Battle of Yedaya (1422)

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Battle of Yedaya (1422)

Date: 1422
Location: Ethiopia
Result: Adalite victory

Belligerents:
- Ethiopian Empire
- Adal Sultanate

Leaders:
- Dawit I
- Mansur ad-Din

The battle is described as an Adalite victory in which the Ethiopian king was killed or captured, but this is a matter of debate among historians. Some sources, like Richard Pankhurst, say Dawit I was captured and killed at Yedaya. However, many scholars argue that Dawit I’s reign ended around 1411–1412, a decade before the battle.

After Sabr ad-Din III died in 1422, Mansur ad-Din became sultan with his brother Muhammad’s support. Early in his reign, Mansur led a campaign against Ethiopia and drove a king to Yedaya, described as the king’s royal seat. It is said he destroyed the Solomonic army and captured and killed that king. Pankhurst identifies that king as Dawit I, but Ethiopian royal chronicles are thought to downplay or omit such royal deaths. Tamrat and many other historians dispute this, and the exact events remain uncertain.