Cristóvão da Gama
Cristóvão da Gama (c. 1516 – 29 August 1542), anglicised as Christopher da Gama, was a Portuguese military commander who led a Portuguese army of 400 musketeers to assist Ethiopia that faced Islamic Jihad from the Adal Sultanate led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.
Cristóvão da Gama | |
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Effigy of Cristóvão da Gama in the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, in Lisbon, Portugal | |
| Born | Cristóvão da Gama c. 1516 Évora, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | August 29, 1542 (aged 25–26) Wofla, Adal Sultanate |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Military commander |
| Known for | Leader of a Portuguese military expedition in Ethiopia |
| Parent(s) | Vasco da Gama Catarina de Ataíde |
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He, along with the allied Ethiopian army, was victorious against Adal forces in four battles, but he was seriously wounded in his last battle and was captured, tortured, and executed by Imam Ahmad. Richard Burton, in his First Footsteps in East Africa, referred to Gama as "the most chivalrous soldier of a chivalrous age".
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