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. Its best-known king was Gebra Maskal Lalibela, who is responsible for the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. Unlike the practice of later rulers of Ethiopia, Taddesse Tamrat argues that under the Zagwe dynasty the order of succession was that of brother succeeding brother as king, based on the Agaw laws of inheritance. Zagwe dynasty - History. The Zagwe dynas ...

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• Zagwe dynasty - History
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The Zagwe dynasty came from a Christian princely family of the Agaw people. The number of kings belonging to this dynasty are uncertain: Ethiopian King Lists provide from five to 16 names belonging to this dynasty, who ruled for a total of either 133 or 333 years. All agree that the founding king was Mara Takla Haymanot, son-in-law of the last king of Axum, Dil Na'od. However the name of the last king of this dynasty is lost -- the surviving chronicles and oral traditions give his name as Za-Ilmaknun, which is clearly a pseudonym (Tad ...

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Zagwe dynasty, Zagwe dynasty - History, Zagwe dynasty - Bibliography

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For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. 1270 - Events. 1270 - Europe. December - Crucial aspects of the philosophy of Averroism (itself based on Aristotle's works) are banned by the Catholic church in a condemnation enacted by papal authority at the University of Paris. The Summa Theologiae, a work by Thomas Aquinas that is considered within the Roman Catholic Church to be the paramount expression of its theology, is completed (year unce ...

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• 1270 - Events
• 1270 - Europe
• 1270 - Asia
• 1270 - Africa
• 1270 - Births
• 1270 - Deaths

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The Kingdom of Aksum (or Axum), was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from ca. 5th century BC to become an important trading nation by the 1st century AD. It converted to Christianity in 325 or 328 (various sources). It was founded by people who crossed from South Arabia (what is today Yemen). The kingdom started to decline in the 7th century AD, and the population was forced to go farther inland to the highlands, finally falling to the Zagwe dynasty in the twelfth century; but Yekuno Amlak, who ...

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• Kingdom of Aksum - Geography
• Kingdom of Aksum - Society Structure
• Kingdom of Aksum - Foreign relations and economy
• Kingdom of Aksum - Cultural achivements
• Kingdom of Aksum - Bibliography

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The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Amharic ኢትዮጵያ Ityopp'ya) is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. It has one of the most extensive known histories as an independent nation on the continent, or indeed in the world. Unique among African countries, Ethiopia maintained independence during the Scramble for Africa, and continued to do so except for a 5 year period when it was under Italian occupation. Ethiopia was historically called Abyssinia. The English name "Ethiopia" is derived from the Greek wo ...

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• Ethiopia - History
• Ethiopia - Politics
• Ethiopia - Regions
• Ethiopia - Geography
• Ethiopia - Economy
• Ethiopia - Demographics
• Ethiopia - Languages
• Ethiopia - Culture
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Aksum traded with India and Rome (later Byzantium, a strong cultural influence on Aksum), exporting ivory, tortoise shell, gold and emeralds, and importing silk and spices. Aksum's access to both the Red Sea and the Upper Nile enabled its strong navy to profit in trade between various African (Nubia), Arabian (Yemen), and Indian states. In the 2nd century AD, Aksum acquired tributary states on the Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea, and conquered ...

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Kingdom of Aksum, Kingdom of Aksum - Geography, Kingdom of Aksum - Society Structure, Kingdom of Aksum - Foreign relations and economy, Kingdom of Aksum - Cultural achievements, Kingdom of Aksum - Bibliography

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The term primarily refers to the complex of eleven churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia believed to have been created in the 12th century, the most famous of which is the cross-shaped Church of St. George. Spurious tales that the Lalibela churches were constructed by the Knights Templar in the 13th century were started by European explorers who did not believe that the Ethiopian civilization could have created structures of such complexity and beauty. Four other churches in northern Ethiopia wer ...

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Monolithic church, Monolithic church - Lalibela, Monolithic church - Other churches, Monolithic church - France, Monolithic church - Germany

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The first significant point in his life was when Takla Haymanot, at the age of 30, travelled north to settle at the monastery of Iyasus Mo'a, who had only a few years before founded a monastery on an island in the middle of Lake Hayq. There he studied under the abbot for nine years before travelling to Tigray, where he visited Axum, then stayed for a while at the monastery of Dabra Damo, where he studied under Abbot Yohannes, Iyasus Mo'a's spiritual teacher. by this point, a small ...

