Ethiopian aristocratic and religious titles used in Ethiopia until the end of the Monarchy in 1974. Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... A title is a prefix or suffix added to a persons name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Honorifics

• Negus negust ("king of kings") -- Emperor of Ethiopia. Although several kings of Aksum used this style, until the Solomonid dynasty, rulers of Ethiopia used the style of Negus. (See below.)
• Negus ("king") -- This word is related to the Ge'ez word for drum, nagerit. This word was often used as part of the title to denote any important official, for example negadras the chief official over a weekly market. Although often translated as "king", it might be more accurate to equate this rank as "prince" in the older sense which does not imply the heir to the royal throne.
• Ras ("head") -- One of the most powerful non-imperial ranks in Ethiopia; Harold G. Marcus equates this to a duke.
• Bitwoded ("beloved") -- An office thought to have been created by Zara Yaqob who appointed two of these, one of the Left and one of the Right. These were merged into one office, which became the supreme grade of Ras in the 18th century, "Ras Betwadad". Marcus equates this to an earl.
• Fitawrari ("Leader of the Vanguard") -- Marcus equates this to a viscount.
• Dejazmach ("Commander or general of the Gate") -- Marcus equates this to a count.
• Kenyazmach ("Commander or general of the Right") -- Marcus equates this to a baron.
• Gerazmach ("Commander or general of the Left") -- Marcus equates this to a baron.
• Balambaras -- The commander of a fortress; Marcus equates this to a baronet.

King of Kings or some literal parallel in various languages is a lofty title that has been used by several monarchies in history, and in many cases the literal title meaning King of Kings, especially in the case of Semitic languages is conventionally (usually inaccurately) rendered as Emperor. Jesus Christ... The Emperor of Ethiopia (Amharic ንጉሠ ነገሥት, niguse negest, King of Kings) was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. ... 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. ... The Geez language (or Giiz language) is an ancient language that developed in the Ethiopian Highlands of the Horn of Africa as the language of the peasantry. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy... Zara Yaqob (throne name Kuestantinos I or Constantine I) (1399 - 1468) was negus (1434 - 1468) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... An Earl or Jarl was an Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian title, meaning chieftain and it referred especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a kings stead. ... A viscount is a member of the European nobility, especially, as in the British peerage, ranking above a baron, below a (British) earl or (his continental equivalent) count. ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) is the holder of a British title, known as a baronetcy. ...

Important regional offices

• Bahr negus ("ruler of the Seas") -- governor of the territories north of the territories north of the Mareb River, and as a result the most powerful office in medieval Ethiopia after the Emperor himself. As a result of the revolts of the Bahr negus Yeshaq in the later 16th century, this office lost much of its power. Although men are mentioned as holding this office into the early 18th century, they were of little consequence.
• Meridazmach ("Commander or general of the Reserve Army") -- This title is related to "Dejazmach" or "Kenyazmach" above. Beginning in the 18th century this came to denote the ruler of Shewa.
• Nebura ed ("one put in office through the laying of hands") -- civil governor of Aksum. Also called Liqat Aksum. Because of the historical and symbolic importance of this city, the rules of precedence promulgated in 1689 ranked the Nebura ed ahead of all of the provincial governors.
• Tigray Mekonnen -- governor of the province of Tigray. The Tigray Mekonnen became responsible for the territories once controlled by the Bahrnegus, and became the most powerful governor in the Empire. However, by the 20th century the Tigray Mekonnen was reduced to a symbolic title, and possessed no special powers or lands in itself.
• Wagshum -- governor (or shum) of the province of Wag. The Wagshum was a heriditary title, and these rulers traced their ancestory back to the kings of the Zagwe dynasty.

The Mareb River (or Gash River), is the most northerly of the highland rivers of Ethiopia which flow to the northwest, and forms part of the border with Eritrea. ... Shewa (also spelled Shoa) is a historical region of Ethiopia. ... Axum, also Aksum, is a city in northern Ethiopia, located at the base of the Adoua mountains. ... Events Louis XIV of France passed the Code Noir, allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies. ... Map of Ethiopia highlighting the Tigray region. ... 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. ...

Important offices of the Ethiopian Church

• Abuna -- head of the Ethiopian Church. Until the middle of the 20th century was an Coptic monk appointed by the Patriarch of Alexandria to serve as its leader. However as time progressed, the authority of the Abuna was reduced to little more than a figurehead.
• Ichage -- the abbot of the monastery of Debre Libanos, who served as the second highest ecclesiastic of the Ethiopian church, and was often the de facto head of that church. Beginning in the mid-17th century, the Ichage lived at Gondar.
• Aqabe sa'at ("Guardian of the Church hours") -- priest to the Emperor. Until the mid-17th century was second only to the Abuna; James Bruce in the late 18th century describes him as the third highest ecclesiastic.