Battle of Shimbra Kure
Battle of Shimbra Kure | |||||||
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Part of the Ethiopian–Adal War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Adal Sultanate | Ethiopian Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim | Dawit II | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
12,000 soldiers[2] |
16,000 warriors [3] |
The Battle of Shimbra Kure ("chickpea swamp") was fought on 9 March 1529[4][5][6] between the forces of Adal led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, and the Abyssinian army, under Dawit II (Lebna Dengel).
Arab Faqīh states many Somalis on the left flank deserted and the Abyssinians pursued killing a large number of their men, but the Harla on the right flank held their ground.[7] According to Merid Wolde Aregay the Harari cavalry or the Malassay with support from the Arab cuirassiers shifted the momentum in favor of the Adalites.[8] The army of Imam Ahmad prevailed, and were in control of the field at the end of the battle. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.[9]
Despite this success, and his desire to capture and hold the Emperor's palace at , Imam Ahmad, in part to appease his restive men, withdrew from the highlands and did not return to directly engage the Ethiopian army for two years.[10] Enrico Cerulli asserts following the battle, the Harari troops refused Ahmed's orders to subjugate Abyssinia stating that doing so would defy the tradition of their ancestors. According to Cerulli the Harari aristocracy dreaded the potential of the Muslim base relocating to Abyssinia.[11]
Some authorities, such as Richard Pankhurst, attribute Imam Ahmad's success to the presence amongst his followers of an elite company of matchlockmen. If this is the case, then this battle was the first time Ethiopian forces had to fight against a force armed with firearms.[12]
References
- ^ Pankhurst, Borderlands, p. 168
- ^ Hassan, Mohammed. Oromo of Ethiopia 1500 (PDF). University of London. p. 35.
- ^ Cited in Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), p. 78
- ^ "Battle of Shimbra Kure". HistorySack. 2022-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Battle of Shimbra Kure". frontend. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
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value (help) - ^ www.coursehero.com https://www.coursehero.com/file/p1iin2t/Battle-of-Shimbra-Kure-Ethiopian-Adal-War-Ahmad-ibn-Ibrahim-al-Ghazi-Year-1529/. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
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(help) - ^ bin 'Abd al-Qader arabfaqīh, Sihab ad-Din (30 January 2005). Futuh al-Habasha: The conquest of Ethiopia translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse. Tsehai Pub and Distributors. p. 81-82. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Aregay, Merid (1980). "A Reappraisal of the Impact of Firearms in the History of Warfare in Ethiopia (C. 1500-1800)". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 14: 109. JSTOR 41965889.
- ^ Richard Pankhurst, The Ethiopian Borderlands (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1997), p. 172
- ^ Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003),p. 86
- ^ Cerulli, Enrico. Islam Yesterday and Today translated by Emran Waber. pp. 376–381.
- ^ Pankhurst, Borderlands, p. 168
- 1529 in Africa
- 1529 in Ethiopia
- Conflicts in 1529
- Battles of the Abyssinian–Adal war
- Battles involving Ethiopia
- African history stubs
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- Ethiopian history stubs
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