The 1922 regnal list of Ethiopia is an official regnal list used by the Ethiopian monarchy which names over 300 monarchs across six millennia. The list is partially inspired by older Ethiopian regnal lists and chronicles, but is notable for additional monarchs who ruled Nubia, which was known as Aethiopia in ancient times. Also included are various figures from Greek mythology and the Biblical canon who were known to be "Aethiopian", as well as figures who originated from Egyptian sources (Ancient Egyptian, Coptic and Arabic).
This list of monarchs was included in Charles Fernand Rey's book In the Country of the Blue Nile in 1927, and is the longest Ethiopian regnal list published in the Western world. It is the only known regnal list that attempts to provide a timeline of Ethiopian monarchs from the 46th century BC up to modern times without any gaps.[1] However, earlier portions of the regnal list are pseudohistorical and were recent additions to Ethiopian tradition at the time the list was written.[2][3] Despite claims by at least one Ethiopian court historian that the list dates back to ancient times,[4] the list is more likely an early 20th century creation. The earlier sections of the list are clearly inspired by the work of French historian Louis J. Morié, who published a two-volume history of "Ethiopia" (i.e. Nubia and Abyssinia) in 1904.[3] His work drew on then-recent Egyptological research but attempted to combine this with the Biblical canon and writings by ancient Greek authors. This resulted in a pseudohistorical work that was more imaginative than scientific in its approach to Ethiopian history.[3]
There are different versions of the regnal list that are known to exist, and it is not clear when the first version was written. Alternate, or possibly earlier, versions of the list were included in the works of Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam and Heruy Wolde Selassie. The 1922 regnal list published in Rey's book will be referred to as "Tafari's list" in this article to differentiate it from other versions. Tafari himself did not claim authorship and stated that he had made a copy of an already existing list.[5]
This regnal list contains a great deal of conflation between the history of modern-day Ethiopia and Aethiopia, a term used in ancient times and in some Biblical translations to refer to a generalised region south of Egypt, most commonly in reference to the Kingdom of Kush in modern-day Sudan. As a result, many parts of this article will deal with the history of ancient Sudan and how this became interwoven into the history of the Kingdom of Axum, the region of Abyssinia (which includes modern-day Eritrea) and the modern state of Ethiopia. The territory of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea was known as "Abyssinia" to Europeans until the mid-20th century, and as such this term will be used occasionally in this article to differentiate from 'ancient' Aethiopia (i.e. Nubia).
Charles Fernand Rey's 1927 book In the Country of the Blue Nile included a 13-page appendix with a list of Ethiopian monarchs written by the Prince Regent Tafari Makonnen, who later became the Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930.[6] Tafari's list begins in 4530 BC and ends in 1779 AD, with dates following the Ethiopian Calendar, which is several years behind the Gregorian calendar.[7] Tafari's cover letter was written in the town of Addis Ababa on the 11th day of Sane, 1914 (Ethiopian Calendar), which was June 19, 1922 on the Gregorian Calendar according to Rey.[5]
Rey revealed in another book he wrote, Unconquered Abyssinia, that this list was given to him in 1924 by a court historian who was a "learned old gentleman".[8] This court historian had "caused to be compiled [...] on the instructions of Ras Tafari" a complete list of "rulers of Abyssinia from the beginning of time up to date."[8] Rey noted that the list contained many names "of Egyptian origin", which was a "good illustration" of the difficulties in researching the history of Abyssinia.[8] The court historian claimed that the regnal list had already been compiled prior to the "advent of the Ethiopian dynasty in Egypt" and that the original version had been taken to Egypt and left there, afterwards becoming lost.[4]
Ethiopian tradition traces the origins of the dynasty to a king called Ori, who lived about 4470 BC [sic]. While the reality of such a vastly remote provenance must be considered in semi-mythic terms, it remains certain that Ethiopia, also known as the Kingdom of Kush, was already ancient by the time of David and Solomon's rule in Jerusalem.[9]
The goal of the 1922 regnal list was to showcase the immense longevity of the Ethiopian monarchy. The list does this by providing precise dates over 6,300 years and drawing upon various historical traditions from both within Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia.
The regnal list names 313 numbered monarchs (Abreha and Atsbeha were mistakenly counted as one monarch on Tafari's version of the list). These rulers are divided into eight dynasties:
In addition to the above, there is a so-called "Israelitish" dynasty with eight unnumbered kings from the time of Zagwe rule who did not ascend to the throne of Ethiopia. These kings were descendants of the dynasty of Menelik.[11]
The first three dynasties are mostly legendary and take various elements from the Bible, as well as Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, Greek, Coptic and Arab sources. Many of the monarchs of the Menelik and Kaleb dynasties appear on Ethiopian regnal lists written before 1922, but these lists often contradict each other and many of the kings themselves are not archeologically verified, though in some cases their existence is confirmed by Aksumite coinage. Many of the historically verified rulers of the Ag'azyan and Menelik dynasties did not rule over the region of modern Ethiopia but rather over Egypt and/or Nubia. It is only from the dynasty of Kaleb onward that the monarchs are certainly Aksumite or "Abyssinian" in origin. The Zagwe and Solomonic dynasties are both historically verified, though only the Solomonic line has a secure historical dating of 1270 to 1975, which at times contradicts the reign dates found on this regnal list.
