The Falashas in the rugged Semien mountains built their villages on the summit of rocky prominences, natural fortresses, called ambas. At the beginning of Sarsa Dengel's reign they lived in a kind of semi-independent principality divided into four provinces ruled by members of the same royal family and owing allegiance to the Negus Negasta or King of Kings of Ethiopia. Kalef (or Kaleb) and Radai were brothers while the other two chiefs were called Gweshan and Gideon, each with his capital on a different amba but owning land in the valleys below.

The relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims were, according to Halevy, friendly and would have remained so but for the religious fanaticism inculcated by the priests. At all events, the crusade was launched and Kaleb and Radai were the first to bear the brunt of the attack. Kaleb pursued a scorched earth tactic and won some battles but the discrepancy in arms was overwhelming and in 1581 his amba was taken and the inhabitants massacred on the orders of a priest named Abba Newai. Some women and girls were taken prisoner and the Christian chronicler recounts, with a note of admiration for their heroism, how they threw themselves over the precipice, dragging their captors, to whom they were bound by their wrists, after them, preferring to die rather than live in dishonour.

Radai, too, had some successes but eventually his fortress, Amba Worq, the gold mountain, was captured and he sued for peace. He was led by the priest, Abba Newai, into the king's presence, having covered his head, in biblical fashion, with ashes as a mark of mourning, while Sarsa Dengel took his wife, his children and his possessions as hostages. Radai was thrown into prison and the king celebrated communion on theamba as a sign of its purification. Many of Radai's people were able to escape but their leader suffered martyrdom. Yonael, the King's general, offered him his life if he would beg the Virgin Mary for mercy but, if not, 'the sword is before you'. Radai replied: 'Is not the mention of the name of Mary forbidden? Make haste! If l die it is better for me that I should depart from a world of lies to a world of justice, from the darkness to the light; kill me, swiftly!' To which Yonael answered: 'If you prefer death to life, die bravely and bow your head.' He bowed his head and Yonael struck him with his sword and with a single blow which severed his head and cut both his