Zaga Christ
Zaga Christ eventually converted to Catholicism, and while residing in Turin, he was immortalized by the accomplished artist Giovanna Garzoni (1600–1670) in what is considered the earliest known European portrait miniature of an African.
The French Franciscan friar Eugène Roger met Zaga Christ in Nazareth (then part of Ottoman Empire) and was familiar with his whereabouts from there until his death.
[6] In March 1632, Zaga Christ arrived at the Venetian consulate in Cairo, claiming to be the son of Emperor Yaʿǝqob I of Ethiopia, who had been killed during the political and religious conflicts of the early 17th century.
According to his account, he had fled from Ethiopia through the Nile Valley (Funj Sultanate) after Emperor Susǝnyos I, the ruling Catholic monarch, had allegedly killed his father.
Zaga Christ's story intrigued the consulate's chaplain, Father Paolo da Lodi, who had served as the prefect of the Franciscan mission in Egypt.
Recognizing the potential value of Zaga Christ as a symbol of Catholic interests in Ethiopia, Paolo informed his superiors at the Congregation of Propaganda Fide in Rome.
[4] Shortly after meeting him, Father Paolo sent a message to Rome mentioning "a certain Abyssinian who claimed to be the son of the king of Abes [Ethiopia], though he misled many, including myself, as I could not communicate with him in his language."
[4] Father Paolo eventually became convinced of his authenticity, reporting that the Ethiopian had impressed friars in Jerusalem and Nazareth with his humility, piety, and "royal soul."
This change of heart came after his formal conversion to Roman Catholicism on St. Peter's Day, a significant moment that reinforced his claims of noble lineage and religious devotion.
Father Paolo arranged for Zaga Christ's passage to Rome, providing a glowing endorsement of him as the son of the Ethiopian emperor, filled with zeal for the Catholic faith.
During his travels through the Kingdom of Naples, he was treated with considerable respect, receiving gifts and honors from local nobles and viceroys, including valuable horses and financial support.
The papal nuncio in Naples notified Rome that Zaga Christ lacked sufficient credentials, a challenge that would continue to follow him throughout his stay in the Eternal City.
The situation became tense, with the Portuguese Jesuits likely involved in the Vicar of Rome’s decision to confine Zaga Christ to the Franciscan convent and pressure him to leave the city.
The Congregation of Propaganda Fide, which oversaw global Catholic missions, was engaged in a power struggle with the Portuguese over control of ecclesiastical privileges in overseas territories.
[4] Despite this conflict, Zaga Christ managed to gain the protection of Francesco Ingoli, the secretary of Propaganda Fide, who reported that the Ethiopian prince had "the appearance and manners of a royal."
This document, which was later printed and circulated in Europe, presented his version of his lineage and life events, including a detailed recounting of Ethiopia’s dynastic struggles.
Affidavits from interpreters and merchants in Cairo offered little more than hearsay, and even the supporting statements from prominent Maronites failed to provide definitive proof of his imperial lineage.
He reorganized the original Narratione into a chronological table titled Brevissima narratio del imperatore Jacob disposta per ordine d’anni, outlining calendar years, claimed ages, and key events.
Although the details of the succession wouldn’t reach Rome until mid-1634, Ṣägga Krǝstos exploited this uncertainty, warning Ingoli of impending persecution against Catholics by Fasilädäs’s traditionalist faction.
Ingoli was impressed by Ṣägga Krǝstos’s insight, stating, “from these grand thoughts your excellency [Antonio Barberini] can deduce that this youth was not a lowborn, hence it is opportune to reflect on his disposition.” Despite his admiration, Ingoli became wary of Ṣägga Krǝstos’s growing influence and recommended relocating him to a Franciscan residence outside Rome, reasoning that if he was an impostor, his absence wouldn’t matter, but if he was genuine, he could be nurtured to support the Catholic faith.
Father Antonio petitioned the Venetian Senate to travel to Ethiopia on English or Dutch ships, but the leaders were unwilling to provoke the Ottomans over a pretender lacking credentials.
In Turin, papal nuncio Alessandro Castracani cautioned him against the English route and promoted Iberian support, but Ṣägga Krǝstos remained unconvinced, insisting on promises of protection from the King of Spain and Portugal.
In a letter to Cardinal Richelieu, he illustrated his situation: "You know I am waiting for your rescue; perhaps you have not been advised that I have been reduced to a hermit, and that my host decided to dismiss me for lack of payment.
In early November 1637, he was arrested on the outskirts of Paris, accused of attempting to poison a councilman in order to marry his wife, Magdalene Alamant, with whom he was supposedly having an affair with.
What further complicated the scandal was the discovery of letters between Ṣägga Krǝstos and Nun Catharina Angelica Massima, from a monastery in Rome[4] Accused of adultery and potentially attempted murder, he was imprisoned in the Grand Châtelet of Paris.
[4] His fortunes took a racially charged and distorted turn after his death, as his life story was reframed to fit negative stereotypes of African men, particularly in relation to sexuality.
"[8] Fascinated by Zaga Christ, the Swedish writer Björnstahl would obtain a copy of his death certificate —a fortunate event, as the parish registers of Rueil for the year 1638 are incomplete.
The burial of said pretended King, aged twenty-four, was conducted at the expense of His Eminence and cost 96 livres and 11 sols.”[9] He also brought several Ethiopian manuscripts with him, which later ended up in the collection of Chancellor Pierre Séguier.
[10] According to Hiob Ludolf in Historia Aethiopica, he was characterized by a appearance that played a crucial role in his impersonation: "But that which added to the Credit of the Impostor was his graceful Presence, with a Countenance wherein Seriousness and Frankness were wonderfully intermix'd, that while he kept company with other Princes, (as Bochart himself told me) he seem'd to excel them all both for beauty of form, and sweetness of disposition; and particularly that his Majestic Aspect struck all his beholders with admiration.
