The Battle of Wofla was fought on August 28, 1542 near Lake Ashenge in Wofla (Ofla) between the Portuguese under Cristvo da Gama and the forces of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. Reinforced with a superiority not only in numbers but in firearms, Imam Ahmad was victorious and forced the Portuguese, along with Queen Sabla Wengel and her retinue, to flee their fortified encampment and leave their weapons behind.
While fleeing the battlefield with 14 soldiers, Gama, with his arm broken from a bullet, was captured that night by followers of Imam Ahmad, who had been led into the brush they had taken refuge in by an old woman. He was then brought into the presence of the Imam Ahmad, who tortured and executed his captured opponent.
The Ottoman-Portuguese conflicts of 1538 to 1559 were a series of armed military encounters between the Portuguese Empire, the Kingdom of Hormuz and the Ethiopian Empire against the Ottoman Empire and Adal Sultanate, in the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and in East Africa. This is a period of battles in The Ottoman-Portuguese War.
1542Aug, 28
Turkish-Portuguese War (1538-57): Battle of Wofla: The Portuguese are scattered, their leader Christovão da Gama is captured and later executed.
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Events on 1542
- 6May
Old Goa
Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of Portuguese India at the time. - 28Aug
Battle of Wofla
Turkish-Portuguese War (1538-57): Battle of Wofla: The Portuguese are scattered, their leader Christovão da Gama is captured and later executed. - 7Oct
Santa Catalina Island, California
Explorer Cabrillo discovers Santa Catalina Island off of the California coast.