Kingdoms of East Africa - Ethiopia

2/10/2020 Kingdoms of East Africa - Ethiopia
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African Kingdoms
East Africa
Ethiopian Empire (Abyssinian Aksumite Empire)

The Aksumite empire in Africa was originally a Semitic Jewish kingdom based at Axum (from around the second century BC), and founded, according to legend,
by Menelik, son of King Solomon of Israel and the queen of Sheba. It seems much more likely that it was formed in the second century BC by Jewish settlers
escaping from Elephantine in Egypt after their temple was destroyed, although there is evidence of a Semitic-speaking presence from at least as early as 2000
BC. Surprisingly (or perhaps not), a study in 2012 of the DNA of more than two hundred Ethiopians found that their ancestors intermixed with either Egyptian,
Israeli, or Syrian populations around 1000 BC, precisely at the time that Sheba was supposedly at its height, lending much-needed weight to the story of King
Solomon and Sheba.
The country is also known as Abyssinia, which probably originates from the Egyptian name of Habashat. The name 'Ethiopia' is Greek, meaning 'burnt faces', a
collective name for all dark-skinned people south of Egypt, although this is now disputed as the Book of Aksum, a Ge'ez chronicle first composed in the fifteenth
century, states that the name is derived from ''Ityopp'is', a son (unmentioned in the Bible) of Cush, son of Ham who, confusingly, also founded the city of Axum,
according to legend. The Greek 'Aethiopia' was a translation of the original Hebrew 'Kush' which is generally used to refer to a kingdom to the north of what is
know recognised as being Ethiopia.
There is a strain of historical researcher which, acting possibly on an Ethiopian nationalist basis, rather energetically claims Moses as the earliest known figure in
the country's history. Apparently he married Tharbis, daughter of the unnamed king of Ethiopia, and she became pregnant with their child (the sex of the child is
not mentioned but the child itself is claimed as the originator of a new dynasty of Ethiopian kings that effectively creates ties between the kingdom and the
Israelites more than two hundred years before King Solomon). Support for this idea is claimed in Jewish Antiquities by Flavius Josephus, and this writer certainly
does relate a story of Moses leading an Egyptian army against the invading Ethiopians. He captures their capital at a city called Saba (which Josephus places
firmly on the banks of the Nile, clearly differentiating it from the better known Saba) and marries Tharbis (probably as a form of cementing a peace treaty in order
to preserve the captured city). However, Josephus states that Moses consummates his marriage and then returns to Egypt (seemingly without Tharbis). No
mention is made of a child. The story itself is viewed as being dubious, perhaps invented to explain a comment in Numbers 12:1 by Miriam about marriage to a
Cushite woman (prior to his marriage to Zipporah). Historically, it seems much more likely that any Egyptian military thrust southwards would have been aimed at
the kingdom of Kush. Several other conflicts between the two kingdoms have been recorded to add support to this idea.
The partial list of rulers is largely gleaned from sources and enlarged by various notes. No two lists agree on early rulers, so this list is a compendium: those
which are only shown by Munro-Hay in green, while those by Budge are in red.
(Additional information from The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), and from The Histories, Herodotus (Penguin, 1996).)
fl c.960 BC Menelik I First Emperor. Legendary son of Israel and Sheba.
c.850 BC The Philistines sack Jerusalem in Judah, along with Arabs and Ethiopians, who loot King Jehoram's house, and carry off all of his family
except for his youngest son, Jehoahaz.
8th century BC An apparently indigenous proto-Aksumite state kingdom known as D'mt is established in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, with its capital at
Yeha in northern Ethiopia. It is only briefly influenced by Saba due to the latter's hegemony of the Red Sea.
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAfrica/AfricaEthiopia.htm?fbclid=IwAR0c105CiPEhWo0c0GbwpMcu9lhCczK0eXg9gUXYaYgRyIamZTHJX3dN… 1/18
The Ethiopian highlands, a stretch of rugged mountain territory in the modern country's north-eastern region, have a history in
terms of human occupation which dates back millions of years
715 - 664 BC Ethiopian/Nubian groups conquer Egypt and found a ruling dynasty there.
from c.700 BC to W'rn Hywt King of D'mt.

c.650 BC
Rd'm King of D'mt.
S'rn Rbh Son of W'rn Hywt. King of D'mt.
S'rn Lmn Son. King of D'mt.
593 - 588 BC Egyptian Pharaoh Psammetichus sends an army south to fight the king of the Ethiopians (at this stage an undefined area covering all
peoples south of Egypt). Some deserters remain and settle in Western Abyssinia, according to Herodotus' 'Land of the Deserters'. There
appears to have been a large Jewish contingent among them.
521 BC Darius kills the usurper Gaumata (Smerdis) and seizes control of the Persian empire. He takes great pains to legitimise his rule by installing
an inscription at Pasargadae to record his 'descent' from the legendary founder of the Persian dynasty. He also extends the satrapy of
Egypt to include Cyrene, 'Put' (probably Punt, which is usually equated with Nubia), and Kush (also Nubia, but sometimes equated with
Ethiopia, suggesting Nubia's southern regions which were centred around Meroë). Persian control is unlikely to extend to Meroë in anything
other than as a vassal state, and is even less likely to reach as far as the early Ethiopian kingdom (D'mt).
5th century BC The kingdom of D'mt falls. The plateau comes to be dominated by smaller successor kingdoms. Few inscriptions exist from this kingdom,
and very little archaeological work has taken place there. As a result, it is not known whether D`mt ended as a civilisation before Aksum's
early stages, or whether it evolved into the Aksumite state, or was one of the smaller states united by Aksum.
c.400 BC Jewish refugees from Egypt appear to settle in the area of Western Abyssinia.
3rd-2nd cent BC Axum is founded as the capital of a Jewish kingdom.
Kingdom of Axum (Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia)

