The Emperor of Ethiopia (Amharic negus negust, "King of Kings") was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The Emperor was not only the head of state, but the ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country. As noted in a National Geographic Magazine article, Ethiopia is "nominally a constitutional monarchy; in fact [it is] a benevolent autocracy."¹ Amharic (አማርኛ) is a Semitic language spoken in Northern Central Ethiopia, where it is the official language. ... A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Though a term originally coined for Republican presidents, a head of state or chief of state is now universally known as the chief public representative of a nation-state, federation or commonwealth, whose role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers, functions... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ... A constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... Autocracy is a form of government where unlimited power is held by a single individual. ...

The style "King of Kings", which is usually translated in English as "Emperor", dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, but was used in Axum by king Sembruthes. Yuri Kobishchanov dates this usage to the period following the Persian victory over the Romans in 296-297.² Its use from at least the reign of Yekuno Amlak onwards meant that both subordinate officials and tributary rulers received the title of negus or "king". Mesopotamia (Greek: Μεσοποταμία, translated from Old Persian Miyanrudan the Land between the Rivers or the Aramaic name Beth-Nahrin House of Two Rivers) is a region of Southwest Asia. ... Axum, also Aksum, is a city in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, located at the base of the Adoua mountains. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... Centuries: 2nd century - 3rd century - 4th century Decades: 240s - 250s - 260s - 270s - 280s - 290s - 300s - 310s - 320s - 330s - 340s Years: 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 Significant people Diocletian, Roman Emperor Maximian, Roman Emperor Categories: 290s ... Yekuno Amlak (throne name Tasfa Iyasus) was negus (1270 - 1285) of Ethiopia and founder of the Solomonid dynasty. ...

Succession

Succession to the throne at the death of the monarch could be claimed by any male blood relative of the Emperor: sons, brothers, uncles or cousins. As a result, two steps were taken: the first was to intern all of the Emperor's possible rivals in a secure location, which drastically limited their ability to disrupt the Empire with revolts, or to dispute the succession of an heir apparent; the second was that with increasing frequency Emperors were selected by a council of the senior officials of the realm, both secular and religious. Contrasting with heir presumptive, an heir apparent is one who cannot be prevented from inheriting by the birth of any other person. ...

Ethiopian tradition contradicts itself over exactly when rivals to the throne were imprisoned on a Mountain of the Princes. One tradition credits this practice to the Zagwe king Yamrehana Krestos, who is said to have received the idea in a dream;³ Taddesse Tamrat discredits this tradition, arguing that the records of the Zagwe dynasty betray too many disputed successions for this to have been the case.⁴ Another tradition, recorded by Thomas Pakenham, states that this practice predates the Zagwe dynasty, and was first practiced on Amba Damo, which was captured by the 10th century queen Gudit, who then put 200 princes isolated there to death; however, Pakenham also notes that when he asked the abbot of the monastery on Amba Damo about this tradition, the abbot responded that he knew of no such tale.⁵ Taddesse Tamrat argues that this practice began in the reign of Wedem Arad, following the struggle for succession that he believes lies behind the series of brief reigns of the sons of Yagbe'u Seyon. The Zagwe Dynasty ruled Ethiopia from the end of the Kingdom of Axum to 1270, when Yekuno Amlak defeated and killed the last Zagwe king in battle. ... There is a significant amount of documentary evidence, as well as oral history, to support the story that the Axumite dynasty was harassed by a non-Christian queen, Gudit (c. ... Wedem Arad was negus (1299 - 1314) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Senfa Ared IV was negus negust (1294 - 1295) of Ethiopia. ...

These potential rivals were incarcerated at Amba Geshen until Ahmed Gragn captured and destroyed that site; then, from the reign of Fasilidos until the mid-18th century, at Wehni. Rumors of these royal mountain residences were part of the inspiration for Samuel Johnson's short story, Rasselas. Amba Geshen is the name of a mountain in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, northwest of Dessie. ... Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (c. ... Fasilidos or Basilides (throne name `Alam Sagad) was negus (1632 - October 18, 1667) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Wehni is the name of one of the mountains of Ethiopia where most of the male heirs to the Emperor of Ethiopia were interned, usually for life. ... Samuel Johnson circa 1772, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, often abbreviated to Rasselas, is a short story by Samuel Johnson, which he wrote in 1759 to help pay for his mothers funeral. ...

Although the Emperor of Ethiopia possessed unlimited powers over his subjects, his councilors came to play an increasing role in governing Ethiopia because many Emperors were succeeded either by a child, or one of the incarcerated princes, who could only successfully leave their prisons with help from the outside. As a result, by the mid-18th century the power of the Emperor had been largely transferred to his deputies, like Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray, who held the actual power of the Empire and elevated or deposed Emperors at will in their struggle for control of the entire realm. Tigray is the northern-most of the nine ethnic regions (kililoch) of Ethiopia. ...

Ideology

The Emperors of Ethiopia claimed their right to rule based on two claims: their descent from the kings of Axum, and their descent from the son of Solomon and Makeda, Queen of Sheba, Menelik I. Axum, also Aksum, is a city in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, located at the base of the Adoua mountains. ... Solomon (Hebrew, Shlomo from Shalom for peace, also Arabic as Suleiman or Sulyaman meaning peace) can mean any of the following: 1. ... The Queen of Sheba, referred to in the Bible, the Quran, and Ethiopic history, was the ruler of Sheba, which modern archeology places in present-day Yemen. ... Menelik I first Emperor of Ethiopia, traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, Queen of Sheba. ...