Each monarch on the list has their respective reign dates and number of years listed. Two columns of reign dates were used in the list. One column uses dates according to the Ethiopian calendar from 4530 BC to 1779 AD, while the other column lists the "Year of the World", placing the creation of the world in 5500 BC. Other Ethiopian texts and documents have also placed a similar date for the creation of the world.[12][13] The dating of 5500 BC as the creation of the world on this list was influenced by calculations from the Alexandrian and Byzantine eras which placed the world's creation in 5493 BC and 5509 BC respectively.[14]
Neither Tafari Makonnen nor Charles Rey explicitly stated who wrote the regnal list originally or who supplied Tafari with a copy of it. Both Heruy Wolde Selassie and Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam included versions of the list in their work, however there is clear evidence that a large part of the list's early sections is lifted from the work of an obscure French historian named Louis J. Morié.
Heruy Wolde Selassie and Wazemaedit
Heruy Wolde Selassie in a photograph taken prior to 1939
German historian Manfred Kropp believed the author of the regnal list was Ethiopian foreign minister Heruy Wolde Selassie (1878–1938). Selassie was a philosopher and historian, and had mastered several European languages. He had previously served as secretary to Emperor Menelik II (r. 1889–1913).[15] At the time the list was written in 1922, Selassie was president of the special court in Addis Ababa, whose job was to resolve disputes between Ethiopians and foreigners.[16]
Kropp noted that Selassie's historical sources include the Bible, Christian Arab writers Jirjis al-Makin Ibn al-'Amid (1205–1273) and Ibn al-Rāhib (1205–1295), and Christian traveller and writer Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160–240). Kropp argued that Selassie was one of a number of Ethiopian writers who sought to synchronize Ethiopian history with the wider Christian-Oriental histories. This was aided by the translation of Arabic texts in the 17th century. Kropp also felt that the developing field of Egyptology influenced Selassie's writings, particularly from Eduard Meyer, Gaston Maspero and Alexandre Moret, whose works were published in French in Addis Ababa in the early 20th century. Kropp believed that Selassie was also assisted by French missionaries and the works they held in their libraries.[17] Kropp additionally theorized that Tafari Makonnen played a large role in the writing of the list.[18]
Selassie wrote a book titled Wazema which contained a version of the regnal list. Wazema translates to The Vigil, a metaphor to celebrate the history of the kings of Ethiopia.[19] The book was divided into two sections, the first deals with political Ethiopian history from the dawn of history to modern times, while the second section deals with the history of the Ethiopian church.[19] Manfred Kropp noted there were three different versions of the regnal list published in the works of Heruy Wolde Selassie. Selassie's regnal list omits the first dynasty of Tafari's list – the so-called "Tribe of Ori or Aram" – and also the first three rulers of the second dynasty, instead beginning in 2545 BC with king Sebtah. Selassie himself stated that he used European literature among his sources, including James Bruce's Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile.[20] Manfred Kropp felt the existence of multiple versions of the regnal list suggest that Selassie grew increasingly critical of the sources he used for the first version of the list in 1922.[21] Ethiopian historian Sergew Hable Selassie commented that Heruy Wolde Selassie "strove for accuracy" but the sources he used for Wazema "precluded his success".[19]
Manfred Kropp noted one important source for the information in Wazema. Selassie himself told the reader that if they wish to find out about more about Joktan, the supposed founder of the Ag'azyan dynasty, they could consult page 237 of a book by "Moraya". At first Kropp thought this was referring to Alexandre Moret,[22] but it was later made clear that Selassie's regnal list had been significantly inspired by a book called Histoire de l'Éthiopie by Louis J. Morié, published in 1904.[3]
Louis J. Morié was a French historian who wrote a history of Ethiopia in the early 20th century. The two-volume work, titled Histoire de l'Éthiopie (Nubie et Abyssinie), was published in 1904, the first volume focusing on ancient Nubia (called "Ancient Ethiopia" by Morié) and the second volume focusing on Abyssinia ("Modern Ethiopia").[23][24] An abridged edition was printed in 1897, but only 100 copies were made for the author's friends.[25] Historian Manfred Kropp [de] identified the first volume as a key source in the creation of the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list and provided evidence from Morié's text that corroborated the names and information on the list.[3] Kropp noted that Morié's book was more imaginative than scientific in its approach to Ethiopian history and blamed Selassie's European friends and contemporaries for the influence of Morié's book on Selassie's writing of Ethiopian history.[3]E. A. Wallis Budge mentions Morié's book in his own similarly titled two-volume work A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia,[26] but surprisingly makes no mention of the clear similarity between Morié's narrative and the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list. Charles Rey, in his book Unconquered Abyssinia, mentioned an "enthusiastic French writer" who had "gone as far as to date the birth of the Abyssinian monarchy from the foundation of the Kingdom of Meroë by Cush about 5800 B.C." but Rey felt this writer could "not be taken seriously" because of his belief that the Deluge was a historical event.[8] Rey was likely referring to Morié, who had claimed that 5800 BC was the approximate date when Cush began ruling Aethiopia and he also treated the Biblical flood narrative as historical fact.[27] Like Budge, Rey apparently did not notice the striking the similarities between Morié's narrative and the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list.
