Zaga Christ

Zaga Christ, real name Lessana Krestos, born in Ethiopia, ca. 1610 - died in France, April 22, 1638, after having been jailed, was the second son of emperor Arzo. He 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.

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.[1]

Early Age

Depending on the author, Zaga Christ was born between 1610 and 1614. While he claimed King Jacob as his father, it is unlikely as King Jacob was killed in 1607 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.[2] 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.[1]

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.[2] Zaga died of pleurisy on April 22, 1639.[1] 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."[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Crawford, Osbert G.S. (1950). "The Strange Adventures of Zaga Christ". Sudan Notes and Record 31: 287–296. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 Ingram, John Henry (1882). Claimants to Royalty. London, England: Hazell, Watson, and Viney.
  3. ↑ Miller, Christopher (1985). Blank Darkness: Africanist Discourse in French. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-52621-6.
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