c.3rd Century BC - c.AD 980
In the fourth century AD the country was converted to Christianity at the same time as the new religion was accepted into the Roman empire, although a Jewish
population, the Falashas, remained, and was still very powerful, with its own kings, until it was broken by the Aksumites.
(Additional information from External Link: Dictionary of African Christian Biography.)
AD ? Ezanas I
AD 50 The kingdom of Axum expands, reuniting the area and expanding southwards. Until the end of the sixth century, Axum is considered to be
one of the most powerful and prosperous kingdoms in the known world, ranking on equal terms with Rome or Persia.
c.100 Zoskales Possibly the 'Za Haqala' from the king list
c.200 Gadarat (GDRT) Inscriptions mention his son Beyga.
c.230 - c.240 Azaba / Adhebahs ('DBH) Inscriptions mention his son Girma.
fl c.240s Beyga / Baygat (BYGT)
fl c.240s Girma / Garmat (GRMT)
c.250 Sembrouthes
c.260 Datawnas (DTWNS) Inscriptions mention his son Zaqarnas (ZQRNS).
c.270 - c.300 Endubis
fl 290 Ella Amida (I, II or III?)
early 4th cent. Aphilas
Uzana Could be another form of Esana.
early 4th cent. Wazeba
c.320 - c.330 Ousanas
316 Frumentius is stranded on the coast and is taken to the court, where, upon the death of the emperor, he is appointed regent by the new
king's mother.
c.333 - c.356 Ezanas II / Esana / Ezna / Aezanes Son. First Christian convert.
c.333 - ? Frumentius Regent.
331 Frumentius converts the emperor to Christianity and is created first Coptic Bishop of Ethiopia. This act leads to centuries of conflict between
the Christian and Jewish communities in Ethiopia as each vies for overall control of the empire. Even so, Christianity in Ethiopia is still only
skin deep, being deeply influenced by the Judaism which appears to have been established in the country over a thousand years
previously. Between 331-1959 all Ethiopian archbishops are supplied by the Coptic Patriarchate in Alexandria.
c.328 - c.370 Shizana Brother of Ezanas.
350 According to traditional theory, the kingdom of Kush at Meroë is destroyed during an invasion by Ezana of the Ethiopian kingdom of Axum.
To contradict this, the Ethiopian account seems to describe the quelling of a rebellion in lands they already control. It also refers only to the
Nuba, and makes no mention of the rulers of Meroë. The differing accounts would seem to be the result of propaganda issued by both
sides (very similar messages are frequently issued in modern political statements), with one denying the other's existence in order to
legitimise its conquest. As no details of Kushite rulers are known after this date, their survival after this event is unlikely.
c.350 Mehadeyis (MHDYS)
c.356 Ella Abreha
Ella Asfeha
Ella Shahel
late 4th century Ouazebas
c.400 Eon Possibly the 'Huina' from the Book of the Himyarites.
Ebana
451 The Fourth Catholic Council (Chalcedon) is held. Monophysitism is condemned, but the fatal disaffection of Syria and Egypt is effected (the
former eventually forms the Syriac Orthodox Church which survives to the present day). Oriental Orthodoxy develops a distinctive flavour of
its own under the patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt, with the majority of its adherents hailing from Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Armenia.
Nezool / Nezana
474 - 475 Agabe
474 - 475 Levi
475 - 486 Ella Amida (IV?) / Alla Amidas
486 - 489 Jacob I
486 - 489 David
489 - 504 Armah I
504 - 505 Zitana
c.500 Ousas / Ousanas Possibly Tazena, father of Kaleb. Also Zitana?
505 - 514 Jacob II
514 - 542 Caleb / Kaleb / Ella Asbeha His son is traditionally Gabra Masqal. (Or c.500 - 534.)
523 - 525 Under pressure from Byzantium, the Ethiopians install a Christian king in Saba/Yemen.
Caleb also wages war against the Falashas in a continuation of the long conflict between the empire's Jewish and Christian populations.
The Falashas are eventually vanquished to an extent, but from their northern strongholds, ruled by their own line of Jewish kings, they
continue to strike against the Christian south over the subsequent 400 years.
542 - c.550 Beta Israel (House of Israel) This is also the Falashas' own name for their people.
c.550 - 564 Gabra Masqal Son of Kaleb.
Anaeb
c.590 Ancient Nubia, which stretches south as far as the Ethiopian uplands, is once more brought into the orbit of the Mediterranean world by the
arrival of Christian missionaries. The kingdom of Dongola is converted to Christianity, as is Alodia which is strongly influenced by Axum at
this time. However, after the work of the missionaries is concluded, the region sinks back into obscurity, and only re-emerges in the seventh
century.
Alamiris
Joel / Ioel
Israel Possibly a son of Kaleb.
Gersem I
Ella Gabaz
622 - 632 As the forces of the Prophet Muhammed creates the Islamic empire, Ethiopia is encircled and begins nearly a thousand years of increasing
isolation. Decline sets in and records become extremely sparse.
c.625 Ella Sahem
Armah II
Iathlia
Hataz I Possibly the same as Iathlia.
Wazena
Za Ya'abiyo
Armah III
? Unknown.
Hataz II
Gersem II
Hataz III
from c.600 Kwastantinos / Constantine
Wasan Sagad Bazagar?
Fere Shanay / Fere Shernay
'Adre'az / 'Adre'azar
'Akla Wedem
Germa Safar
Zergaz / Gergaz
Degna Mikael
Bahr Ikela
Gum
'Asgwomgum
Letem
Talatem
'Oda Gosh / 'Oda Sasa
'Ayzur Reigned half a day and was strangled to death.
Dedem
Wededem
Wedem 'Asfare
Wedem 'Asfare is said to be the grandfather in the female line of Gudit. She is also said to marry a Jewish prince, a certain Zenobis, son of
the king of Šam, which is an Arabic form for Syria but here appears to designate a country on the Red Sea coastal plain, perhaps to the
north of Ethiopia. She sets out with her husband at the head of an army he has provided to attack Aksum in vengeance for harsh treatment
that she had received in the past, coming across the Samhar plain from the coast, at Arkiko. Matter reach a head around 970-980, although
details are exceptionally obscure.
'Armah
Degna Djan / Ged'a Djan / Degna-Zan Died on campaign.
A suggestion in the scant records available is that, in order to be able to plan her campaign, Gudit takes advantage of the death of Emperor
Degna-Zan, who perishes with an entire Aksumite army in the desert while on an expedition to the 'land of the Arabs' - apparently western
Ethiopia.
'Anbasa Wedem Son.

to c.980 Dil Na'od Brother. Last king of Axum.
c.970 - 980 In a conclusion to the long religious conflict in the empire, Gudit, the head of a large tribal confederation known as the Agaw - which
includes the Jewish Falashas - leads an uprising which snatches the Axumite throne, razes much of Axum itself, and destroys much of the
ruling Solomonic dynasty, replacing it with the Zagwe dynasty.
The build-up to this event can be seen in historical documentation. During the Alexandrian patriarchate of Philotheos (979-1003), King
Georgios II of Dongola (Nubia) receives an appeal for transmission to the patriarch from an unnamed ruler of Ethiopia who is seeking the
appointment of a new Metropolitan. The letter describes how a woman, apparently queen of the Bani al-Hamuya (the script of the Arabic
text lends itself to various interpretations), is laying waste to the country and is harrying the emperor and his followers from place to place in
an effort to wipe out Christianity completely.
As the state is sent into a minor Dark Age, one royal prince escapes to hide in the south, in the distant province of Shoa, where his
descendants continue to live until they reclaim the throne in the thirteenth century.
The Old Cathedral of St Mary of Zion was consecrated in the fourth century by Ezanas and Shizana, and fortunately it survived the
fall of the kingdom of Axum around AD 980
Zagwe Dynasty (Ethiopia)

