Emir Mahfuz of the Muslim sultanates led some effective military campaigns into the Ethiopian highlands, but he died fighting Emperor Lebne-Dengel's forces in 1517. His son-in-law, Imam Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, popularly known as Ahmed Gragn or the 'left-handed', then took over leadership. In addition to hostile relations between the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia and Muslim principalities, there were also wider socio-economic and cultural interactions between the two groups.