What is it about?
This article outlines the journey of Zaga Christ, an Ethiopian traveler who in the 1630s visited Italy and France. He claimed to be the son of the late Ethiopian Emperor Yaqob I and declared his intention of returning to Ethiopia at the helm of a Catholic mission. Because of his claimed intentions and identity, he entertained relations with many European personalities, who hosted and supported him throughout Italy and France.
Featured Image
Photo by Michele Bitetto on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Zaga Christ’s is a unique story of African survival in the early modern Mediterranean world. It highlights the role Africans played in the making of European expansion, and sheds further light on the condition of elite Africans in early modern Europe.
Perspectives
This article is the result of research conducted in over twenty archives, and part of a much larger project. I hope you will enjoy it and desire to know more about Zaga Christ’s extraordinary life.
matteo salvadore
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “I Was Not Born to Obey, but Rather to Command”: The Self-Fashioning of Ṣägga Krǝstos, an Ethiopian Traveler in Seventeenth-Century Europe, Journal of Early Modern History, March 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15700658-bja10001.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