c.AD 1030 - 1270
The Solomonic dynasty which had long headed the kingdom of Axum had been facing an uprising by a large tribal confederation known as the Agaw. This
included the Jewish Falashas of which Queen Gudit was a leading figure. By around AD 980 the confederation managed to seize the throne while destroying
much of the capital of Axum. The royal family was largely killed while a Falasha dynasty was established following Queen Gudit's uprising and largely un-
chronicled reign. Although it is by no means certain that Gudit left any direct successor, it is accepted that within fifty years of her death Ethiopia was generally
governed by the Jewish Zagwe dynasty. This line converted to Christianity well before the birth of Lallebella circa 1140 (ruler from 1185).
As the state descended into a minor dark age, one Solomonic prince managed to escape the destruction to hide in the south, in the distant province of Shoa. His
descendants continued to live there until the thirteenth century when they would be restored to the throne, although this story and others largely come from oral
tradition mixed with medieval hagiography. They may contain truths but could also have been prone to embellishment.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from Church and State in Ethiopia, Taddesse Tamrat (Clarendon Press, 1972), from Wollo, Yager
Dibab, Getachew Mekonnen Hasen (Nigd Matemiya Bet, 1992), and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Global Security, and Dictionary of
African Christian Biography.)
c.980 - c.1020 Gudit Falasha queen. Destroyed Axum and seized throne.
c.1030 Mara Takla Haymanot First Zagwe monarch of the Agaw confederation.
c.1030 At some point Mara Takla Haymanot marries the daughter of the last Solomonic king, Dil Na'od. This claim is despite others that the former
royal family had largely been wiped out by the new dynasty, other than one prince who had managed to escape to the south. The marriage
serves to heal the rift between the two dynasties and produce a Zagwe dynasty that can claim to be descended from the legendary
Menalik.
The Zagwe dynasty gradually healed the wounds caused by Gudit's war by intermarrying with Solomonic survivors and building or
rebuilding the state's collection of Christian stone churches
Tatadim Son. Unable to secure throne for his son.
Jan Seyum Brother.
Germa Seyum Brother.
1117 - 1133 Marari / Mairari Not widely recognised.
1133 - ? Yemrehana Krestos Son of Germa Seyum.
Kedus Harbe Son of Jan Seyum.
al.1160 - 1185 Harbay / Harbai Brother. Not widely recognised.
1185 - 1211 Gebral Maskal Lalibela / St Lallebella Half-brother. Exiled. Knights Templars helped regain throne.
1185 - 1211 Under Gebral Maskal Lalibela, if not before, the damage caused by Gudit's war against the emperors of Axum is healed. He is especially
renowned for the eleven rock-hewn churches that are built in his capital. These edifices are amongst Africa's major medieval monuments.
Lalibela provides a striking example of the union of church and state in Ethiopia and is revered as a saint in the Ethiopian Church.
1211 - 1212? Imrahana Laab Son. Naakuto or Yitbarek?
1212 - 1270 Naakuto Laab / Na'akueto La'ab Son. Possibly the same as Imrahana. Usurper?
1260 - 1268 Yitbarek / Yetbarak (Za-Ilmaknun?) Son of Lallebella. Secured the throne for 8 years?
1270 According to tradition Naakuto Laab is persuaded to abdicate the throne in favour of a monarch claiming Solomonic descent. However,
there is a degree of uncertainty about events in this period, with Yitbarek, apparently Naakuto Laab's uncle, possibly responsible for seizing
the throne for eight years in the 1260s. This Yitbarek could also be Za-Ilmaknun, the name meaning 'the unknown, the hidden one'. It is
claimed that this otherwise unknown individual is killed by Yekuno Amlak, the Solomonic monarch who replaces Naakuto Laab. In this light,
a peaceful handover between the Zagwe king and his Solomonic successor must be doubted.
Solomonic Dynasty (Ethiopia)

