It was during Eskender's reign that the famed Portuguese envoy Pedro de Covilham visited his court and was later forced to stay as an advisor.
Therefore, a council was formed of his mother Romna Wark, Tasfa Giyorgis (the abbot of the monastery of Lake Hayq), and the Bitwoded Amda Mikael.
Abbot Tasfa Giyorgis proved no match for the experienced Bitwoded, and according to Taddesse Tamrat Amda Mikael "ruled the kingdom almost single handed.
"[2] The Bitwoded's rule came to an end around 1486 when a palace coup led by the Emperor's step-grandmother Queen Mother Eleni resulted in his deposition and execution.
[3] There is some disagreement over the context of this campaign, one view is presented by James Bruce, who adds that Zasillus, governor of Amhara, had been commanded to mobilize the forces in the south while Eskender himself raised levies from Angot and Tigray.
[4] More recent scholars, such as Richard Pankhurst, hold that Eskender's sack of Dakkar led to Muhammad seeking peace with the Ethiopians, but he was outmaneuvered by Mahfuz.