Iyasus I (or Jesus I), also known as Iyasus the Great, was negus (throne name Adyam Sagad II) (19 July 1682 - 13 October 1706) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. He was the son of Yohannes I. Negus is the Amharic word for king. The term negus negust means king of kings, or Emperor. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... Events March 11 – Chelsea hospital for soldiers is founded in England May 6 - Louis XIV of France moves his court to Versailles. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... Events May 23 - Battle of Ramillies November 5 - The Dublin Gazette publishes its first edition. ... 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. ... Yohannes I or John I was negus (1667 - 1682) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ...

According to G.W.B Huntingford, Iyasus "owed his reputation partly to the mildness of his character, exemplified in his treatment of the princes on Wehni in his first year, and his attention to religious matters, and partly to his abdication, retirement, and murder."¹

He was serving as governor of Gojjam when Yohannes summoned him and made him king at the age of 20. However, he did not have himself crowned until 1693. Gojjam, or Gojam, was a province in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debra Markos. ... Events January 11 - Eruption of Mt. ...

He campaigned against the Shankalla. It was during his reign that individual Oromo first found service in the Imperial court. His Chronicle² recounts how when the Ottoman Naib of Massawa attempted to levy a tax on Iyasus' goods that had landed at Massawa, he responded with a blockade of that island city until the Naib relented. The Oromo are an African ethnic group (pejoratively termed Galla) found in Ethiopia and to a lesser extent Kenya. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul (Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... Massawa is both an island in the Red Sea, and a major city of Eritrea. ...

His reign is noteworthy for the attention he devoted to administration, holding a large number of councils to settle theological and ecclesiastical matters, matters of state, and to proclaim laws. In 1698, he undertook a number of reforms, affecting customs and taxation, which encouraged trade. Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ...

During his reign, a French physician, Charles Poncet, was invited into the Empire to treat Iyasus. Poncet arrived at Gondar in 1699, and stayed for a year. Poncet published an account of his visit in Paris in 1704. Gondar (less commonly spelled Gonder) was the old imperial capital of Ethiopia located in Beghemidir province. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Events Building of the Students Monument in Aiud, Romania. ...

While he was campaigning in Gojjam against the Oromo, Iyasus learned that his favorite concubine had died. Striken with grief, he retired to an island in Lake Tana. Officials argued, after the precedent of king Kaleb that he had abdicated, and crowned his son Tekle Haymanot negus. This action was not embraced by the entire state, and the resulting civil strife resulted with Iyasus' assassination by Tekle Haymanot. Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia. ...

His brother Tewoflos, upon becoming negus initiated his canonization.

References

1. G.W.B Huntingford, The Historical Geography of Ethiopia (London: The British Academy, 1989), p.201.
2. Translated in part by Richard K. P. Pankhurst in The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles. Addis Ababa: Oxford University Press,1967.