Morié's book displays his desire to hold on to religion and Biblical narratives in a world that was increasingly looking towards science. He showed concern with the possibility of abandoning religion, which would result in the "civilized" peoples of the world to descend down the moral scale.[28] Morié felt that it was possible for science and religion to be in agreement.[29] He described Atheism as a cause of moral and political decadence.[30] Because of his anxieties of the decline of religion, Morié sought to base his historical narrative around the Biblical timeline. He described the Book of Genesis as the best source to consult on the most remote parts of human history.[31]
Morié believed the "Ethiopian state of Meroe" was the oldest empire of the post-Flood world, having been founded by Cush of the Bible, and went on to birth the kingdoms of Egypt, Uruk, Babylon, Assyria and Abyssinia.[32] Morié followed the Biblical tradition by crediting Nimrod, a son of Cush, with founding Uruk and Babylon, and crediting Mizraim, a son of Ham, with founding Egypt.[29] He additionally identified Mizraim with the Egyptian god Osiris, Ham with Amun and Cush with Khonsu.[33] Morié defined the history of "Ethiopia" as divided into two parts; Ancient Nubia and Christian Abyssinia,[34] and defined "Ethiopians" as the Nubian and Abyssinian peoples.[35] Morié acknowledged the potential confusion this could cause and thus occasionally used "Abyssinia" to specify which of these two regions he was writing about, with a priority of using "Ethiopia" for ancient Nubia.[36]
Alaqa Taye's History of the People of Ethiopiaedit
Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam (1861–1924) was a Protestant Ethiopian scholar, translator and teacher whose written works include books on grammar, religion and Ethiopian history.[37] He was ordered by Menelik II to write a complete history of Ethiopia using Ethiopian, European and Arab sources.[38] Taye's work was not published in his lifetime. His first historical work was Ya-Ityopya Hizb Tarik ("History of the People of Ethiopia"), which was published in 1922, the same year Tafari's regnal list was written.[39] The book contained legends and folk stories around the origins of different people of Ethiopia.[39]Ya-Ityopya Hizb Tarik was a condensed from of a much larger work titled Ya-Ityopya Mangist Tarik ("History of the Ethiopian State"), which has not been published and is only known to exist in partial form as manuscripts.[40] Ethiopian historian Sergew Hable Selassie felt this book did not "do justice to [Taye's] erudition and does not reflect his true ability", as it was based on "unreliable sources" and was "not at all systematic".[19]
Taye's History of the People of Ethiopia contains a regnal list that matches closely with the one copied by Tafari.[41] The first edition from 1922 contained a list of monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ, beginning with Bazen.[40] The sixth edition from 1965 expanded the list to include monarchs who reigned from Akhunas Saba II (1930 BC) onwards, corresponding with the Ag'azyan and Menelik dynasties of Tafari's list.[42] The first edition however does refer to the earlier dynasties of Ori and Kam and provides some background information on them.[43] The longer text Ya-Ityopya Mangist Tarik originally contained more in-depth information on all the dynasties that appear on Tafari's version of the regnal list.[44]
In recent years, there has been more credible and conclusive evidence that some of Alaqa Taye's manuscripts were acquired by Heruy Wolde Selassie and published as his own works, including Wazema.[45] Such evidence strengthens the possibility that Taye wrote the original regnal list instead of Selassie. Ya-Ityopya Hizb Tarik preceded the publication of Heruy Wolde Selassie's book Wazema by at least seven years.[41]
Numerous regnal lists of Ethiopian monarchs from before 1922 are known to survive and show a clear influence on the compiling of the 1922 list. There are known to be lists that date back to the 13th century which are reliable for the period of the Solomonic dynasty, but are often based on legendary memories for the Kingdom of Aksum.[47] These lists allow chroniclers to provide proof of legitimacy for the Solomonic dynasty by linking it back to the Axumite period.[48] The lists were also intended to fill in gaps between major events, such as the meeting of Makeda and Solomon in the 10th century BC, the arrival of Frumentius in the early 4th century and the rise of the Zagwe dynasty in the 10th century.[49] However, many regnal lists show great variations in the names of the Axumite monarchs, with only a few, such as Menelik I, Bazen, Abreha and Atsbeha and Kaleb frequently appearing across the majority of lists. The 1922 regnal list noticeably tries to accommodate all these differing traditions by including the majority of the different kings into one longer line of succession.
Unpublished sourcesedit
It is possible that Tafari's regnal list includes information gathered from sources that have yet to be published or are in private hands. One unpublished text, simply called the Chronicle of Ethiopia, was in the possession of Qesa Gabaz Takla Haymanot of Aksum.[50] The author of this chronicle collected information from various old chronicles held in a number of different churches and monasteries, and attempted to compile the information in a "harmonic" way.[51] The chronicle covers information from the reign of Menelik I to Menelik II.[51] Some of the known information from this unpublished chronicle does support elements of Tafari's list.
Various Biblical figures are included on the 1922 regnal list. Three of Noah's descendants are named as founders or ancestors of the first three dynasties; Aram, Ham and Joktan, with some of their sons and descendents also appearing on the list. Other Biblical figures include Zerah the Cushite and the Queen of Sheba, whom Ethiopians call "Makeda". According to Ethiopian tradition Makeda was an ancestor of the Solomonic dynasty and mother of Menelik I, whose father was king Solomon of Israel. The meeting of Makeda and Solomon is recorded in the text Kebra Nagast.
The Biblical events of the flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel are both included in the chronology of the regnal list, dated respectively to 3244 BC and 2713 BC, with the 531-year period in between an interregnum where no kings are named. Another Biblical story included is that of the Ethiopian eunuch, named Jen Daraba according to this regnal list, who visited Jerusalem during the reign of the 169th sovereign Garsemot Kandake VI.
