Seble Wongel

The reign of Lebna Dengel and his successor Gelawdewos were marked by wars between the Ethiopian Empire and the muslim Adal Sultanate. From 1529 to 1543, the Adal swept through Ethiopian lands, leading almost to the destruction of the state.[9] In 1539, Seble Wongel's mother was killed when the Adal attacked the region,[10] and the eldest of Seble Wongel's sons, Fiqtor, was killed in battle by the forces of Garad Uthman. The same year, another son, Menas was captured by Imam Ahmed.

Queen Seble Wongel (likely justifably) advised against attacking at the Battle of Baçente, arguing that Gama should wait until her son the Emperor Gelawdewos could march north from Shewa and join the Portuguese due to Ahmed Gragn having known of them.[11] However, Gama was concerned that if he marched around this Muslim-held strongpoint, the local peasantry would be disappointed and stop providing supplies for his troops.[12] The Portuguese pitched their camp the day before Palm Sunday prior to the Battle of Jarte, the queen arrived to their rear. She was placed in the center of the camp, which was properly arranged to await for the "moors" as it occupied a hillock "near the stream of afgol" (Afgol Ghiorghis, Tigray?), the best site on the plain. Gragn, after seeing the outnumbered Christian forces, offered to allow Cristóvão da Gama and his Portuguese to return to their country as Seble Wongel had deceived him. Due to ever decreasing supplies and their opponents refusal to attack, Cristóvão da Gama arranged his forces with the queen at the center and, in the morning of Tuesday April 4, 1542, they began to march towards their enemy. The Adalites were defeated, with Gragn himself gravely wounded, and Seble's Abyssinian forces reportedly slew the Moors "as if they had been sheep."[13] While in pursuit, the Queen had a tent pitched, her and her women bandaging the wounded with their own headgear and crying tears of joy as they had been afraid.[14] After the victory, Seble Wongel sent out spies in disguise.[15]

In 1542, after their forces had fought and defeated the Muslim Ottoman-Adal army several times, the Portuguese suffering a defeat against a much larger force supported by thousands of Ottoman musketeers. After this, 120 Portuguese soldiers fled with Seble Wongel to the region of Tigray.[16] Gelawdewos originally left Semien while liberating shewa but rejoined his mother in October 1542. He then marched to Tigray and collected the remaining 120 Portuguese troops. Starting from 17 November 1542, Gelawdewos' combined Abyssinian-Portuguese forces defeated the Adal-Ottoman armies several times and killed several key leaders before finally killing Imam Ahmed and subsequently routing the Muslim army at the Wayna Daga on 21 February 1543.[17] Imam Ahmed's wife, Bati del Wambara, escaped with 40 Turkish soldiers and 300 horsemen.[18]

The eldest son of Bati del Wambara and Imam Ahmed was captured at Wayna Daga, and Seble Wongel used him to barter for the life of her son Menas, who had been held captive by the Adal for five years. Through her influence, as well as that of Bati del Wambara, a prisoner exchange was conducted, and Menas was returned to Ethiopia.[19]

Menas established the kingdom's base in the region of Mengiste Semayat, and Seble Wongel left with him in 1559. By 1563, Seble Wongel had made her official residence in this region at Kidane Mehret church.[20]