Died 22 April 1638 | ||
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Zaga Christ (real name Ṣägga Krəstos, Atənatewos, or Lessana Krəstos), born in Ethiopia, ca. 1610 - died in France, April 22, 1638, after having been jailed, claimed to be the son of Emperor Yaˁəqob I, who was briefly king of Ethiopia in 1597–1603 and 1604–1606, the year of his death. Zaga Christ lived in Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, Greece, Italy, where he met the Pope and fell in love with the franciscan nun Caterina Massimi. Zaga Christ and Caterina have shown a proof of passion probably unique in the world: during 4 years, they have exchanged letters of love written with their blood (1633-1637). He committed suicide in France, where the "love letters in blood" where discovered during his imprisonment. Important discoveries recently done in the archives throw a new light on his life.
Contents
Accounts of his story
There are many accounts of his life story. Eugène Roger met Zaga Christ in Nazareth (then part of Ottoman Empire) 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 Roma. The Catholic Patriarch of Ethiopia, Afonso Mendes, 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 on Aich on the island of Maroűe. He claimed, in 1629, when he alleges his father was killed, that his mother ordered them to split some gold and jewelry and to leave. Cosme allegedly went south to Monomotapa, ruled by an enemy of Ethiopia, and ultimately, to Cape of Good Hope. Zaga Christ himself went north to the Sennar 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 possibility of Susenyos killing him, he left for Cairo. He left Cairo and arrived in Jerusalem during Lent in 1632, where he was seen by Roger. For security reasons, he left for Nazareth. He was received into the Catholic Church by Father Paul de Lande, then Guardian of Jerusalem.
In Europe
From September 1632 until October 1634, he lived in Rome. 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, 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 pleurisy on April 22, 1639. He was buried next to a prince of Portugal. He was buried at Rueil with the epitaph (translated from French) "Here lies the king of Ethiopia The original or the copy."