AD 1270 - 1974
The Christian Solomonic dynasty of Axum was restored in Ethiopia in what has been claimed to have been a peaceful process which saw the last of the Zagwe
kings step down in their favour (see above). The Solomonic rulers of the seventh to tenth centuries were largely obscure. In the late tenth century the state was
embroiled in a drawn-out civil war between Christians in Axum and Gudit, the head of a large tribal confederation known as the Agaw which included the Jewish
Falashas. Her uprising seized the Axumite throne around AD 980, razing much of Axum itself, and destroying much of the ruling Solomonic dynasty. This was,
following Gudit's own reign, replaced by the Zagwe dynasty. As the state was sent into a minor dark age, one royal prince managed to escape the destruction to
hide in the south, in the distant province of Shoa. His descendants continued to live there until the thirteenth century when Yekuno Amlak claimed descent from
him and restored the Solomonic dynasty as rulers of Ethiopia. His and other stories regarding these late medieval rulers largely comes from oral tradition mixed
with medieval hagiography.
This Ethiopia was not the Ethiopia of today, with its fixed borders and relatively large volume of territory. Imperial Ethiopia was much smaller and with constantly
shifting borders. It was surrounded by minor regions and kingdoms that bickered and fought between themselves and with the Solomonic emperors. Many were
Muslims, inherently antagonistic towards Ethiopia's Christians, and the empire's history is one of gradual expansion, defeating its local opponents minor kingdom
by minor kingdom. Even then these vassal kingdoms often retained their own kingship for quite some time afterwards, sometimes rebelling, sometimes offering
imperial wives. Imperial Ethiopia itself was just as tribal as its neighbours and it should not be assumed that just because it had imperial pretensions it also had
the imperial trappings that could be seen in Europe around the same period in time.
Some ruler's names are shown in two forms - the native version of their name and the Anglicised Christian form of the name. Some seem to be known only by a
native form of their name, although sometimes the Anglicised version can still be seen in it. Some bear a very Eastern Orthodox air to them, such as Basilidies -
a result of Egypt's Christians siding with the Orthodox separation from Catholicism in AD 451 and the marked Byzantine influence orthodoxy received from that
point. Minor princes and the more powerful figures of the nobility could be given the title of ras, which literally means 'head' and was often used for imperial
advisors and officers.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from Church and State in Ethiopia, Taddesse Tamrat (Clarendon Press, 1972), from Wollo, Yager
Dibab, Getachew Mekonnen Hasen (Nigd Matemiya Bet, 1992), from A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia, Sir E A Wallis Budge (1928, reproduced in
Anthropological Publications, 1970), from Heads of State and Government, John V Da Graca (Macmillan Reference Books, 1985), from Travels to Discover the
Source of the Nile, James Bruce (Vol 3, 1805), from The Abyssinians, David Buxon (Praeger, 1970), and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Britannica, and
Global Security.)
1270 - 1285 Yekuno Amlak / Tasfa Iyasus Claimed Solomonic descent via his father, Tasfa Iyasus.
1270 Yekuno Amlak is an Amhara prince of the Bet Amhara province in what is now the Wollo region of north-eastern Ethiopia. The son of Tasfa
Iyasus, he is claimed as being the direct descendant of the last Solomonic ruler of Axum before him, Dil Na'od. He takes the throne name
Tasfa Iyasus, possibly to honour his father. During his reign he exchanges letters with Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palæologus, but his
relations with regional Muslim rulers deteriorate as he presses for improved recognition and conditions for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Sultan Baybars I of Egypt seems to be particularly disinterested in responding to his letters in this regard.
Axum in what is now northern Ethiopia was the capital of the early kingdom of the same name but the destruction of that kingdom
in the tenth century saw Axum reduced to a provincial town
1285 - 1294 Yagba Zion / Solomon I Son. Co-ruler from 1283.
1294 Having shared power with his father for the last two years of the latter's life, Yagba Zion seems to fail to make the same provision to ensure
the succession after his own lifetime. Tradition states that he is unable to decide between his many sons, so each of them should rule for a
year in turn. A more realistic interpretation of the tradition would suggest instability, with the sons fighting one another for superiority.
1294 - 1297 Bahr Asgad / Senfa Asgad / Senfa Ared IV Son.
1297 - 1299 Qedma / Hezba Asgad / Heezba Ared Brother.
1297 - 1298 Jin Asgad Brother. In opposition in 1297?
1298 - 1299 Saba Asgad Brother. In opposition in 1298?
1299 The instability caused by the five sons of Yagba Zion contesting the throne (one of those seems not to gain the throne at all, which is why
only four are shown) comes to an end. Their uncle, Wedem Ara'ad, seizes the throne and imposes a more stable monarchy.
1299 - 1314 Wedem Ara'ad Brother of Yagba Zion. Seized the throne. Died.
1314 - 1344 Amda Siyon / Seyoi I 'Pillar of Zion' Son? Seized throne? Died.
1316/17 Ruling a rather small Christian Ethiopian kingdom that is surrounded by other, Muslim Ethiopian states, Amda Siyon now campaigns
against the kingdoms of Damot and Hadiya. Both are conquered and large numbers of their subjects are exiled. Hadiya is fully integrated
into the Solomonic state by 1329 or 1332 as it provides troops for a subsequent campaign. A campaign also takes place in 1316/17 against
Gojjam to the north.
1317 - 1329 The northern province of Enderta is next to fall, although Amda Siyon's initial appointments to govern it prove unpopular and need to be
replaced. More northern provinces are attacked in 1329, including Semien, Tsegede, Tselemt, and Wegera. Many in these areas had been
converting to Judaism as part of the Beta Israel movement of Ethiopian Judaism, so establishing Christianity there is a priority.
This map shows the locations of the various minor states which would eventually go into making up modern Ethiopia, along with
several neighbouring Muslim states - Dankali holds the origins of modern Djibouti within its borders (click or tap on map to view full
sized)
1344 - 1372 Newaya Krestos 'Vessel of Christ' Son. Died.
1372 - 1382 Newaya Maryam Son. Died without issue.
1376 - c.1377 Newaya Maryam loses one of his grandfather's military gains when the south-eastern Ethiopian kingdom of Ifat is taken out of his hands. Its
new ruler is Haqq ad-Din II of the Walasma (Walashma) dynasty, and he begins to raid into the empire's territory.
1382 - 1413 Dawit / David I Brother. Killed by one of his horses.
c.1382 Early in his reign Emperor Dawit raids into Egypt as far as Aswan before being persuaded to return home by the Christian patriarch of
Alexandria. Egypt's continuing destabilisation is only worsened by this incident. When the ruling Bahris are replaced there in the same year
by the first of the Burjis, Dawit sends Barquq al Yalburghawi twenty-two camels loaded with gifts.
1413 - 1414 Tewodros / Theodore I Son. Died in battle against Muslims.
1414 - 1429 Yeshaq I / Isaac Brother. Killed in battle or assassinated.
1414 The reign of Yeshaq is marked not only by his imprisonment of his brother, Zara Yakob (emperor in 1434), but also by a revolt of the Beta
Israel, Ethiopia's population of Jews. Yeshaq marches his forces into Wogera in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. The rebels are
defeated in battle at Kossege, terminating their efforts, and the Debre Yeshaq church is built there to commemorate the emperor's victory.
1429 - 1430 Andreyas / Andrew Son. Died.
1430 - 1433 Takla Maryam / Hezba Nañ Brother. Throne name 'Hezba Nañ'. Died.
1433 Sarwe Iyasus Son. Ruled 4 or 8 months. Killed by plague. Not in all lists.
1433 - 1434 Amda Iyasus Brother. Died without issue.
1434 - 1468 Zara Yakob / Constantine I Son of Dawit I. Died aged 69.
1434 Following the rapid turnover of emperors since his imprisonment in 1414, Zara Yakob inherits a state that is in some disarray. Having been
deprived of large degrees of human contact during his own lifetime, the emperor is forced to deal with an Ethiopia which is 'seething with
plots and rebellions, a Church riven with heresies, and outside enemies constantly threatening invasion'. He tackles his duties with grim
determination and emerges as one of the state's most notable rulers. He takes Princess Eleni as his wife, daughter of the subject king of
Hadiya.
Gondar on the northern shore of Lake Tana was founded in 1635 by Emperor Fasilides and served as one of the few fixed capitals
for the later Solomonic dynasty
1445 The emperor faces a considerable Somali army under the leadership of the sultan of Adal, Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din. The Battle of Gomit (or
Ygubba) sees the Ethiopians victorious and the sultan dead. Zara Yakob is able to consolidate his hold over the Sidamo kingdoms to the
south.
1468 - 1478 Baeda Mariam I Son. Died aged 30.
