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Queen Eleni and Her Diplomatic Letters to Renaissance Europe
Description
In the late 15th century, an Ethiopian queen regent named Eleni — known as Queen of the Sea — wrote a remarkable letter to the King of Portugal, seeking an alliance against the encroaching Adal Sultanate. This episode explores Eleni's life, her rise from royal hostage to de facto ruler, and her audacious diplomatic gambit that sent a messenger, Mateus, on a decade-long journey to Lisbon and back. We also examine the letter itself — its language, its lavish gifts (including a crucifix said to be from the True Cross), and the European response, which set the stage for later Portuguese missions. Along the way, we touch on the chaos that followed Emperor Baeda Maryam's death, the role of Empress in a Solomonic court, and how one woman's vision nearly reshaped the geopolitics of the Red Sea. This is a story of faith, power, and a queen who acted when her empire needed her most.