Lebna Dengel (Dawit II)

Timeline

1. 1508–1511Ethiopian Highlands · Ethiopian EmpireAfter his father Naod died in 1508, he ascended the throne as a child under his mother's regency. Struggles over power and church appointments raged within the court, and the empire's northern frontier was already being raided by Adal forces.
2. 1511–1520Ethiopian Highlands · Ethiopian EmpireBetween 1511 and 1520 he gradually assumed personal rule, facing the expansion of the Adal Sultanate and Ottoman-backed forces. He strengthened mobilization of local nobles and church support, and began contacts with Portugal to seek maritime allies against Muslim powers.
3. 1520–1540Ethiopian Highlands · Ethiopian EmpireAfter the 1520s, Adal launched a large-scale jihad under Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. The empire suffered repeated defeats; Lebna Dengel was killed in battle in 1540, and his son Galawdewos continued the resistance.