1478 - 1494 Eksender / Constantine II Son. Acceded aged 7. Killed aged 22, in battle or murdered.
1494 Amda Seyon II Son. Acceded aged 7. Died 6 months later.
1494 - 1508 Naod / Na'od Brother of Eskender. Killed by Muslims.
1508 - 1540 Lebna Dengel / Dawit II / David II Son. Died aged 39, exhausted by years of conflict and defeat.
1520 The Portuguese, represented by members of the Order of Christ (direct successors of the Knights Templar in Portugal), finally manage to
establish an embassy in the country, although the emperor suspects their motives. Still, he needs their support to counter increased Muslim
antagonism which would seem to be supported by the Ottoman empire, and also to assist in what becomes a bitter war against the state of
Adal which has a new ruler in the form of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.
1528 - 1541 The Muslim Galla people from the emirate of Harar in the eastern part of the Horn of Africa invade and conquer large areas of Ethiopia
while allied to the Ottoman empire. Under the command of Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim el Ghazi (nicknamed Gragn, the 'left-handed'), the wild
Somali troops, backed up by Arab mercenaries and Turkish matchlockmen, rampage through the Christian highlands, killing thousands and
burning and looting as they go. They are defeated, with the help of a contingent of 450 Portuguese musketeers, at the Battle of Lake Tana.
1540 - 1559 Gelawedos / Claudius Son. Died aged 37-38.
1560 - 1564 Menas Brother. Died.
1564 - 1597 Sarsa Dengel Son. Died aged 47.
1564 - 1580 Sarsa Dengel wages a seventeen year crusade against the Falasha Jewish population, slowly destroying their powerful strongholds in the
Simien mountains. The Falasha king, Radai, is taken prisoner and accepts death over conversion to Christianity. The Falashas begin to
diminish from this point, from an estimated population of 500,000 in the early 1600s to one of 28,000 in 1984.
Falasha Jews lived for centuries as the subjects of Axum and its successors and, while today most have left for Israel, some
communities still remain
1597 - 1603 Yaqob / Jacob Son. Deposed by Ras Sellase, a chief advisor.
1603 - 1604 Za Dengel Nephew of Sarsa Dengel. Killed in battle against Ras Sellase.
1604 - 1607 Yaqob / Jacob Restored by Ras Sellase. Died aged 47.
1606 Although he is deposed by his brother, Sultan Abd al-Qadir of Sinnar is a friend of (soon-to-be?) Emperor Susenyos I. At some point after
this date, the deposed sultan is appointed governor of Chilga (also known as Ayikel), an important trading town near the Ethiopian border
with Sinnar.
1607 - 1632 Susenyos I / Sissinios Grandson of Dawit II. Died aged 60.
1607 Having quickly seen off the would-be 'king-maker', Ras Sellase,Susenyos launches a pogrom against the constantly troublesome Falasha
Jews which witnesses twenty years of butchery.
1615 Susenyos conquers and annexes the kingdom of Fazughli into the Ethiopian empire, on the borders of the sultanate of Sinnar. The emperor
subsequently sends priests to renew the Orthodox Christianity of the province, although the missionaries appear to achieve little, seemingly
becoming mired in doctrinal disputes.
1618 - 1619 Relations with Ethiopia have been deteriorating since the reign of Sultan Badi I of Sinnar as the Funj press southwards up the Blue Nile to
annexe the gold-producing land of Fazughli. In this period major Ethiopian invasions that are designed to reclaim the valuable territory and
kick out the Funj are repulsed.
1632 - 1667 Fasilidas / Basilides Son. Described as 'greatest king' of Ethiopia. Died aged 64.
1632 Despite the help that has been given by the Portuguese in saving the empire, the Ethiopian monarchs still do not trust their motives.
Fasilidas now expels them, offering Turks at Massawa a bounty on any Portuguese heads they can capture.
1667 - 1682 Yohannes I / John I Son. Died after quashing several revolts.
1682 - 1706 Iyasu I the Great / Joshua / Jesus I Son. Assassinated on his son's orders.
1685 Yeshaq Iyasu Gojjam rebel who claimed to be the son of Susenyos I. Died.
1685 Yeshaq is proclaimed emperor by Qegnazmach Wale of Damot and Tabdan the Hermit in opposition to Iyasu I. Iyasu quickly suppresses
the revolt and Yeshaq is captured. A year later, Iyasu marches beyond southern Gojjam in a punitive expedition against the Agaws who had
supported the rebels.
1706 - 1708 Tekle Haimanot I 'the Cursed' Son of Iyasu I. Died aged 24, unpopular after murdering father.
1707 Amda Seyon Gojjam rebel. Died.
1707 Amda Seyon is another rebel from the Gojjam region. He manages to make his way to Ethiopia's capital where he is crowned. Tekle
Haimanot makes the tricky return trip to the capital during the rainy season and the would-be usurper flees, only to be killed in battle at
Maitsa some time later.
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAfrica/AfricaEthiopia.htm?fbclid=IwAR0c105CiPEhWo0c0GbwpMcu9lhCczK0eXg9gUXYaYgRyIamZTHJX3d… 10/18
The Tiya megaliths of Ethiopia's Gurage Zone were carved surprisingly recently - between about the tenth and fifteenth centuries -
although remarkably little is known about them
1708 - 1711 Tewoflos / Theophilus Son of Fasilides. Died.
1709 - 1710 Nebahne Yohannes Rebel 4 year-old son of Tewoflos' nephew. Arrested & exiled.
1711 - 1716 Yostos / Justus Grandson of Iyasu I. Died following a long sickness.
1716 - 1721 Dawit / David III 'the Singer' Son of Iyasu I. Proclaimed by the imperial guard. Poisoned?
1721 - 1730 Bekaffa Brother. Died.
1730 - 1755 Iyasu / Joshua / Jesus II Son of Bekaffa. Died aged 31. Poisoned?
1730 - 1755 Mentewab / Welete Giyorgis Mother and regent, plus enforced co-ruler.
1730 Shortly after Iyasu is proclaimed emperor, a rival claimant assaults the royal enclosure for eight days, only leaving the capital of Gondar
when an army of 30,000 from Gojjam appears. The rebels fail to penetrate its walls but much of Gondar is still left in ruins.
Instead of taking the title of regent upon the succession of her under-age son, Empress Mentewab has herself crowned as co-ruler,
becoming the first woman to be crowned in this manner in Ethiopian history. Empress Mentewab wields significant authority throughout the
reign of her son, and well into the reign of her grandson as well.
1736 - 1737 Hezqeyas / Hezekiah Rebel proclaimed in opposition to Iyasu. Captured & hanged.
1738 In a bid to gain the respect of his subjects the largely ineffectual Emperor Iyasu engages in a campaign against the the Funj sultanate of
Sinnar which ends in defeat at the Battle of the River Dindar. An icon of Christ and a piece of the True Cross that had been carried into
battle are captured, and have to be ransomed for eight thousand ounces of gold.
1744 Another Ethiopian invasion of the Funj sultanate of Sinnar takes place. This is part of continuing problems between the two states now that
Ethiopian territories border those of Sinnar.
1755 With the death of her son, Iyasu, his mother and co-ruler Empress Mentewab comes into conflict with Iyasu's wife, Wubit. Mentewab
descends from emperors herself, but it is Wubit who now expects to support her own son on the throne, Iyoas. Both sides summon their
supporters and, to avoid a bloody civil war, a powerful figure by the name of Mikael Sehul is made ras and is given the job of deciding who
should prevail. He chooses Wubit and promptly seizes Mentewab's position of power for himself.
1755 - 1769 Iyoas / Joas Son of Iyasu II. Deposed and killed by Sehul aged about 29.
1755 - 1771 Ras Mikael Sehul Enforced co-ruler. Captured by his opponents.
1769 Ras Mikael Sehul's murder of the emperor shatters the illusion that the holder of this post is somehow untouchable and protected. From this
point onwards the empire is weakened, a period that is labelled the time of the masafent ('judges') in which the emperor's power holds less
meaning. Ras Mikael Sehul selects his next puppet, the one-handed Yohannes, but his own position is ended in 1771.
The warriors of Ethiopia were captured in print in just this period - around 1770 - when the empire suffered a body-blow in its self-
confidence with the murder of Emperor Iyoas
1769 Yohannes II / John II Son of Iyasu I. Died aged 70.
1769 - 1770 Tekle Haimanot II Son. Acceded aged 15. Briefly lost throne while on campaign.
1770 Susenyos II Bastard son of Iyasu II? Proclaimed by warlords. Died c.1771.
1770 - 1777 Tekle Haimanot II Restored. Died aged 23 after abdicating to become a monk.
1777 - 1779 Salomon / Solomon II Son of the abeto (prince), Adigo. Deposed. Died 1782.
1779 - 1784 Tekle Giorgis I Son of Yohannes II. Deposed.
1784 In an Ethiopia which is riven by internal conflict as rival groups jostle for power, Tekle Giorgis is deposed no less than four times. The first
time is when either Ras Abeto of Gojjam or Ras Hailu Yosadiq take action against him, showing just how powerful the regional lords have
become.
1784 - 1788 Iyesu / Joshua / Jesus III Grandson of Iyasu II. Died by 1810.
1787 - 1789 With Iyesu having been placed on the throne by warlords who are serving their own interests, few are interested in keeping him there. The
would-be emperor faces no less than three opponents, while the deposed Tekle Giorgis also watches for an opportunity to restore his own
rule. A rival who is also called Iyesu is proclaimed in Gojjam and Tigray but is defeated in battle. Ba'eda Maryam I is also proclaimed in
