Battle of Ansata

The Battle of Ansata was fought in the year 1270 AD between the forces of Yekuno Amlak, future emperor of Ethiopia, and Yetbarak of the Zagwe dynasty.^[1]

Battle of Ansata
Date 1270 Location Gayint, Ethiopia, north of Bashilo River Result Decisive victory of Yekuno Amlak Fall of the Zagwe dynasty Beginning of the Solomonic dynasty with the ascension of Yekuno Amlak
Belligerents
Amhara rebels Makhzumi Dynasty	Zagwe dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Yekuno Amlak Unnamed Malassay	Yetbarak †
Strength
Unknown Amhara soldiers Unknown Gafat regiments	Unknown Agew soldiers

Battle

The forces of Yekuno Amlak had received assistance from the Gafat whose commander was an unnamed Muslim called "The Malassay" and from Sultan Dil Gamis of the Sultanate of Shewa, giving the Amhara rebels an advantage over the Zagwe.^[2][3][4][5] After defeating his army, Yekuno Amlak pursued Yetbarak, the king of Zagwe, into the church of Saint Qirqos at Ansata, slaying him.^[6]

References

1. Abebe, Smahagan (3 March 2016). The Last Post-Cold War Socialist Federation. Taylor and Francis. p. 107. ISBN 9781317026327.
2. Budge, E.A (August 2014). A History of Ethiopia: Volume I (Routledge Revivals). Taylor and Francis. p. 278. ISBN 9781317649151.
3. Tamrat, Tadesse (1988). "Ethnic Interaction and Integration In Ethiopian History: The Case of the Gafat". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 21. Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 125. JSTOR 41965965.
4. Hassan, Mohammed. Oromo of Ethiopia 1500 (PDF). University of London. p. 4.
5. Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. Red Sea Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780932415196.
6. Huntingford, G.W.B (1965). "The Wealth of Kings' and the End of the Zāguē Dynasty". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 28 (1). University of London: 2–3. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00056731. JSTOR 611706. S2CID 161195803.