The claim to their relationship to the Kings of Axum derives from Yakuno Amlak's claim that he was the descendant of Dil Na'od, through his father, although he defeated and killed the last Zagwe king in battle. His claim to the throne was also helped by the fact he married that king's daughter, even though Ethiopians commonly do not acknowledge claims from the distaff side.

The claim of descent from Menelik I is based on the assertion that the descendants of Menelik I were the kings of Axum. While the surviving records of these kings fail to shed light on their origins, this genological claim is first documented in the 10th century AD by an Arab historian. Interpretations of this claim vary widely. Some, including many inside Ethiopia, accept it as evident and undisputed fact. At the other extreme, some understand this as an expression of propaganda, attempting to connect the legitimacy of the state to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Some scholars take an approach in the middle, attempting to either find a connection between Axum and the South Arabian kingdom of Saba, or between Axum and the pre-exilic kingdom of Judah. Due to lack of primary materials, it is not possible as of 2005 to determine which theory is the more plausible. North Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the United States Capitol building. ... The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Church until it was granted its own Patriarch by Cyril VI, the Coptic Pope, in 1959. ... View of Saba from the sea Iguana - Booby Hill Storm coming - view from Booby Hill Saba (pronounced SAY-ba) is a small (13 sq. ... Judah (יְהוּדָה Praise, Standard Hebrew Yəhuda, Tiberian Hebrew Yəhûḏāh) is the name of several Biblical and historical figures. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The Solomonid dynasty ruled Ethiopia until 1974, with only a couple of usurpers. The most significant usurper was Kassa of Kwara, who in 1855 took complete control over Ethiopia and was crowned Theodore II. Solomonic Emperors were restored following his death. The Solomonid dynasty is the traditional royal house of Ethiopia, claming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is said to have given birth to the traditional first king Menelik I after her Biblically-described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Tewodros II (also known as Theodore II) (born Kassa Hailu) (1818-1868) was an emperor of Ethiopia. ...

The most famous of the post-Theodorean Emperors were Yohannis IV and Menelik II. Emperor Menelik II struck a major military victory against Italian invaders in March of 1894 at the Battle of Adwa, the first major victory of an African nation against a colonial power. His successors ruled the country until the military coup in 1974 with the exception of the years 1936 - 1941, when the country was under Italian occupation and Victor Emmanuel III claimed the title, a claim not entirely undisputed in the international community. Emperor Yohannes IV (c. ... Menelik II (August 17, 1844 - December 12, 1913), Conquering Lion of Judah, Elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia was negus negust (emperor) of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of Adowa Conflict First Italo-Abyssinian War Date March 1, 1896 Place Adwa, Ethiopia Result Ethiopian victory; end of First Italo-Abyssinian war The Battle of Adowa (also known as Adwa or sometimes by the Italian name Adua) was fought on March 1, 1896 between Italy near the town... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Victor Emmanuel III of Italy ( 11 November , 1869 – 28 December , 1947 ), was the King of Italy ( 29 July , 1900 – 9 May , 1946 ), and claimed the titles Emperor of Ethiopia ( 1936 - 1943 ) and King of Albania (1939 - 1943). ...

The position of the Emperor was defined in both of the constitutions adopted during the reign of Haile Selassie: the one adopted on July 16, 1931; and the one of November, 1955. Haile Selassie Haile Selassie (Power of Trinity) (July 23, 1892 – August 27, 1975) was the last Emperor (1930–1936; 1941–1974) of Ethiopia, and is a religious symbol in the Rastafarian movement. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The last Solomonid monarch to reign over Ethiopia was Amha Selassie, who was offered the throne by the Derg after his father Haile Selassie's deposition September 12, 1974. When Amha Selassie, understandably mistrustful of the Derg, refused to return to Ethiopia to rule, the Derg announced that the monarcy had come to an end March, 1975. The Ethiopian constitution of 1995 confirmed the abolition of the Emperorship. However, in 1993 a group called the "Crown Council of Ethiopia", which includes several descendants of Haile Selassie, claimed that the negus negust was still in existence, and was the legal head of Ethiopia. Emperor Amha Selassie of Ethiopia Emperor Amha Selassie of Ethiopia (1916 - February 17, 1997) was the exiled claimant of the Ethiopian Imperial Throne (also known as Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen). ... The Derg was the ruling committee of Ethiopia from 1974 until 1987. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

1. Nathaniel T. Kenney, "Ethiopian Adventure", National Geographic, 127 (1965), p. 555.
2. Yuri M. Kobishchanov, Axum, translated by Lorraine T. Kapitanoff, and edited by Joseph W. Michels (University Park: University of Pennsylvania State Press, 1979), p. 195.
3. Francisco Alvarez, The Prester John of the Indies, translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley, revised and edited with additional material by C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, (Cambridge: The Hakluyt Society, 1961), p. 237ff.
4. Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia (1270 - 1527) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 275n.3
5. Thomas Pakenham, The Mountains of Rasselas (New York: Reynal & Co., 1959), p. 84.
6. Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia, p. 275n.3, citing Hiob Ludolf, A New History of Ethiopia.

Francisco Alvarez (1465?-1541?) was a Portuguese missionary and explorer. ... The Hakluyt Society is a society named after Richard Hakluyt. ... Hiob Ludolf (or Job Leutholf) (June 15, 1624 - April 8, 1704) was a German orientalist, and born at Erfurt. ...

See also

• List of Emperors of Ethiopia
• History of Ethiopia

The accuracy of this list is disputed, since it was based on worldstatesmen. ... Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. ...

External link

• Crown Council of Ethiopia