Battle of Wofla: Difference between revisions

Battle of Wofla
	Part of the Ethiopian–Adal war
Date	August 28, 1542
Location	Modern day Ofla, Ethiopia
Result	Adal victory
Belligerents
Adal Sultanate	Portuguese Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi	Cristóvão da Gama †
Strength
2900 arquebusiers (2000 from Arabia and 900 Turks)	300 Portuguese arquebusiers
Casualties and losses
Unknown	200 killed; 50 missing

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Revision as of 12:35, 31 May 2023

The Battle of Wofla was fought on August 28, 1542 near Lake Ashenge in Wofla (Ofla) between the Portuguese under Cristóvão da Gama and the forces of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. Reinforced with a superiority not only in numbers but in firearms, Imam Ahmad was victorious and forced the Portuguese, along with Queen Seble Wongel and her retinue, to flee their fortified encampment and leave their weapons behind.

While fleeing the battlefield with 14 soldiers, Cristóvão da Gama, with his arm broken from a bullet, was captured that night by followers of Imam Ahmad, who had been led into the brush they had taken refuge in by an old woman.^[5] However other accounts state Gama had stayed behind to look for a woman he had captured at the Battle of the Hill of the Jews with whom he became infatuated.^[6] Nonetheless, he was then brought into the presence of the Imam Ahmad, who tortured and executed his captured opponent.^[7]

A disagreement occurred between Ahmed Gran and his Ottoman musketeers at this point of victory on handling the Portuguese taken in the battle. The Ottomans wanted to use these prisoners as a negotiating tool in their ongoing talks with Lisbon, therefore they made the following demands that they are delivered unharmed into the care of Yemeni provincial officials. However, Ahmed Gran turned down this please and killed him with his own hands just hours after capturing da Gama. Furious, the Ottoman commander deserted Ahmed and headed back to Yemen with the majority of his forces.^[8]

the battle prevented the establishment of a permanent military presence by the Portuguese in Ethiopia. Following the death of Christovo da Gama and the majority of his soldiers being either captured or slain, the Portuguese were hesitant to make any investments in the area thus making the red sea an ottoman lake.^[9]

References

^ Dennis Showalter, Early Modern Wars 1500–1775 [1]
^ Dennis Showalter, Early Modern Wars 1500–1775 [2]
^ Giancarlo Casale, The Ottoman Age of Exploration, p. 73
^ J. Bermudez, The Portuguese expedition to Abyssinia in 1541-1543 as narrated by Castanhoso.[3]
^ R.S. Whiteway, editor and translator, The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia in 1441–1543, 1902. (Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1967), pp. 66f
^ Makkham, C. E. (1867). The Portuguese Expeditions to Abyssinia in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries. Royal Geographical Society. p. 6.
^ Whiteway, The Portuguese Expedition, p. 68
^ Giancarlo Casale, The Ottoman Age of Exploration, p. 73
^ Giancarlo Casale, p. 74

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[1] Dennis Showalter, Early Modern Wars 1500–1775 [1]

[2] Dennis Showalter, Early Modern Wars 1500–1775 [2]

[3] Giancarlo Casale, The Ottoman Age of Exploration, p. 73

[4] J. Bermudez, The Portuguese expedition to Abyssinia in 1541-1543 as narrated by Castanhoso.[3]

[5] R.S. Whiteway, editor and translator, The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia in 1441–1543, 1902. (Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1967), pp. 66f

[6] Makkham, C. E. (1867). The Portuguese Expeditions to Abyssinia in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries. Royal Geographical Society. p. 6.

[7] Whiteway, The Portuguese Expedition, p. 68

[8] Giancarlo Casale, The Ottoman Age of Exploration, p. 73

[9] Giancarlo Casale, p. 74

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 The '''Battle of Wofla''' was fought on August 28, 1542 near [[Lake Ashenge]] in [[Ofla|Wofla]] (Ofla) between the Portuguese under [[Cristóvão da Gama]] and the forces of Imam [[Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi]]. Reinforced with a superiority not only in numbers but in firearms, Imam Ahmad was victorious and forced the Portuguese, along with Queen [[Seble Wongel]] and her retinue, to flee their fortified encampment and leave their weapons behind.
-While fleeing the battlefield with 14 soldiers, Gama, with his arm broken from a bullet, was captured that night by followers of Imam Ahmad, who had been led into the brush they had taken refuge in by an old woman.<ref>R.S. Whiteway, editor and translator, ''The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia in 1441–1543'', 1902. (Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1967), pp. 66f</ref> However other accounts state Gama had stayed behind to look for a woman he had captured at the [[Battle of the Hill of the Jews]] with whom he became infatuated.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Makkham |first1=C. E. |title=The Portuguese Expeditions to Abyssinia in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries |date=1867 |publisher=Royal Geographical Society |page=6 |url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-1798566/1798566_djvu.txt}}</ref> Nonetheless, he was then brought into the presence of the Imam Ahmad, who tortured and executed his captured opponent.<ref>Whiteway, ''The Portuguese Expedition'', p. 68</ref>
+While fleeing the battlefield with 14 soldiers, [[Cristóvão da Gama]], with his arm broken from a bullet, was captured that night by followers of Imam Ahmad, who had been led into the brush they had taken refuge in by an old woman.<ref>R.S. Whiteway, editor and translator, ''The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia in 1441–1543'', 1902. (Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1967), pp. 66f</ref> However other accounts state Gama had stayed behind to look for a woman he had captured at the [[Battle of the Hill of the Jews]] with whom he became infatuated.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Makkham |first1=C. E. |title=The Portuguese Expeditions to Abyssinia in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries |date=1867 |publisher=Royal Geographical Society |page=6 |url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-1798566/1798566_djvu.txt}}</ref> Nonetheless, he was then brought into the presence of the Imam Ahmad, who tortured and executed his captured opponent.<ref>Whiteway, ''The Portuguese Expedition'', p. 68</ref>
 A disagreement occurred between Ahmed Gran and his Ottoman musketeers at this point of victory on handling the Portuguese taken in the battle. The Ottomans wanted to use these prisoners as a negotiating tool in their ongoing talks with Lisbon, therefore they made the following demands that they are delivered unharmed into the care of Yemeni provincial officials.