Nail Weld Ageeb, re-conquered and annexed the Kingdom of Fazughli into the Ethiopian Empire, on the Sennar Sultanate borderlands. The emperor sent priests to renew the Orthodox Christianity of the province, though the missionaries seem to have become mired in doctrinal disputes, and their accomplishments were limited. In 1618–1619, the war continued, this time the Emperor sent three of his vassals to campaign against Sennar. Welde Hawaryat, Melca Chrestos and the governor of Tigray, Ras Tekle Giyorgis, led a three-pronged assault on the border from their respective provinces. Welde Hawaryat finally conquered and sacked the town of Atbara on the Nile after a 19-day march. Susenyos finally sent Bahr Negus Gebre Mariam to attack Mandara, whose queen controlled a strategic caravan road from Suakin. Bahir Negash was successful in capturing Queen Fatima, who was brought back to Susenyos palace in Danqaz, and renewed submission to the Empire.
According to his Royal Chronicle, Susenyos hence made his power felt along his western frontier from Fazogli, north to Suakin.