Zaga Christ ( – April 22, 1638), also referred to as Ṣägga Krəstos, Atənatewos, and Lessana Krəstos, was a seventeenth-century Ethiopian man who, after having been imprisoned, claimed to be the son of Emperor Yaˁəqob I of Ethiopia. Zaga Christ travelled extensively, living in Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, Greece, and later Italy. There he met the Pope and fell in love with the franciscan nun Caterina

Massimi Massimi is a surname that refer to the *Massimo family, A branch of the princely House of Massimo, and one of the great aristocratic families of Rome, renowned for its influence on the politics, the church and the artistic heritage of the city. Some ...

, who he corresponded with from the years of 1633 to 1637 with letters of love written in their own blood. Zaga Christ died the following year of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

while in France, where the letters were later discovered.

Accounts of his story

There are many accounts of his life story. The French Franciscan friar Eugène Roger met Zaga Christ in

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

(then part of

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

) and was familiar with his whereabouts from there until his death. Rèchac's accounts came from an Italian manuscript, written by Zaga Christ himself when he was living in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The Catholic Patriarch of Ethiopia,

Afonso Mendes Father Afonso Mendes (18 June 1579 – 21 June 1659), was a Portuguese Jesuit theologian, and Patriarch of Ethiopia from 1622 to 1634. While E. A. Wallis Budge has expressed the commonly accepted opinion of this man, as being "rigid, uncompromi ...

, devoted a letter in 1638 to disputing his claims of royal birth.

Early Age

Depending on the author, Zaga Christ was born between 1610 and 1614. While he claimed King Yaˁəqob I as his father, it is unlikely as King Yaˁəqob I was killed in 1606 by Susenyos. He was Christian. His mother was named Nazarena. He had a brother named Cosme; together they were educated in the town of Aich on the island of Maroűe. He claimed, in 1629, when he alleges his father was killed, that his mother ordered the brothers to split some gold and jewelry between them and flee. Cosme allegedly went south to Monomotapa, ruled by an enemy of Ethiopia, and ultimately to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

. Zaga Christ himself went north to the

Sennar Sennar ( ar, سنار ') is a city on the Blue Nile in Sudan and possibly the capital of the state of Sennar. It remains publicly unclear whether Sennar or Singa is the capital of Sennar State. For several centuries it was the capital of the F ...

Kingdom, where he was received in the court of King Orbat. After a falling out with King Orbat over Zaga marrying his daughter, and the threat of death from Susenyos, Zaga left for

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. He later left Cairo and arrived in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

during

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

of 1632, where he was seen by Roger. For security reasons, he then left for

. He was received into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

by Father Paolo da Lodi, then

Custodian of the Holy Land , native_name_lang = Latin , named_after= , image = Coat_of_arms_of_the_Custodian_of_the_Holy_Land.jpg , image_size = 200px , alt= , caption = Coat of arms of the Custody of the Holy Land , map ...

In Europe

From September 1632 until October 1634, he lived in

. During that time, he met with Catholic church officials in hopes of setting up a mission in Ethiopia and hopefully reclaim the throne. While many memorandums were written, no final decision was made, due to tensions between various groups in the church and European countries. The original goal after he left was to go to England, but that fell through, and only made it to

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, then to Paris in early 1635. There, he announced he wasn't going back to Ethiopia, but would stay there. He ordered his servant, Ignazio, to return home, but he died on the way. Zaga was supported by French Royalty while he lived in Paris. Zaga died of

on April 22, 1638. He was buried next to a prince of Portugal. He was buried at

Rueil Rueil-Malmaison () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 78,152. It is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Par ...

with the epitaph (translated from French) "Here lies the king of Ethiopia\ The original or the copy."

References

{{Authority control 17th-century Ethiopian people History of Ethiopia