Gojjam and Tigray, but in opposition to both Iyesus. Tekle Haymanot is proclaimed in Gondar itself by the defeated followers of Ba'eda
Maryam I.
1787 - 1788 Iyesu Non-dynastic. In opposition to Iyesu. Died 1813.
1787 - 1788 Ba'eda Maryam I Non-dynastic. In opposition to Iyesu III & Iyesu. Captured.
1788 - 1789 Tekle Haymanot Non-dynastic. In opposition to Iyesu. Died by 1810.
1788 - 1789 Tekle Giorgis I Restored briefly before losing the throne to Hezqeyas.
1789 - 1794 Hezqeyas / Hezekiah Son of Iyasu III. Died 1813.
1794 Tekle Giorgis defeats the powerful warlord Ras Haile Yosadiq and reclaims the throne for a second time. This time, with support from Ras
Aligaz who commands a large army of his own, he is able to remain in power for over a year. However, the cycle of powerful warlords
supporting their own contenders for the throne and then enforcing that claim for a brief period does not end. The next seven years sees no
fewer than ten changes of emperor, each supported by one or more warlords whose own loyalties shift according to circumstance.
1794 - 1795 Tekle Giorgis I Restored a second time. Lost throne to Ba'eda Maryam II.
1795 Ba'eda Maryam II Son of Salomon II? Briefly held the throne. Died 1833.
1795 - 1796 Tekle Giorgis I Restored for a third time.
1796 - 1797 Solomon III Son of Tekle Haimanot II. Puppet ruler. Deposed & imprisoned.
1797 - 1798 Yonas / Jonah Grandson of Fasilides. Imprisoned. Died 1813.
1797 - 1799 Tekle Giorgis I Restored for a fourth time.
1799 Solomon III Restored. Placed in chains and replaced by Demetros.
1799 - 1800 Demetros / Demetrius Son of Arqedemos. Non-dynastic.
1800 Tekle Giorgis I Restored for a fifth time. Sidelined, and died 1817.
1800 - 1801 Demetros / Demetrius Restored while Tekle was on campaign. Died 1802.
1801 - 1803 With the accession of Egwala Seyon through the support of rasses Wolde Selassie of Tigray and Gugsa of Yejju, the country sees a
temporary end to the continual rotation of would-be emperors. Egwala, though, mounts one brief campaign during his reign and thereafter
achieves nothing of note. Perhaps his main intention is to avoid alienating all of the rival warlords in the state, but any hope that the internal
feuding will end is extinguished with the commencement of a full-blown civil war from 1803. His immediate successors are little more than
puppets of the warlords and are shown in red to highlight this fact.
This highly colourful and detailed illustration was created for a manuscript in the eighteenth century, part of a Christian tradition
which dated back centuries
1801 - 1818 Egwala Seyon Son of Hezqeyas. Died.
1818 - 1821 Iyoas / Joas II Brother. Died. An interregnum of several months followed.
1821 - 1826 Gigar Son of Iyasu II or descendant of Fasilides? Deposed.
1826 Ba'eda Maryam III Non-dynastic and only briefly on the throne. Died.
1826 - 1830 Gigar Restored. Died an old man in 1832.
1830 - 1832 Iyasu / Joshua / Jesus IV Son of Salomon III. Poisoned?
1832 Gabra Krestos Claimed as descendant of Fasilides. Deposed for his brother.
1832 Sahla Dengel Brother.
1832 Gabra Krestos Restored.
1832 - 1840 Sahla Dengel Restored.
1832 Egwale Anbesa Non-dynastic rebel. Beheaded by Sahla Dengel.
1840 - 1841
Yohannes / John III Son of Tekle Giorgis I. Died c.1873.
1841 - 1855 Sahla Dengel Restored for a second time. Died.
1855 The accession of Tewodros is accepted by Sahla Dengel (and therefore his supporters who are the real power in the country). This is often
seen as the point in Ethiopian history in which the country enters the modern age and ends the period of the princes in which no one rules
over a centralised and unified Ethiopian state. His first act is to take control of Shoa (Shewa) which has become independent to the extent
that its ruler has been styling himself as a negus, a badge of monarchy.
1855 - 1868 Tewodros / Theodore II / Ras Kassa Non-dynastic. Rebuilt the state. Committed suicide.
1862 - 1868 Having put down several early rebellions and then overseeing an almost unheard-of period of peace, the emperor's position is extremely
weak by 1862. Much of the state is in revolt against him and he constantly campaigns to maintain what there is of his position. Tewodros
writes to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom requesting help from a fellow Christian monarch but his approach is sidelined by British
officials. In desperation he takes several diplomats hostage. A British military expedition enters the country and defeats him at the Battle of
Magdala. Tewodros commits suicide to avoid capture.
Tewodros II offered Ethiopia's empire the opportunity to unite in the face of ever-increasing colonial interference, but the old habits
of rebellion and counter-rebellion could not be put aside
1868 - 1872 Tekle Giorgis II / Wagshum Gobeze Descended from the Zagwe and from Iyasu I. Died 1873.
1872 - 1874 Egypt under Isma'il Pasha conquers South Sudan between 1872-1874. The eventual intent is to fully unite Egypt and Sudan as one single
state under Egyptian rule. However, a further annexation of 1875 leads to a state of (largely inactive) war with Ethiopia.
1872 - 1889 Yohannes / John IV / Kassa Mercha Tigrayan chieftain of the Solomonics. Killed in battle.
1875 - 1876 The Egyptians are defeated, being driven out of Eritrea at the Battle of Gundet in 1875, and the Battle of Gura in 1876. After this actual
hostilities generally cease, but a long period of mutual animosity follows.
1887 - 1889 A 60,000-strong Mahdi army under the ansars enters Ethiopia. It gets as far as Gondar, the former imperial capital of the Begemder
province. The city is sacked, and at the start of 1888 the Sudanese occupiers set fire to almost all of its churches, devastating the whole
city. In 1889, Yohannes marches on Metemma in Sudan, but is killed in battle. Ethiopia withdraws.
1889 - 1913 Menilek / Menelik II / Sahle Maryam Former Solomonic king of Shoa (southern province).
1889 Menelik overrides Yohannes' dying wish that his own son succeed him because Menelik sees his own Solomonic descent as being stronger
than that of Yohannes. He moves the capital from Axum to Addis Ababa, and signs a bilateral friendship treaty with Italy at Wuchale which
Italy interprets as giving it a protectorate over Ethiopia.
1890 The Italian forces adopt the ancient Greek name for the Red Sea - Erythra Thalassa - to describe the territory they think they now hold. In
time the name becomes Anglicised as Eritrea. Menelik has other ideas as he tours the north, is accepted by many of the regional leaders,
and begins to build a truly consolidated and centralised Ethiopia.
1893 Italian forces push back a Sudanese attack on Akordat in Eritrea. The Sudanese are entirely forced out of Ethiopia by the defeat, but the
effort is purely for Italy's own ends. They prepare to take the country by force in the face of Menelik's increasing hostility towards them.
1896 It is Menelik's refusal to accept one of the major terms of the 1889 treaty that leads to open conflict between Italians and Ethiopians. The
Italians approach Ras Mengesha of Tigray with a view to sparking civil war in the country but, realising the importance of Ethiopian unity at
this vital stage, he refuses them. The Italians are soundly defeated at the subsequent Battle of Adowa (Adwa) although they still retain
control over Eritrea, to the north.
Italy's colonial ambitions in East Africa were dealt a shattering - and highly embarrassing - blow when it was defeated in battle by
the Ethiopians at Adowa and was expelled from the empire
1909 - 1913 Iyasu / Joshua V / Lij Kifle Yaqub Grandson and regent. Succeeded as ruler.
1913 - 1916 Iyasu / Joshua V / Lij Kifle Yaqub Former regent. Deposed. Died 1935.
1916 - 1930 Empress Zawditu / Askala Maryam Dau of Menelik II. Died aged 53.
1916 - 1930 Ras Tafari Makonnen Son of Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael. Regent. Succeeded.
1930 - 1936 Haile Sellassie Former regent, Ras Tafari. Ruled as Haile Sellassie.
1930s The Abrahamic religion of Rastafari or Rastafarianism develops amongst the impoverished people of Jamaica during this decade. There is
no central authority to govern it but Emperor Haile Sellassie is seen as a central figure. Many adherents - Rastas - regard him as an
incarnation of Jah (from 'Yahweh', the Old Testament name for the Israelite monotheistic god) and even as the 'Second Coming of Christ'.
1935 - 1941 Further court intrigue and jostling for supremacy have weakened the Ethiopian court following Menelik's several strokes and eventual
death. Italy invades in 1935 and occupies the country following a short military campaign in which mustard gas is used. Victor Emmanuel III
of Italy is styled 'Emperor of Ethiopia' in place of the official Ethiopian emperor who is declared to have been deposed in 1936.
1941 - 1974 Haile Sellassie Restored. Overthrown. Died questionably in 1975.
1974 - 1991 Having been weakened by colonial involvement in the country's interests, the Solomonic imperial line of descent is now broken as a
dictatorship is established in Ethiopia. The leader of the Marxists who form this dictatorship is Mengistu Haile Mariam, commanding a junta
under the banner of the 'People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia' in 1974 and as an outright dictator from 1977. The Solomonic dynasty
continues to hold its claim to a return to power, albeit largely from outside modern Ethiopia.
Modern Ethiopia & Eritrea