Coptic and Arabic influencesedit
The first dynasty of the regnal list, the Tribe of Ori, is taken from medieval Coptic and Arabic texts on the kings of Egypt who ruled before the Great Flood. French historian Louis J. Morié, in his 1904 book Histoire de L'Ethiopie, recorded a similar list of monarchs to those who are part of the Tribe of Ori.[52] Morié noted the regnal list he saw was recorded by the Copts in their annals and was found in both Coptic and Arabic tradition.[53] He noted there had originally been a list of 40 kings, but only 19 of them had been preserved up to the early 20th century.[54] He believed that the regnal list originated from the works of Murtada ibn al-Afif, an Arab writer from the 12th century who wrote a number of works, though only one, titled The Prodigies of Egypt, has partially survived to the present day.[54][55]
Manfred Kropp theorized the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list may have been influenced by the works of Ibn al-Rāhib, a 13th-century Coptic historian whose works were translated into Ge'ez by Ethiopian writer Enbaqom in the 16th century, and Jirjis al-Makin Ibn al-'Amid, another 13th century Coptic historian whose work Al-Majmu' al-Mubarak (The Blessed Collection) was also translated around the same time. Both writers partially based their information on ancient history from the works of Julius Africanus and through him quote the historical traditions of Egypt as recorded by Manetho. Jirgis was known as "Wälda-Amid" in Ethiopia.[56] Kropp believed that some of the names of the early part of Tafari's regnal list were taken from a regnal list included within Jirgis' text which draws upon traditions from Manetho and the Old Testament.[57]
A medieval Arab text called Akhbar al-Zaman (The History of Time), dated to between 940 and 1140, may have been an earlier version of the regnal list Morié saw.[58] It is likely based on earlier works such as those of Abu Ma'shar (dated to c. 840–860).[58] The authorship is unknown, but it may have been written by historian Al-Masudi based on earlier Arab, Christian and Greek sources.[58] Another possible author is Ibrahim ibh Wasif Shah who lived during the Twelfth century.[58] The text contains a collection of lore about Egypt and the wider world in the age before the Great Flood and after it.[58] Included is a list of kings of Egypt who ruled before the Great Flood and this list shows some similarities with the list of kings of the "Tribe of Ori or Aram" included on Tafari's list, who also ruled before the Great Flood. Several kings show similarities in names and chronological order, though not all kings on one list appear on the other.
A number of Coptic monks from Egypt came to Ethiopia in the 13th century and brought with them many books written in Coptic and Arabic. These monks also translated many works into Ge'ez.[59] It is possible that the legends from Akhbar al-Zaman may have entered Ethiopia during this time.
Reconstructions of six statues of Kushite kings discovered at Dukki-Gel in Sudan
Many of the Egyptian and Nubian monarchs included on the list are historically verified but did not rule the region of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, and often have reign dates that do no match historical dates used by modern-day archaeologists. The rulers numbered 88 to 96 on the list are the High Priests of Amun who were the de facto rulers of Upper Egypt during the time of the Twenty-first dynasty (c. 1077–943 BC). Several other kings on the list have names that are clearly influenced by those of Egyptian pharaohs such as Senefrou (8), Amen I (28), Amen II (43), Ramenpahte (44), Tutimheb (53), Amen Emhat I (63), Amen Emhat II (83), Amen Hotep Zagdur (102), Aksumay Ramissu (103) and Apras (127).
Numerous monarchs of the Kushite kingdom in modern-day Sudan are also included on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list. Most of the pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled over both Nubia and Egypt, are listed as part of the dynasty of Menelik I. However, the Kushite Pharaohs are not known to have ruled much further south than the area of modern-day South Sudan. Kushite monarchs from after the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty of Egypt are also occasionally mentioned on this list, specifically Aktisanes (65), Aspelta (118), Harsiotef (119), Nastasen (120), Arakamani (138) and Arqamani (145). Additionally, there are six queens on this list who are referred to as "Kandake", the Meroitic term for the king's sister used by the rulers of Kush. Apart from the monarchs listed above, there were also some Viceroys of Kush who ruled over Nubia during the New Kingdom after Egypt conquered the Kingdom of Kerma in c. 1500 BC.
The Axumite empire at its maximum extent of influence.
Louis J. Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie served as the main source for these Egyptian and Nubian monarchs and the regnal order they are presented in on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list, as noted above.[3] However, there are other reasons why the author of this regnal list felt that the inclusion of Egyptian and Nubian monarchs was appropriate for a historical outline of Ethiopia/Abyssinia. One reason is due to the Axumite conquest of Meroë, the last capital of the Kingdom of Kush, by King Ezana in c. 325 AD.[60] It was from this point onward that the Axumites began referring to themselves as "Ethiopians", the Greco-Roman term previously used largely for the Kushites.[61] Following this, the inhabitants of Axum (modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea) were able to claim lineage from the "Ethiopians" or "Aethiopians" mentioned in the Bible, including the Kandakes, who were actually Kushites. The claiming of the term "Ethiopian" by the Axumites may, however, pre-date Christianity. For example, Axumite king Ezana is called "King [...] of the Ethiopians" on a Greek inscription where he also calls himself "son of the invincible Mars", suggesting this pre-dates his conversion to Christianity.[62]
Professor of Anthropology Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban believed the inclusion of Kushite rulers on the 1922 regnal list suggests that the traditions of ancient Nubia were considered culturally compatible with those of Axum.[63] Makeda, the Biblical Queen of Sheba, was referred to as "Candace" or "Queen Mother" in the Kebra Nagast,[64] suggesting a cultural connection between Ethiopia and the ancient kingdom of Kush. Portuguese missionary Francisco Álvares, who travelled to Ethiopia in 1520, recorded one Ethiopian tradition which claimed that Yeha was "the favourite residence of Queen Candace, when she honoured the country with her presence".[65]
The world according to Herodotus. He defined "Aethiopes" as being south of Egypt and including Meroe.
