The Solomonic Kings of Ethiopia

The Kebra Negast tells about the journey of the Queen of Sheba, who reigned in Ethiopia and whose dominion included South-western Arabia, to Israel.

"After hearing about the wonderful things about King Solomon and how wise he was, Mekeda,Ethiopian name of the Queen of sheba, decides to go check for herself. Before leaving for Israel she prepares beautiful and expensive gifts for Solomon. When she reaches Israel she was taken to the Kings audience and the King welcomes her and her people happily. The Queen was very delighted by what she saw at the court of King Solomon and was amazed by his knowledge. Later on the King beguiled her into sleeping with him and the Queen concieved. After her return to her country Mekeda gave birth to a boy and called him Menelik. According to some jewish sources the name could have been derived from the hebrew word "Ibn Melek" which translates into " Son of the King". When Menelik grew up he wants to see his father so Mekeda sends him to Israel. When King Solomon saw his son he was amazed by the resemblance that they have. Menelik is tutored in the religion of his father, Judaism, and is offered the throne but he declines. After a while Menelik wants to go home to his mother and when Solomon sees that his son won't stay he gives his son numerous gifts and ten thousand Israelites to accompany him back to his home. One of the men assigned to go with the young prince was Azaria the son of the high priest of Israel Zadok. when they were about to start on their journey Azaria steals the Ark of the Covenant from the Temple and travels to Ethiopia. When King Solomon and the priests of Israel come to know what has happened they send people to bring back the Ark of the Covenant. But Menelik and the Ark are long gone, because of this Solomon is forced to put a replica of the Ark in the Temple. Since then the Ark is in Ethiopia. Menelik, after the death of his mother, is throned Menelik I King of Ethiopia. His progeny have been holding the reign of power and the throne since then."

Yekuno Amlahk is the first Negus to sit on the Solomonic throne after it was disturbed for some time by situation arising from internal unrest in the empire. The main causes for the discontinuation of the Solomonic Line were the war waged by the queen of the Agew tribe "Gudit" and the reign of the Zagwe dynasty. Yekuno Amlahk helped by the Orthodox church and the Amhara priest Takla Haymanot of Bulga was throned Emperor of Ethiopia. The tribe of Amhara, along side their Solomonic Negus, started to build their empire and widen their linguistic and cultural influence.

Zara Yaeqob is hailed by most historians as the greatest Ethiopian king between the reigns Negus Ezana of Axum in the 4th century and Menelik II at the beginning of the 19th century. Some of Zara Yaeqob's acheivements were his substantial miltary accomplishement which included the defeat of the Sidamo peoples of southern Ethiopia. But his greatest achievment was his reform concerning the adminstration and the church. He was also to some degree capable of limiting the power of the Rases,princes, of the different provinces.

Sarsa Dengel was famous for his his victorious wars against the Turks who were trying to impose their power on Ethiopian territory. In 1588-89 Sarsa Dengel fought the Turks and drove them out of the provences of Tigray and Eriteria. The king pushed the Turks out of the Red Sea coast and the Turks were forced to fight from out the sea. The Turks fought with their fleet but the Emperor could not retaliate likewise because the famous war ships of the Ethiopians had been destroyed at the fall of Axum. Because of this and the aridity of the place he was in the Emperor was forced to evacuate the coastal region which the Turks were more than happy to reoccupy.

Iyassu I (The Great) was famous for his military leadership and effective adminstrative reforms in the seventeenth century. Some of his reforms were strengthning the imperial power over the church and the relaxation of the xenophobic laws that were imposed by the previous two rulers, Fassiludus and Yohannes I. These two emperors imposed the xenophobic rules at the beginning inorder to stop missionaries, such as the chatolic portugese, from entering the empire and starting a civil war just like they did at the time of the Negus Susenyos the father of the Negus Fassiludus. The relaxation of this laws by Iyassu I resulted in a renewed contact with western world.

TAKALA HAYMANOT (1706-1708)

TEWOFLOS (1708-1711)

YOSTOS (1711-1716)

DAWIT III (1716-1721)

BAKAFFA (1721-1730)

IYASSU II (1730-1755)

IYOAS (1755-1769)

YOHANNES (1769)

TAKLA HAYMANOT II (1769-1777)

SOLOMON II (1777-1778)

TAKLA GIYORGIS (1779-1784)

IYASSU III (1784-1788)

HEZQEYAS (1789--1794)

BA`EDA MARYAM III (1795)

SOLOMON III (1796-1797)

IYONAS (1797-1798)

DEMETROS (1799-1801)

EGWALA SEYON (1801-1818)

IYOAS II (1818-1821)

GIGAR (1821-1826)

BA`EDA MARYAM III (1826)

IYASSU IV (1830-1832)

GABRA KRESTOS (1832)

SAHLA SILLASIE (1841-1854)

YOHANNES III (1840-1855)

TEWODROS (1855-1868)

TAKLA GIYORGIS (1868-1871)

YOHANNES IV (1872-1889)

MENELIK II (1889-1913)

LIJJ IYASSU (1913-1916)

ZEWDITU (1926-1930)

HAYLA SELLASIE I (1930-1974)

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