Ethiopian Empire: The Solomonic Dynasty
The Ethiopian Empire, also known as Abyssinia (derived from the Arabic al-Habash), was a kingdom that spanned a geographical area in the current states of Eritrea and Ethiopia. It began with the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty from approximately 1270 and lasted until 1974, when the ruling Solomonic dynasty was overthrown in a coup d'état by the Derg.
The Solomonic dynasty was a bastion of Judaism and later of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. The dynasty's members claim patrilineal descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Tradition asserts that the Queen gave birth to Menelik I after her biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem.
In 1270, the Zagwe dynasty of Ethiopia was overthrown by Yekuno Amlak, who claimed descent from Solomon and reinitiated the Solomonic era of Ethiopia. The eponymously named Solomonic dynasty was founded and ruled by the Abyssinians, from whom Abyssinia gets its name. The Abyssinians reigned with only a few interruptions from 1270 until 1974, which ended by a coup d'état and deposition of the emperor Haile Selassie. This dynasty governed large parts of Ethiopia through much of its modern history. During this time, the empire conquered and annexed various kingdoms into its realm. The dynasty also successfully fought off Italian, Ottoman and Egyptian forces and made fruitful contacts with some European powers.
Solomonic dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, is the former ruling Imperial House of the Ethiopian Empire. The dynasty's members claim patrilineal descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Tradition asserts that the Queen gave birth to Menelik I after her biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem.
List of Emperors of Ethiopia
This article lists the Emperors of Ethiopia, from the founding of the Zagwe dynasty in the 9th/10th century until 1974, when the last Emperor from the Solomonic dynasty was deposed.
Menelik I
Menelik I was the first emperor of Ethiopia and of Hebrew descent. Ruling in the 10th century BC, he established the inaugural Solomonic dynasty. Tradition credits him with bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia, following a visit to Jerusalem to meet his father upon reaching adulthood.
Yekuno Amlak
Emperor Yekuno Amlak (Amharic: ይኵኖ አምላክ; throne name Tasfa Iyasus) was an Amhara prince from Bet Amhara province (in today's Wollo region) who became king of kings of Ethiopia following the defeat of the last Zagwe king.
Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba (Hebrew: מלכת שבא ;Arabic: الملكة بلقيس, translit. al-Malikah Balqis) is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for King Solomon. This tale has undergone extensive Jewish, Islamic, and Ethiopian elaborations, and has become the subject of one of the most widespread and fertile cycles of legends in the Orient. Modern historians identify Sheba with the South Arabian kingdom of Saba in present-day Yemen. The queen’s existence is disputed and has not been confirmed by historians.
Dawit II
Dawit II (Ge'ez: ዳዊት [dāwīt]; c. 1496 – 2 September 1540), also known as Wanag Segad (to whom lions bow), better known by his birth name Lebna Dengel (ልብነ ድንግል; Ləbnä Dəngəl), was nəgusä nägäst (1508–1540) of the Ethiopian Empire. A member of the Solomonic dynasty, he was the son of Emperor Na'od and Queen Na'od Mogasa. The important victory over Adal leader Mahfuz may have given Dawit the appellation Wanag Segad, which is a combination of Ge'ez and Harari terms.
Gelawdewos
Gelawdewos (Ge'ez: ገላውዴዎስ ; 1521/1522 – 23 March 1559) was Emperor (throne name Asnaf Sagad I (Ge'ez: አጽናፍ ሰገድ , "to whom the horizon bows" or "the remotest regions submit [to him]"; September 3, 1540 – March 23, 1559) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was a younger son of Dawit II by Sabla Wengel.
Abyssinian–Adal war
In 1529, the Adal Sultanate's forces led by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi invaded the Ethiopian Empire in what is known as the Abyssinian–Adal war. The Adal occupation lasted fourteen years. During the conflict, the Adal Sultanate employed cannons provided by the Ottoman Empire. In the aftermath of the war, Adal annexed Ethiopia, uniting it with territories in what is now Somalia. In 1543, with the help of the Portuguese Empire, the Solomonic dynasty was restored.
