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Queen Eleni's Diplomatic Web: Ethiopia and Renaissance Europe
Description
After Emperor Baeda Maryam's death, Queen Eleni ruled as regent for a child emperor. But she faced a rising threat: the Adal Sultanate, backed by the Ottoman Empire. Her solution was audacious—she wrote letters to the kings of Portugal and Spain, invoking the legend of Prester John to secure a military alliance. This episode follows Eleni's journey from a Muslim slave girl to a Christian queen who reshaped Ethiopia's foreign policy. We explore her early life, her deft navigation of court politics, her diplomatic mission with Mateus, and the arrival of Portuguese musketeers who would later fight at the Battle of Wayna Daga. We also discuss her patronage of Ge'ez literature and the Gunda Gunde Gospels, and how a woman in a patriarchal society left an indelible mark on Ethiopia's survival.