AD 1974 - Present Day
Having suffered from a drawn-out period of post-colonial strife during the twentieth century, Ethiopia today is not quite the country it once was. It has a history
that goes further back in time than almost any other in Africa, and a population that is the second largest on the continent, but it lost its northern region of Eritrea
in 1993 following years of internecine warfare. Denuded of a Red Sea coastline, the landlocked Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia retains its capital at the
ancient city of Addis Ababa. It is neighboured by the aforementioned Eritrea to the north and, beyond that, Sudan and South Sudan to the west and north-west,
Yemen across the Red Sea, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, and Kenya to the south.
According to legend, ancient Ethiopia was founded by Menelik, son of Solomon of Israel and the rarely-named queen of Sheba. The subsequent Aksumite
empire, based at Axum (Aksum) from around the second century BC, appears to have been a Semitic Jewish kingdom that was formed at Axum by Jewish
settlers who were escaping from Elephantine in Egypt after their temple was destroyed. There is evidence of a Semitic-speaking presence around Axum from at
least as early as 2000 BC, so they seem to have been settling amongst a related people, earlier colonists perhaps. Modern DNA evidence seems to support a
mixed Egyptian-Syrian-Canaanite heritage.
Throughout much of history Ethiopia has also been known as Abyssinia, which probably originates from the Egyptian name of Habashat. 'Ethiopia' itself is Greek,
meaning 'burnt faces', a collective name for all dark-skinned people south of Egypt. This is somewhat disputed, as the Book of Aksum, a Ge'ez chronicle that
was first composed in the fifteenth century, states that the name is derived from ''Ityopp'is', a son (unmentioned in the Old Testament) of Cush, son of Ham who,
confusingly, also founded the city of Axum, according to legend. Given the book's lateness in terms of publication, its authority must be considered dubious.
Falling foul of colonial influence in Africa in the nineteenth century, Ethiopia's kings were weakened by invasions by Egypt, Sudan, and Italy. In 1974 they were
overthrown by one of their own, and a dictatorship was formed. Retaining their claim to governance over Ethiopia, the Solomonic emperors in exile were
originally designated as such by the Marxist Derg regime (in the case of Amha Selassie), but they were not and are not officially recognised by the current
government of Ethiopia. Successive claimants to the imperial throne are shown below with a shaded background.
Eritrea, known officially as the 'State of Eritrea' since independence in 1993, occupies much of the territory of the ancient kingdom of Axum, although not its
northern extremes in Sudan or its southern extremes in what is now northern Ethiopia. Its name is based upon the ancient Greek name for the Red Sea - Erythra
Thalassa. This was first adopted by the Italians in 1890 to designate territory that was then under their control, following their conquest of several former petty
Islamic sultanates. The two states - Ethiopia and Eritrea - experienced rocky relations from the very start. A UN border commission set up under a peace
agreement ruled in 2000 that the town of Badme, the flashpoint for the conflict, was part of Eritrea, but Ethiopia refused to accept this and so normal relations
were never resumed. Peace finally came in 2018 when a new Ethiopian government swept away much of the resistance towards an agreement with its new
northern neighbour.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from The World Factbook, CIA, from the International Organisation for Standardisation, from Aksum: An
African Civilisation of Late Antiquity, Stuart Munro-Hay (1991), and from External Links: Ethiopian Famine (The Guardian), and Imperial Ethiopia, and Ethiopia
and Eritrea end decades-long 'state of war' (The Week).)
1974 A military coup overthrows Emperor Haile Sellassie, replacing his authority with the Marxist-Leninist 'Derg', a military junta that is led by
Mengistu Haile Mariam. A one party communist state is established, named the 'People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia' despite being
anything but democratic.
1974 - 1997 Amha Selassie / Asfa Wossen Son of Haile, born 1916. Proclaimed in exile in April 1989.
1977 - 1991 Mengistu Haile Mariam Dictator.
1977 - 1978 Mengistu Haile Mariam achieves control of the Derg in February 1977. He soon begins a violent campaign of repression against his
opponents, called the 'Red Terror'. This is his response to the 'White Terror' of competing civilian groups who also want control of the
country. Mengistu has many of them arrested and executed, and may be responsible for the deaths of several thousand other Ethiopians at
this time (a precise figure is contested).
Mengistu Haile Mariam is pictured here whilst receiving Fidel Castro of Cuba on state visit to Ethiopia during a period of the
twentieth century in which weak, dictatorial communist states sought comfort in perceived mutual support
Somalia launches an offensive into Ethiopia in July 1977 over the disputed Ogaden region. Known either as the Ogaden War or the Ethio-
Somali War, little is achieved in the conflict other than the USSR and the USA switching their support of either faction as part of their own
greater game of political chess. A truce is declared early in 1978 after the Somali retreat back across the border.
1983 - 1985 Widespread famine hits areas of East Africa, with Ethiopia being especially hard hit. The worst famine to hit the country in a century leaves
over 400,000 dead, but much of this can be traced back to Mengistu's human rights abuses, an inflexible system that cannot cope with the
disaster, and two decades of civil war. The situation catches the attention of the West, with pop culture figures such as Bob Geldoff and
Midge Ure organising relief in the form of 'Live Aid' and governments organising airdrops of food supplies.
1989 - 1990 Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen is proclaimed 'Emperor of Ethiopia' in exile, having settled in London, by members of the exiled Ethiopian
community. He adopts the throne name Amha Selassie I. His wife also begins to refer to herself as empress. In 1990 the royal family move
to McLean, Virginia, USA, so that they can be close to the large Ethiopian immigrant population in and around Washington, DC.
1991 The Derg falls and Mengistu flees to Zimbabwe. The EPRDF assumes power in Ethiopia, forming a federal democratic republic, and the
exiled monarchy establish the Moa Anbessa - a movement that is designed to promote the restoration of the monarchy in Ethiopia. During
Mengistu's absence he is sentenced to life imprisonment (in 2007).
Following the fall of Derg, Ethiopia quickly began to modernise, with Addis Ababa now a mix of the ancient and the very modern,
especially in terms of public transport
1993 Ethiopia's northern region of Eritrea achieves independence following a UN-backed referendum. Ethiopia is now a landlocked state, and
one which exists uneasily with its new northern neighbour. The new 'State of Eritrea' encompasses several former petty sultanates that had
been incorporated into Italian Eritrea in 1947. Many in the region had never fully accepted subsequent incorporation into Ethiopia, and had
fought for this independence. Now they achieve international recognition. However, the EPLF soon seize control and establish a one-party
state that bans all political activity and offers no elections. A brutal conflict is triggered against Ethiopia in which 80,000 people are believed
to be killed over the next seven years.
1997 - Present Zera Yacob Amha Selassie Son of Asfa Wossen. Born 1953. Not recognised in Ethiopia.
1999 Persecution of the Falasha has steadily increased, so the state of Israel begins covert airlifts of Falasha populations, taking them back to
their homeland. Despite attempts by the Ethiopian government to put a halt to this, the airlift is completed by 1999 with all of the Falashas
being removed to Israel.
2000 A UN border commission set up under a new peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea rules that the town of Badme, the flashpoint
for the conflict, is part of Eritrea, but Ethiopia refuses to accept this and so normal relations are never resumed. The countries remain in a
state of 'no war, no peace'. They take rival sides in Somalia's long conflict, with Eritrea being accused of backing Islamist groups while
Ethiopia, a US ally, supports the internationally-recognised government.
2018 Ethiopia's new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, makes the trip to meet his Eritrean counterpart, President Isaias Afwerki, on Sunday 8 July
2018. It is the first time that the heads of state of these two countries have met for nearly two decades. Under a peace accord which is
signed by the two leaders, both countries agree to open embassies, develop ports, and resume flights and telephone connections, concrete
signs of a stunning rapprochement that has swept away two decades of hostility in a matter of weeks.
Prince Wossen Seged Makonnen Grandson of Haile Sellassie. Heir, & duke of Harar.
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2/10/2020 Kingdoms of East Africa - Ethiopia

