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| 0494 |
The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Bruce checks his chronology by an eclipse which took place in 1553, and which
the Abyssinian chronicle assigns to the 13th year of Claudius. This alone would be
scarcely satisfactory as a basis for the retrospective control of reigns extending through
nearly three centuries; but we find some other checks.
Thus in Quatremère's Makrizi we find a correspondence between Sultan Bibars
and the King of Habasha, or of Amhara, Mahar Amlák, which occurred in A.H.
672 or 673, i.e. A.D. 1273-1274. This would fall within the reign of Icon Amlak
according to Bruce's chronology, but not according to Salt's, and à fortiori not
according to any chronology throwing the reigns further back still.
In Quatremère's Egypte we find another notice of a letter which came to the
Sultan of Egypt from the King of Abyssinia, Iakra Sjun, in Ramadhan 689, i.e. in
the end of A.D. 1289.
Again, this is perfectly consistent with Bruce's order and dates, but not with Salt's.
The same work contains a notice of an inroad on the Mussulman territory of
Assuan by David (II.), the son of Saif Arad, in the year 783 (A.D. 1381-1382).
In Rink's translation of a work of Makrizi's it is stated that this same King David
died in A.H. 812, i.e. A.D. 1409; that he was succeeded by Theodorus, whose reign
was very brief, and he again by Isaac, who died in Dhulkada 833, i.e. July-August
1430. These dates are in close or substantial agreement with Bruce's chronology,
but not at all with Salt's or any chronology throwing the reigns further back.
Makrizi goes on to say that Isaac was succeeded by Andreas, who reigned only four
months, and then by Hazbana, who died in Ramadhan 834, i.e. May-June 1431.
This last date does not agree, but we are now justified in suspecting an error in the
Hijra date,* whilst the 4 months' reign ascribed to Andreas shows that Salt again
is wrong in extending it to 7 years, and Bruce presumably right in making it
7 months.
These coincidences seem to me sufficient to maintain the substantial accuracy of
Bruce's chronology, and to be fatal to the identification of Marco's story with that of
the wars of Amda Zion. The general identity in the duration of reigns as given by
Rüppell shows that Bruce did not tamper with these. It is remarkable that in
Makrizi's report of the letter of Igba Zion in 1289 (the very year when according to
Makrizi's report the anti-Mahomedan war was going on), that Prince tells the Sultan that he
the text this anti-Mahomedan war was going on), that Prince tells the Sultan that he
is a protector of the Mahomedans in Abyssinia, acting in that respect quite differ-
ently from his Father who had been so hostile to them.
I suspect therefore that Icon Amlak must have been the true hero of Marco's
story, and that the date must be thrown back, probably to 1278.
Rüppell is at a loss to understand where Bruce got the long story of Amda Zion's
heroic deeds, which enters into extraordinary detail, embracing speeches after the
manner of the Roman historians and the like, and occupies some 60 pages in the
French) edition of Bruce which I have been using. The German traveller could
find no trace of this story in any of the versions of the Abyssinian chronicle which he
consulted, nor was it known to a learned Abyssinian whom he names. Bruce him-
self says that the story, which he has "a little abridged and accommodated to our
manner of writing, was derived from a work written in very pure Gheez, in Shoa,
under the reign of Zara Jacob"; and though it is possible that his amplifications out-
weigh his abridgments, we cannot doubt that he had an original groundwork for his
narrative.
The work of Makrizi already quoted speaks of seven kingdoms in Zaila' (here used
for the Mahomedan low country) originally tributary to the Hati (or Neguash)
of Amhara, viz., Aufat,† Dawaro, Arababni, Hadiah, Shirha, Bali, Darah. Of
these Ifat, Dawaro, and Hadiah repeatedly occur in Bruce's story of the war. Bruce
also tells us that Amda Zion, when he removed Hakeddin, the Governor of Ifat, who
had murdered his agent, replaced him by his brother Sabbreddin. Now we find in
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731
732
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