Francisco Álvares was a Portuguese missionary and explorer. In 1515 he traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Portuguese embassy to emperor Lebna Dengel accompanied by returning Ethiopian ambassador Matheus. The embassy arrived only in 1520 to Ethiopia where he joined long sought Portuguese envoy Pêro da Covilhã. There he remained six years, returning to Lisbon in 1526-27 having written a report entitled Verdadeira Informação das Terras do Preste João das Índias.

Dawit II, also known by the macaronic name Wanag Segad, better known by his birth name Lebna Dengel, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1508 to 1540, whose political center and palace was in Shewa.