APRIL 1541
In 1527, war between Adal, a Muslim territory, and Ethiopia, a Christian territory, was already on its way. In 1528, the Christians were defeated by a united command structure but smaller Muslim army. The Muslims then went to occupy Dawaro, Shewa, Amhara, and Lasta. In 1535, Emperor Lebna Dengel's cry for help reached the Portuguese. In January 1541, after Ethiopia had agonized through six terrible and tiresome years of war, four hundred musketeers disembarked at Mitsiwa, a city just of the Red Sea. When they arrived, the governor of Tigray raised an army to be reorganized and retrained in European tactics. The Muslims army immediately recognized the danger, but when they finally caught up with the Ethio-Portuguese army in April 1541, they were defeated by the well-directed firepower of four hundred muskets. (Hess 45-6)