E. A. Wallis Budge theorized that one of the reasons why the name "Ethiopia" was applied to Abyssinia was because Syrian monks identified Kush and Nubia with Abyssinia when translating the Bible from Greek to Ge'ez.[66] Budge further noted that translators of the Bible into Greek identified Kush with Ethiopia and this was carried over into the translation from Greek to Ge'ez.[67] Louis J. Morié likewise believed the adoption of the word "Ethiopia" by the Abyssinians was due to their desire to search for their origins in the Bible and coming across the word "Ethiopia" in Greek translations.[68] Historian Adam Simmons noted that the 3rd century Greek translation of the Bible translated the Hebrew toponym "Kūš" into "Aethiopia".[69] He argued that Abyssinia did not cement its "Ethiopian" identity until the translation of the Kebra Nagast from Arabic to Ge'ez during the reign of Amda Seyon I (r. 1314–1344).[69] He also argued that global association of the name "Ethiopia" with Abyssinia only took place in the reign of Menelik II, particularly after his success at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, when the Italians were defeated.[69]
E. A. Wallis Budge argued that it was unlikely that the "Ethiopians" mentioned in ancient Greek writings were the Abyssinians, but instead were far more likely to be the Nubians of Meroë.[70] He believed the native name of the region around Axum was "Habesh" from which "Abyssinia" is derived and originating in the name of the Habasha tribe from southern Arabia. He did note however that the modern day people of the region did not like this term and preferred the name "Ethiopia" due to its association with Kush.[67] The ancient Nubians are not known to have used the term "Ethiopian" to refer to themselves, however Silko, the first Christian Nubian king of Nobatia, in the early sixth century described himself as "Chieftain of the Nobadae and of all the Ethiopians".[71] The earliest known Greek writings that mention "Aethiopians" date to the 8th century BC, in the writings of Homer and Hesiod. Herodotus, in his work Histories (c. 430 BC), defined "Aethiopia" as beginning at the island of Elephantine and including all land south of Egypt, with the capital being Meroe.[72] This geographical definition confirms that in ancient times the term "Aethiopia" was commonly used to refer to Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush rather than modern day Ethiopia. The earliest known writer to use the name "Ethiopia" for the region of the Kingdom of Axum was Philostorgius in c. 440 AD.[73]
There are also some pieces of archaeological evidence that show connections between ancient Nubia and Abyssinia. Some Nubian objects from the Napatan and Meroitic periods have been found in Ethiopian/Abyssinian graves dating to the 8th to 2nd centuries BC.[74] There have also been discoveries of red-orange sherds similar to those from the pre-Axumite period in sites of the Jebel Mokram Group in Sudan, showing contacts along caravan routes toward the Nile Valley in the 1st millennium BC.[75] This shows that interactions between Nubia and modern day Ethiopia long pre-date the Axumite conquest. Archaeologist Rodolfo Fattovich believed that the people of the pre-Axumite culture had contacts with the kingdom of Kush, the Achaemenid Empire and the Greeks, but that these contacts were "mostly indirect".[76]
Scottish traveller James Bruce, in his multi-volume work Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile included a drawing of a stele found in Axum and brought back to Gondar by the Ethiopian emperor. The stele had carved figures of Egyptian gods and was inscribed with hieroglyphs. E. A. Wallis Budge believed the stele to be a "Cippi of Horus" which were placed in homes and temples to keep evil spirits away. He noted that these date from the end of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (c. 664–525 BC) onwards. Budge believed this was proof of contacts between Egypt and Axum in the early 4th century BC.[77] Archaeological excavations in the Kassala region have also revealed direct contact with Pharaonic Egypt. Some tombs excavated in the Yeha region, the likely capital of the Dʿmt kingdom, contained imported albastron dated to c. 770–404 BC which had a Napatan or Egyptian origin.[78]
Budge noted that none of the Egyptian and Nubian kings on the 1922 list appear on other known regnal lists from Ethiopia. He believed that contemporary Ethiopian priests had been "reading a modern European History of Egypt" and had incorporated in the regnal list Egyptian pharaohs who had "laid Nubia and other parts of the Sudan under tribute", as well as the names of various Kushite kings and Priest kings.[79] To support his argument, he stated that while the names of Abyssinian kings have meanings, the names of Egyptian kings would be meaningless if translated into the Ethiopian language.[79] Manfred Kropp likewise noted that no Ethiopian manuscript prior to the 1922 regnal list included names of monarchs resembling those used by Egyptian rulers.[1]
A comparison of known Ethiopian regnal lists shows that most of the monarchs on the 1922 list with Egyptian or Nubian names do not have these elements in their names on other regnal lists (see Regnal lists of Ethiopia). For example, the 102nd king on Tafari's list, Amen Hotep Zagdur, only appears as "Zagdur" on earlier regnal lists.[80] The next king, Aksumay Ramissu, is only known as "Aksumay" on earlier lists, while the 106th king, Abralyus Wiyankihi II, was previously only known as "Abralyus".[80] The 111th king, Tsawi Terhak Warada Nagash, is a combination of multiple kings. One king named "Sawe" or "Za Tsawe" is listed as the fifth king following Menelik I according to some lists, while another king named "Warada Nagash" is named as the eighth king following Menelik I on different lists.[80] No known list includes both kings, and the 1922 list combined the two different kings as a single entry, with the addition of the name "Terhak", to be equated with the Kushite Pharaoh Taharqa, who otherwise does not appear on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists.[80] Also missing from earlier Ethiopian regnal lists are the six "Kandake" queens numbered 110, 135, 137, 144, 162 and 169.
