Badi III
Encyclopedia
Badi III, or Badi el Ahmar, (1692 - 1716) was a ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar. James Bruce
includes in his account of Ethiopia the translation of a letter the Ethiopian Emperor Tewolfos
sent him dated 21 January 1706, wherein he addresses him as "king Badi, son of king Unsa".
According to a manuscript history known as The History of Nuba (British Museum Arabic MS. 2345), Badi was confronted with a pretender, Awkal, whom he defeated.
C. J. Poncet, who passed through Sennar in 1699, left this description of his interview with King Badi:
Poncet's departure from Sennar was delayed at the border for 19 days until 11 June 1699, due to the death of King Badi's mother. A Jesuit residing at Port Said
, Jean Verzaeu, wrote on 20 October 1700 that the kingdom and Ethiopia
were at war over the assassination of a Sennar national in Ethiopia, and that the trade route between the two countries was closed.
Because of the success of Poncet's visit to Ethiopia, Charles de Maillet, the French consul at Cairo
, ordered Lenoir de Roule to visit the Ethiopian Emperor on behalf of Louis XIV
. Due to the hostility of the natives of the lands he travelled through, de Roule was unable to get any further than Sennar, where he was murdered with his five companions before the royal palace on November 10, 1705. Although King Badi was seen by many as being responsible for this act, the Scots traveller James Bruce
, who travelled through Sennar later in the eighteenth century, accused the Franciscan
s of having manipulated the events that led to these deaths.
James Bruce
James Bruce was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia, where he traced the origins of the Blue Nile.-Youth:...
includes in his account of Ethiopia the translation of a letter the Ethiopian Emperor Tewolfos
Tewoflos of Ethiopia
Tewoflos or Theophilus was of Ethiopia and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
sent him dated 21 January 1706, wherein he addresses him as "king Badi, son of king Unsa".
According to a manuscript history known as The History of Nuba (British Museum Arabic MS. 2345), Badi was confronted with a pretender, Awkal, whom he defeated.
C. J. Poncet, who passed through Sennar in 1699, left this description of his interview with King Badi:
- When we had almost past over the court, they oblig'd us to stop short before a stone, which is near to an open hall, where the King usually gives audience to embassadors. There we saluted the king according to the custom of the country, falling upon our knees and thrice kissing the ground. That prince is nineteen years of age, black, but well shap'd and of a majestick presence; not having thick lips nor flat nose, like the rest of his subjects. He was seated upon a rich bed under a canopy, with his legs across, after the oriental fashion; and round him twenty old men, seated after the same manner, but somewhat lower. He was cloath'd with a long vest of silk, embroider'd with gold, and girt with a kind of scarf made of fine calico. He had a white turban on his head. The old men were clad much after the same manner.
Poncet's departure from Sennar was delayed at the border for 19 days until 11 June 1699, due to the death of King Badi's mother. A Jesuit residing at Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, Jean Verzaeu, wrote on 20 October 1700 that the kingdom and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
were at war over the assassination of a Sennar national in Ethiopia, and that the trade route between the two countries was closed.
Because of the success of Poncet's visit to Ethiopia, Charles de Maillet, the French consul at Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, ordered Lenoir de Roule to visit the Ethiopian Emperor on behalf of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. Due to the hostility of the natives of the lands he travelled through, de Roule was unable to get any further than Sennar, where he was murdered with his five companions before the royal palace on November 10, 1705. Although King Badi was seen by many as being responsible for this act, the Scots traveller James Bruce
James Bruce
James Bruce was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia, where he traced the origins of the Blue Nile.-Youth:...
, who travelled through Sennar later in the eighteenth century, accused the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
s of having manipulated the events that led to these deaths.