Fasilides
Fasilides (Ge'ez: ፋሲልደስ Fāsīladas, modern Fāsīledes; 20 November 1603 – 18 October 1667), also known as Fasil or Basilide, was emperor of Ethiopia from 1632 to 18 October 1667, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He is commonly credited with founding the city of Gondar in 1636, establishing it as Ethiopia's capital.Amongst the buildings he had constructed there are the beginnings of the complex later known as Fasil Ghebbi, as well as some of the earliest of Gondar's fabled 44 churches. He is also credited with building seven stone bridges in Ethiopia, notably the Sebara Dildiy bridge
Yohannes I
Yohannes I (Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ yōḥānnis, Amh. yōhānnis, also sometimes called John I), throne name A'ilaf Sagad (Ge'ez: አእላፍ ሰገድ a'ilāf sagad, "to whom tens of thousands bow"), (c. 1640 – 19 July 1682) was Emperor (nəgusä nägäst) (1667–1682) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the fourth son of Fasilides.
Iyasu I
Iyasu I (or Joshua I, Ge'ez: ኢያሱ ፩), also known as Iyasu the Great, was nəgusä nägäst (throne name Adyam Sagad, Ge'ez: አድያም ሰገድ, "to whom the confines of the earth bow"), (1654 – 13 October 1706) r. 19 July 1682 – 13 October 1706 of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Yohannes I and Empress Sabla Wangel. His reign is noteworthy for the attention he devoted to administration, holding a large number of councils to settle theological and ecclesiastical matters (the first in 1684, in the public square of Gondar), matters of state, and to proclaim laws. In 1698, Iyasu undertook a number of reforms, affecting customs and taxation, which encouraged trade. In the second year of his reign, he confronted an invasion of the Yejju and Wollo Oromo into Amhara, defeating them at Melka Shimfa.
Zemene Mesafint
From 1769 to 1855, the Ethiopian empire passed through a period known as the "Princes Era" (in Amharic Zemene Mesafint). This was a period of Ethiopian history with numerous conflicts between the various ras (equivalent to the English dukes) and the emperor, who had only limited power and only dominated the area around the contemporary capital of Gondar. Both the development of society and culture stagnated in this period. Religious conflict, both within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and between them and the Muslims were often used as a pretext for mutual strife. The Princes Era ended with the reign of the Emperor Tewodros II.
Tewodros II
Tewodros II (Ge'ez: ቴዎድሮስ, baptized as Sahle Dingil, English: Theodore II; c. 1818 – April 13, 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. He was born Kassa Hailegiorgis (Ge'ez: ካሳ ኃይሉ; English: "restitution" and "His [or the] power"). His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia, ending the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes). Tewodros II's first task was to bring Shewa under his control. During the Era of the Princes, Shewa was, even more than most provinces, an independent entity, its ruler even styling himself Negus, a royal title denoting monarchy. In the course of subduing the Shewans, Tewodros imprisoned a Shewan prince, Menelik II, who would later become emperor himself. Despite his success against Shewa, Tewodros faced constant rebellions in other provinces. He ultimately committed suicide at the Battle of Magdala, during the British Expedition to Abyssinia.
Menelik II
Menelik II GGCB, GCMG (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ; Dagmäwi Menelik [nb 1]; baptised as Sahle Maryam; 17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913) was Emperor of Ethiopia[nb 2] from 1889 to his death in 1913 and Negus of Shewa (1866–89). At the height of his internal power and external prestige, the process of territorial expansion and creation of the modern empire-state was completed by 1898, which expanded the Ethiopian Empire to the extent of the historic Aksumite Empire. Menelik was also remembered for leading Ethiopian troops against the Kingdom of Italy in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, where Menelik scored a decisive victory at the Battle of Adwa.
Zewditu
Zewditu (also spelled Zawditu or Zauditu or Zäwditu; Ge'ez: ዘውዲቱ; born Askala Maryam; 29 April 1876 – 2 April 1930) was Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930. The first female head of an internationally recognized state in Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the first empress regnant of the Ethiopian Empire, her reign was noted for the reforms of her Regent and designated heir Ras Tafari Makonnen (who succeeded her as Emperor Haile Selassie I), about which she was at best ambivalent and often stridently opposed, due to her staunch conservatism and strong religious devotion. She was also the most recent empress regnant in world history.
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I (Ge'ez: ቀዳማዊ ኃይለ ሥላሴ, English trans.: "Power of the Trinity," born Lij Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael; 23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975) was an Ethiopian regent from 1916 to 1930 and emperor from 1930 to 1974. He is a defining figure in contemporary Ethiopian history. His internationalist views led to Ethiopia becoming a charter member of the United Nations, and his political thought and experience in promoting multilateralism and collective security have proved seminal and enduring.
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