Ethiopian Empire (Abyssinian Aksumite Empire)

fl c.960 BC Menelik I First Emperor. Legendary son of Israel and Sheba.

from c.700 BC to W'rn Hywt King of D'mt.

S'rn Rbh Son of W'rn Hywt. King of D'mt.

S'rn Lmn Son. King of D'mt.

3rd-2nd cent BC Axum is founded as the capital of a Jewish kingdom.

Kingdom of Axum (Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia)

(Additional information from External Link: Dictionary of African Christian Biography.)

c.200 Gadarat (GDRT) Inscriptions mention his son Beyga.

fl c.240s Beyga / Baygat (BYGT)

fl c.240s Girma / Garmat (GRMT)

c.260 Datawnas (DTWNS) Inscriptions mention his son Zaqarnas (ZQRNS).

c.270 - c.300 Endubis

fl 290 Ella Amida (I, II or III?)

early 4th cent. Aphilas

Uzana Could be another form of Esana.

early 4th cent. Wazeba

c.320 - c.330 Ousanas

c.333 - ? Frumentius Regent.

c.328 - c.370 Shizana Brother of Ezanas.

c.350 Mehadeyis (MHDYS)

c.356 Ella Abreha

late 4th century Ouazebas

474 - 475 Agabe

474 - 475 Levi

475 - 486 Ella Amida (IV?) / Alla Amidas

486 - 489 Jacob I

486 - 489 David

489 - 504 Armah I

504 - 505 Zitana

c.500 Ousas / Ousanas Possibly Tazena, father of Kaleb. Also Zitana?

505 - 514 Jacob II

c.550 - 564 Gabra Masqal Son of Kaleb.

Israel Possibly a son of Kaleb.

c.625 Ella Sahem

Hataz I Possibly the same as Iathlia.

from c.600 Kwastantinos / Constantine

Wasan Sagad Bazagar?

Fere Shanay / Fere Shernay

'Oda Gosh / 'Oda Sasa

'Ayzur Reigned half a day and was strangled to death.

'Anbasa Wedem Son.

Zagwe Dynasty (Ethiopia)

Tatadim Son. Unable to secure throne for his son.

Jan Seyum Brother.

Germa Seyum Brother.

1117 - 1133 Marari / Mairari Not widely recognised.

1133 - ? Yemrehana Krestos Son of Germa Seyum.

Kedus Harbe Son of Jan Seyum.

al.1160 - 1185 Harbay / Harbai Brother. Not widely recognised.

1211 - 1212? Imrahana Laab Son. Naakuto or Yitbarek?

Solomonic Dynasty (Ethiopia)

1285 - 1294 Yagba Zion / Solomon I Son. Co-ruler from 1283.

1294 - 1297 Bahr Asgad / Senfa Asgad / Senfa Ared IV Son.

1297 - 1299 Qedma / Hezba Asgad / Heezba Ared Brother.

1297 - 1298 Jin Asgad Brother. In opposition in 1297?

1298 - 1299 Saba Asgad Brother. In opposition in 1298?

1344 - 1372 Newaya Krestos 'Vessel of Christ' Son. Died.

1372 - 1382 Newaya Maryam Son. Died without issue.

1382 - 1413 Dawit / David I Brother. Killed by one of his horses.

1413 - 1414 Tewodros / Theodore I Son. Died in battle against Muslims.

1414 - 1429 Yeshaq I / Isaac Brother. Killed in battle or assassinated.

1429 - 1430 Andreyas / Andrew Son. Died.