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Queen Eleni: The Diplomat Who Saved Ethiopia from Jihad and Portugal
Description
Emperor Zara Yaqob's reign gets the spotlight, but his widow Queen Eleni (also known as Eleni of Ethiopia) was the power behind the throne for decades after his death. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a Muslim-born queen became the savior of Christian Ethiopia. Eleni navigated the chaotic aftermath of Zara Yaqob's death, fended off the rising Adal Sultanate, and wrote a famous letter to the King of Portugal pleading for military aid—a letter that eventually brought Portuguese gunners to Ethiopia and changed the course of the Horn of Africa. We discuss her early life as a Hadiya princess, her conversion to Christianity, her role as regent for young Emperor Eskender, and her remarkable diplomatic correspondence that set the stage for the Portuguese-Ethiopian alliance against Ahmad Gurey. This is the story of a queen who wielded soft power as sharp as any sword, and whose legacy echoes in Ethiopia's resistance to colonialism.