Herihor, High Priest of Amun of Upper Egypt between c. 1080 and 1074 BC, shown here with wife Nodjmet
The inclusion of the High Priests of Amun who ruled Upper Egypt between c. 1080 and 943 BC can be directly traced to Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie and contemporary Egyptology.[3] The association between these Egyptian High Priests and Aethiopia was particularly strong in European Egyptological writings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this period, several major Egyptologists (such as Heinrich Brugsch, James Breasted and George Reisner) believed that the rise of the Kush kingdom was due to the influence of the High Priests of Amun moving into Nubia towards the end of the Twentieth Dynasty because of political conflict arising at the end of the New Kingdom.[81] Brugsch in particular entertained the idea that the early Kushite kings were lineal descendants of the priests from Egypt, though this was explicitly rejected by Breasted.[81] Later Egyptologists A. J. Arkell and Walter Emery theorized that a priestly "government in exile" had influenced the Kushite kingdom.[82] E. A. Wallis Budge agreed with these ideas and suggested that the High Priests of Amun moved south to Nubia due to the rise of the Libyan pharaohs in Lower Egypt, and consolidated their high position by intermarrying with Nubian women. Budge further theorised that the name of the Nubian pharaoh Piye or "Piankhi" was taken from that of the High Priest of Amun Piankh and he was possibly Piankh's descendant.[83] Such ideas around the Kushite monarchy originating from this specific line of priests are now considered outdated, but the popularity of these theories in the early 20th century explains their inclusion, in almost exact chronological order, on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list.
Greek sourcesedit
6th century BC Greek black-figure vase showing Memnon leaving for Troy
A number of figures from Greek mythology are included on the regnal list, in most cases due to being described as "Aethiopian" in ancient sources. Louis J. Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie is again largely responsible for their inclusion. His book included Memnon, a mythical king of "Aethiopia" who fought in the Trojan War, his father Tithonus, and his brother Emathion, who are all included on the regnal list under the names Amen Emhat II (83), Titon Satiyo (81) and Hermantu (82).[84]Cassiopeia was also mentioned in Morié's book, but he confusingly uses the name for two different women.[85] This results in the 1922 regnal list including Cassiopeia under the name of Kasiyope (49) while her husband Cepheus is listed four hundred years later under the name Kefe (71).
The list additionally included figures who were not part of Morié's narrative, showing that the author used other sources to build the regnal list. The legendary Egyptian king Mandes, as written about in Diodorus' work Bibliotheca Historia, appears on the list as the 66th monarch.[86] This text by Diodorus seems to have influenced other parts of the regnal list, such as the inclusion of king "Actisanes" as the direct predecessor of Mandes, the name "Sabakon" for the 122nd monarch of the regnal list (an alternate name for the Kushite pharaoh Shabaka) and the 127th monarch named "Apras", the Greek name for Egyptian pharaoh Wahibre Haaibre.[86]
The list of Egyptian kings from Herodotus' Histories also had some influence on the 1922 regnal list, with the various names of rulers being re-used for "Ethiopian" monarchs. Examples include "Nitocris" used for Nicotnis Kandake IV (no. 162), "Proteus" used for "Protawos" (no. 67), as well as the aforementioned "Sabakon" used for Safelya Sabakon (no. 122) and "Apries" for Apras (no. 127).[87]Manetho's Aegyptiaca is another source for certain names on the regnal list, such as "Sebikos" for Agalbus Sepekos (no. 123), "Tarakos" for Awseya Tarakos (no. 125) and "Sabakon".[88]
Conflict with other Ethiopian traditionsedit
The list occasionally contradicts other Ethiopian traditions. One example is that of king Angabo I, who is placed in the middle of the Ag'azyan dynasty on this list. However some Ethiopian legends instead claim he was the founder of a new dynasty.[89] In both cases the dating is given as the 14th century BC.
E. A. Wallis Budge noted that there were differing versions of the chronological order of the Ethiopian kings, with some lists stating that a king named Aithiopis was the first to rule while other lists claim that the first king was Adam.[90] Tafari's list instead begins with Aram.
The list also has its own internal conflicting information. Tafari claims that it was during the reign of the 169th monarch, queen Garsemot Kandake VI, in the first century AD when Christianity was formally introduced to Ethiopia. However, this is in direct conflict with the story of the later queen Sofya, who ruled 249 years later.
