[2] The Spanish Jesuit Pedro Paez, who lived in Ethiopia, described the Emperor's appearance during their meeting as follows: "He seemed to be about 26 years of age, tall, well-shaped, and manly.
'"[3] Za Dengel may have been married to Woizero Wangelawit, eldest daughter of his second cousin Susenyos (later emperor) and lady Wolde Saala of Walaqa and Marabete (later Empress Sultan Mogassa).
Sarsa Dengel had intended to make his nephew as his heir, recognizing that to avert the civil war that would likely follow his death an adult would be needed, and the emperor's own sons were quite young.
This religious conversion led to Za Sellase not only withdrawing his support, but actively working against him and stirred up a revolt in Gojjam.
According to James Bruce, Za Dengel's corpse lay unclaimed on the battlefield for three days, until some peasants buried it "in a little building, like a chapel (which I have seen), not above six feet high, under the shade of a very fine tree, in Abyssinia called sassa."