Bahr Negasi Yeshaq first appears in history about the time the
Portuguese fleet arrived at
Massawa in 1541. When
Christovão da Gama marched inland with his 400
matchlockmen, Yeshaq not only provided him provisions and places to camp in his realm, but also about 500 soldiers and information about the land. The father of the
Bahr Negasi, who had despaired of the rightful Emperor being restored to power and had come to be a valuable supporter of
Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, sought pardon from
Gelawdewos, offering Imam Ahmad's son in exchange; despite the Emperor's anger at the man's betrayal, out of respect for the
Bahr Negasi, who had provided critical help in getting the Portuguese expedition into Ethiopia, Gelawdewos consented to the offer. The Bahr Negasi also joined Emperor
Gelawdewos in the decisive
Battle of Wayna Daga, where
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, the leader of the Adal Sultanate, was killed and his forces scattered. When the
Ottoman general
Özdemir Pasha, who had been made governor of the Ottoman province of
Habesh, crossed over from
Jeddah in 1557 and occupied
Massawa,
Arqiqo and finally
Debarwa, the residence of the Bahr Negasi. Reinforced by a massive army and dispatched by Emperor
Gelawdewos, the Abyssinians forces scored a victory against the invaders, recapturing Debarwa and seizing the "immense treasure" the invaders piled up within. Although Bahr Negasi Yeshaq enjoyed good relations with Emperor Galawdewos, his relations with his brother and nephew were not as positive. In 1560, the year after
Menas became emperor, Bahr Negasi Yeshaq revolted against the new Emperor and invaded
Tigray, Emperor Menas defeated Yeshaq and drove him out of Tigray and Yeshaq was forced to seek refuge with the Ottomans in Massawa. In return for ceding the town of Debarwa,
Özdemir Pasha extended military support to the exiled Bahr Negasi, and Yeshaq led an army into Tigray and the other northern provinces. Yeshaq's forces, with the help of their Ottoman allies, defeated Emperor Menas at
Enderta on the 20th of April 1562. Menas was forced to flee to the mountains and died from an illness the following year. When
Sarsa Dengel, the son of Menas, succeeded to the throne, Yeshaq at first pledged his loyalty, but within a few years he once more went into rebellion, and found another ally in the ruler of
Harar, Sultan
Muhammad ibn Nasir. Despite these alliances, Emperor Sarsa Dengel defeated and killed Yeshaq and his Ottoman allies at the
Battle of Addi Qarro in 1578.
Richard Pankhurst concurs with the judgement of
James Bruce on Yeshaq, who points out that the status of the Bahr Negasi "was much diminished by Yeshaq's treachery. From then onwards the governor of the provinces beyond the Tekezé was not allowed the
sandaq (Banner) and
nagarit (War Drum), and no longer had a place in Council unless especially called on by the Emperor." == Notes ==