Responses to the regnal listedit
Contemporary historian Manfred Kropp described the regnal list as an artfully woven document developed as a rational and scientific attempt by an educated Ethiopian from the early 20th century to reconcile historical knowledge of Ethiopia. Kropp noted that the regnal list has often been viewed by historians as little more than an example of a vague notion of historical tradition in north-east Africa. However he did also note that the working methods and sources used by the author of the list remain unclear.[17] Kropp further stated that despite some rulers' names having astonishing similarities to those of Egyptian and Meroitic/Nubian rulers, there has been little attempt to critically examine the regnal list in relation to other Ethiopian sources.[91] Kropp noted that Tafari's regnal list was the first Ethiopian regnal list that attempted to provide names of kings from the 970th year of the world's creation onwards without any chronological gaps. In particular, it was the first Ethiopian regnal list to consistently fill in all dates from the time of Solomon to the Zagwe dynasty. Kropp felt that the regnal list was a result of incorporating non-native traditions of "Aethiopia" into native Ethiopian history.[1]
Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge (1857–1934) was dismissive of the claims of great antiquity made by the Abyssinians, whom he described as having a "passionate desire to be considered a very ancient nation", which had been aided by the "vivid imagination of their scribes" who borrowed traditions from the Semites (such as Yamanites, Himyarites and Hebrews) and modified them to "suit [their] aspirations". He noted the lack of pre-Christian regnal lists and believed that there was no 'kingdom' of Abyssinia/Ethiopia until the time of king Zoskales (c. 200 AD). Budge additionally stated that all extant manuscripts date to the 17th–19th centuries and believed that any regnal lists found in them originated from Arab and Coptic writers.[2] Budge felt the 1922 regnal list "proves" that "almost all kings of Abyssinia were of Asiatic origin" and descended from "Southern or Northern Semites" before the reign of Yekuno Amlak.[92] However, native Ethiopian rule before Yekuno Amlak is evidenced by the kingdoms of D'mt (c. 980–400 BC) and Aksum (c. 150 BC–960 AD), as well as by the rule of the Zagwe dynasty.
The Geographical Journal reviewed In the Country of the Blue Nile in 1928, and noted the regnal list, which contained "many more names [...] than in previously published lists" and was "evidently a careful compilation" which helps to "clear up the tangled skein of Ethiopian history".[93] However, the reviewer did also notice that it "[contained] discrepancies" which Rey "[made] no attempt to clear up".[93] The reviewer pointed to how king Dil Na'od is said to have reigned for 10 years from 910 to 920, yet travel writer James Bruce previously stated the deposition of this dynasty occurred in 960, 40 years later.[93] The reviewer did admit, however, that Egyptologist Henry Salt's dating of this event to 925 may have had "more reason" to it compared to Bruce's dating, considering that Salt's dating is seemingly backed up by Tafari's regnal list.[93]
The Washington Post made use of the regnal list when reporting on the coronation of Haile Selassie in 1930. The paper reported that Selassie would become "the 336th sovereign of [the Ethiopian] empire" which was "founded in the ninety-seventh [sic] year after the creation of the world" and as such his reign would begin in "the 6,460th year of the reign of the Ethiopian dynasty".[94] The newspaper noted that Adam was no longer "claimed by Ethiopians as the original ancestor of the kings of Ethiopia" and instead the modern Abyssinians claimed their first king was "Ori, or Aram, the son of Shem".[94] The same article mentioned the 531-year gap between the Flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel, during which time "42 different Ethiopian sovereigns ruled Africa", though the regnal list itself did not provide any names for this time period.[94]
Regnal listedit
Gregorian dates: Tafari's regnal list uses dates according to the Ethiopian Calendar. According to Charles Fernand Rey, one can estimate the Gregorian date equivalent by adding a further seven or eight years to the date. As an example, he states that 1 AD on the Ethiopian calendar would be 8 AD on the Gregorian calendar. He notes that the calendar of Ethiopia likely changed in some ways throughout history but argued that this was a good enough method for estimates.[95] E. A. Wallis Budge stated that the Ethiopian calendar was 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January 1 to September 10 and 7 years behind from September 11 to December 31.[96]
Tafari's list does not provide any background on this dynasty, but Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia gives the following information on the "Tribe of Orit":[97]
"Those who before all others left Asia earliest and who entered Ethiopia and occupied the country are called the tribe of Orit. Their father [...] was one of the sons of Adam, called Ori or Aram. He and his line, twenty-one kings, ruled in Ethiopia from the year 1030 of the world [sic] until 2256 of the world [...] During the time of their last King, Soliman Tagi, in the era of Noah, they were wiped out and brought to an end by the devastating flood."
The first dynasty of this regnal list consists of 21 monarchs who ruled before the Biblical "Great Flood". This dynasty is legendary and borrowed from a list of pre-Flood kings of Egypt that is found in medieval Coptic and Arabic texts. French historian Louis J. Morié recorded a list of 19 monarchs in his 1904 book Histoire de L'Éthiopie.[52] The medieval Arab text Akhbar al-Zaman contains a regnal list that may have been an earlier version of the list Morié saw centuries later. This list contained a total of 19 kings and the majority had similar names to those found on the later version in 1904.[58] Morié noted that the kings were supposed to be rulers of Egypt, but he personally believed they had actually ruled what he referred to as "Ethiopia" (i.e. Nubia).[52] He pointed to a story of the third king, Gankam, who had a palace built beyond the Equator at the Mountains of the Moon, as proof that these kings resided in Aethiopia.[98][55] The kings of this dynasty are described as Priest-kings in Coptic tradition and were called the "Soleyman" dynasty.[55] While the original Coptic tradition called the first king "Aram", in reference to the son of Shem of the same name, this regnal list calls the king "Ori or Aram". The name "Ori" may have originated from Morié's claim that this dynasty was called the "Aurites", and that Aram had inspired the name of his country, which was called "Aurie" or "Aeria".[99]
The only rulers of this dynasty who do not originate from the Coptic Antediluvian regnal list are "Senefrou" and "Assa", who E. A. Wallis Budge believed where the historical Egyptian pharaohs Sneferu and Djedkare Isesi.