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Takla Haymanot, Takla Haymanot - Early life, Takla Haymanot - Later career, Takla Haymanot - Later traditions

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This era was, on one hand, a religious conlict between settling Muslims and traditional Christians, between nationalities they represented, and on the other hand between feudal lords on power over the central government. Two phases can be distinguished: 1706-69 and 1769-1855. Some historians date the murder of Iyasu I, and the resultant decline in the prestige of the dynasty, as the beginning of the Ethiopian Zemene Mesafint or "Era of the Princes" (a time of disorder when the po ...

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History of Ethiopia, History of Ethiopia - Earliest History, History of Ethiopia - The Axumite Kingdom, History of Ethiopia - The Ethiopian Dark Ages, History of Ethiopia - Portuguese Influence, History of Ethiopia - The Period of the Princes, History of Ethiopia - Leaving the Medieval World, History of Ethiopia - Interactions with European Colonial Powers, History of Ethiopia - Modern History, History of Ethiopia - Additional Reading, History of Ethiopia - Notes

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The Kingdom of Aksum, the first verifiable kingdom of great power to rise in Ethiopia, rose during the first century AD. The Persian religious figure Mani listed Axum with Rome, Persia, and China as one of the four great powers of his time. It was in the early 4th century that a Syro-Greek castaway, Frumentius, was taken to the court and eventually converted king Ezana to Christianity, thereby making it official. For this accomplishment, he received the title "Abba Selama". At various times, includi ...

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Ethiopia, Ethiopia - History, Ethiopia - Politics, Ethiopia - Regions, Ethiopia - Geography, Ethiopia - Economy, Ethiopia - Demographics, Ethiopia - Languages, Ethiopia - Culture, Ethiopia - Holidays, Ethiopia - Miscellaneous topics

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The Kingdom of Aksum, the first verifiable kingdom of great power to rise in Ethiopia, rose during the first century AD. The Persian religious figure Mani listed Axum with Rome, Persia, and China as one of the four great powers of his time. It was in the early 4th century that a Syro-Greek castaway, Frumentius, was taken to the court and eventually converted king Ezana to Christianity, thereby making it official. For this accomplishment, he received the title "Abba Selama". At various times, including a period in the 6th century, Axum controlled most of moder ...

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Ethiopia, Ethiopia - History, Ethiopia - Politics, Ethiopia - Regions, Ethiopia - Geography, Ethiopia - Economy, Ethiopia - Demographics, Ethiopia - Languages, Ethiopia - Culture, Ethiopia - Miscellaneous topics

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The term primarily refers to the complex of eleven churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia believed to have been created in the 12th century, the most famous of which is the cross-shaped Church of St. George. Spurious tales that the Lalibela churches were constructed by the Knights Templar in the 13th century were started by European explorers who did not believe that the Ethiopian civilization could have created structures of such complexity and beauty. Four other churches in northern Ethiopia wer ...

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Monolithic church, Monolithic church - Lalibela, Monolithic church - Other churches, Monolithic church - Bulgaria, Monolithic church - France, Monolithic church - Germany

Read more here: » Monolithic church: Encyclopedia II - Monolithic church - Lalibela

1270 - Europe. December - Crucial aspects of the philosophy of Averroism (itself based on Aristotle's works) are banned by the Catholic church in a condemnation enacted by papal authority at the University of Paris. The Summa Theologiae, a work by Thomas Aquinas that is considered within the Roman Catholic Church to be the paramount expression of its theology, is completed (year uncertain). Witelo translates Alhazen's 200-year-old treatise on optics, Kitab al-Manazir, from Ar ...

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1270, 1270 - Events, 1270 - Europe, 1270 - Asia, 1270 - Africa, 1270 - Births, 1270 - Deaths

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1270s - Europe. 1271 - July 2 - Kings Otakar II of Bohemia and Stephen V of Hungary sign the first Peace of Pressburg, settling territorial claims following the failed invasion of Hungary by Otakar II. 1272 - Charles I of Anjou, King of Naples, occupies Durres in Albania and establishes an Albanian kingdom. 1272 - King Alphonso III of Portugal eliminates the last Moorish community in Portugal at Faro. 1273 - September 29 - Rudolph I of Germany is elected King of Germany ov ...

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1270s, 1270s - War and politics, 1270s - Europe, 1270s - Asia and Africa, 1270s - Americas, 1270s - Culture, 1270s - Science literature and industry, 1270s - Art architecture and music, 1270s - Religion, 1270s - Births, 1270s - Deaths

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Aksum traded with India and Rome (later Byzantium, a strong cultural influence on Aksum), exporting ivory, tortoise shell, gold and emeralds, and importing silk and spices. Aksum's access to both the Red Sea and the Upper Nile enabled its strong navy to profit in trade between various African (Nubia), Arabian (Yemen), and Indian states. In the 2nd century AD, Aksum acquired tributary states on the Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea, and conquered ...

