Cristóvão da Gama
Cristóvão da Gama | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cristóvão da Gama c. 1516 |
| Died | 29 August 1542 (aged 25–26) |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Military commander |
| Known for | Leader of a Portuguese military expedition in Ethiopia |
| Parent(s) | Vasco da Gama Catarina de Ataíde |
| Signature | |
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.
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".