See also:

Kingdom of Aksum, Kingdom of Aksum - Geography, Kingdom of Aksum - Society Structure, Kingdom of Aksum - Foreign relations and economy, Kingdom of Aksum - Cultural achivements, Kingdom of Aksum - Bibliography

Read more here: » Kingdom of Aksum: Encyclopedia II - Kingdom of Aksum - Foreign relations and economy

Main article: Subdivisions of Ethiopia Ethiopia has been divided by the EPRDF into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions (kililoch; singular: kilil): Afar Amhara Benishangul-Gumaz Gambela Harari Oromia Somali Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region Tigray Additionally, there are two chartered cities (astedader akababiwoch, singular: astedader akab ...

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Ethiopia, Ethiopia - History, Ethiopia - Politics, Ethiopia - Regions, Ethiopia - Geography, Ethiopia - Economy, Ethiopia - Demographics, Ethiopia - Languages, Ethiopia - Culture, Ethiopia - Miscellaneous topics

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Ethiopia This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Ethiopia President Prime Minister Political parties in Ethiopia Elections in Ethiopia: 2005 Foreign relations of Ethiopia edit The election of Ethiopia's 547-member constituent assembly was held in June 1994. This assembly adopted the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December 1994. T ...

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Ethiopia, Ethiopia - History, Ethiopia - Politics, Ethiopia - Regions, Ethiopia - Geography, Ethiopia - Economy, Ethiopia - Demographics, Ethiopia - Languages, Ethiopia - Culture, Ethiopia - Holidays, Ethiopia - Miscellaneous topics

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Under the Solomonid dynasty, the chief provinces became Tigray (northern), Amhara (central) and Shewa (southern). The seat of government, or rather of overlordship, has usually been in Amhara, the ruler of which, calling himself nəgusä nägäst (king of kings, or emperor), has exacted tribute, when he could, from the other provinces. The title of nəgusä nägäst has been to a considerable extent based on the blood in ...

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History of Ethiopia, History of Ethiopia - Earliest History, History of Ethiopia - The Axumite Kingdom, History of Ethiopia - The Ethiopian Dark Ages, History of Ethiopia - Portuguese Influence, History of Ethiopia - The Period of the Princes, History of Ethiopia - Leaving the Medieval World, History of Ethiopia - Interactions with European Colonial Powers, History of Ethiopia - Modern History, History of Ethiopia - Additional Reading, History of Ethiopia - Notes

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Under the Emperors Tewodros II (1855 - 1868), Yohannes IV (1872 - 1889), and Menelek II (1889 - 1913), the kingdom began to emerge from its medieval isolation. Emperor Tewodros II was born Lij (= Mr) Kassa in Kwara, a small district of Western Amhara, in 1818. His father was a small local chief, and his uncle Ras Kinfu was governor of the districts of Dembea, Qwara and Chelga between Lake Tana and the undefined northwestern frontier. On the death of his uncle he was made chief of Kwara. He turned his attention to conquering the remaining chief divisions of the ...

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History of Ethiopia, History of Ethiopia - Earliest History, History of Ethiopia - The Axumite Kingdom, History of Ethiopia - The Ethiopian Dark Ages, History of Ethiopia - Portuguese Influence, History of Ethiopia - The Period of the Princes, History of Ethiopia - Leaving the Medieval World, History of Ethiopia - Interactions with European Colonial Powers, History of Ethiopia - Modern History, History of Ethiopia - Additional Reading, History of Ethiopia - Notes

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Main article: Demographics of Ethiopia Ethiopia's population is highly diverse. Most of its people speak a Semitic or Cushitic language. The Oromo, Amhara, and Tigrayans make up more than three-fourths of the population, but there are more than 80 different ethnic groups within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members. Semitic-speaking Ethiopians (as well as some Eritreans) collectively refer to themselves as Habesha or Abesha, though others reject these names on the basis that they refer only ...

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Ethiopia, Ethiopia - History, Ethiopia - Politics, Ethiopia - Regions, Ethiopia - Geography, Ethiopia - Economy, Ethiopia - Demographics, Ethiopia - Languages, Ethiopia - Culture, Ethiopia - Holidays, Ethiopia - Miscellaneous topics

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