Heruy Wolde Selassie ignored this dynasty on his version of the regnal list.[20] Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa, in his book Ethiopia's 5,000-year history, completely omitted this dynasty and instead begins with the Ham/Kam dynasty.[100]
E. A. Wallis Budge believed that the reason for the list beginning with Aram instead of Ham was because contemporary Ethiopians wanted to distance themselves from the Curse of Ham.[101] The medieval Ethiopian text Kebra Nagast stated that "God decreed sovereignty for the seed of Shem, and slavery for the seed of Ham".[101]
Coptic tradition credits this king with building a palace out of iron and bronze at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon after foreseeing the Great Flood and its future destruction.[98]
Originally the 34th ruler of this dynasty according to Coptic tradition.[105] The surviving list of kings by the early 20th century was apparently incomplete.[52]
Coptic tradition credits this king with building 3 pyramids and reigning 390 years before the Great Flood.[105] Tafari's list dates the end of this king's reign to 385 years before the Flood.
Originally the 40th and last ruler of the "Soleyman" dynasty in medieval Coptic tradition.[111]
Originally known as "Tchaghi" or "Cagi", but sometimes known as "Pharaon".[108][111]
Coptic and Arabic tradition claimed that this king sent his general "Sourkhrag" and priest "Philemon" to discuss with Noah the worship of God and of idols prior to the Great Flood.[111]
"After the extinction of these people [The Tribe of Ori] in the great flood, until the destruction of the tower of Babel and the scattering of people and the differentiation of languages in the year 531 [sic] the entire area and the country of Ethiopia was an empty land without native people. After this the tribe of Kam came and inherited her."
Some older Ethiopian regnal lists state the monarchs who reigned between the Great Flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel were pagans, idolators and worshippers of the "serpent", and thus were not worthy to be named.[101]
The Tower of Babel was, according to the Bible, built by humans in Shinar at a time when humanity spoke a single language. The tower was intended to reach the sky, but this angered God, who confounded their speech and made them unable to understand each other and caused humanity to be scattered across the world. This story serves as an origin myth to explain why so many different languages are spoken around the world.
"Sovereignty of the tribe of Kam after the fall of the tower of Babel."[112]
Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia gave the following background for the tribe of Kam or "Kusa":[113]
"Kam came to Ethiopia crossing the Bab il-Mandäb from Asia. This was in the year 2787 of the world, in the 2,713th year before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ."
"Kam ruled Ethiopia for 78 years and, returning to Asia intending to seize Syria, he fought against the sons of Sem and died in battle. But his sons set the eldest brother Kugan to rule over themselves, and inherited Ethiopia. The tribe of Kam with their descendants, 25 kings in all, reigned and ruled Ethiopia for 743 years, [sic] from 2787 to the year 3515 of the world."
This dynasty begins with the second son of the Biblical prophet Noah, Ham, whose descendants populated the African continent and adjoining parts of Asia according to the Bible. Ham was the father of Cush (Kush/Nubia), Mizraim (Egypt), Canaan (Levant) and Put (Libya or Punt).
Taye's statement that Kam was killed in battle while attempting to invade Syria was likely inspired by Louis J. Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie, in which he stated that Kam/Ham was killed in a battle against the Assyrians after attempting to invade their territories.[114] According to Heruy Wolde Selassie's book Wazema, the Kamites originated from the Middle East and conquered Axum, Meroe, Egypt and North Africa.[115] This claim also likely originated from Louis J. Morié, who stated that Ham arrived in Aethiopia after the Deluge and his descendants ruled over different parts of Aethiopia and Egypt.[116]
Earlier Ethiopian traditions presented a very different line of kings descending from Ham. E. A. Wallis Budge stated that in his time there was a common belief in Ethiopia that the people were descended from Ham, his son Cush and Cush's son Ethiopis, who is not named in the Bible, and from whom the country of Ethiopia gets its name.[117] Some regnal lists explicitly state the names "Ethiopia" and "Axum" come from descendants of Ham that are not named in the Bible.[118]
Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa's book Ethiopia's 5,000-year history begins this dynasty with Noah and omits Habassi, but otherwise has a similar line of kings as this list.[100]Heruy Wolde Selassie omitted the first three rulers of this dynasty in his book Wazema and begins the dynasty with Sebtah in 2545 BC.[20] Peter Truhart, in his book Regents of Nations, dated the monarchs of this dynasty to 2585–1930 BC and stated that the capital during this period was called Mazez.[108] He identified king Kout as the first king of this dynasty instead of Kam.[108] Truhart called the monarchs from Kout to Lakniduga the "Dynasty of Kush" based at Mazez and stated they ruled from 2585 to 2145 BC,[108] while the monarchs from Manturay to Piori I are listed as the "Kings of Ethiopia and Meroe" who ruled from 2145 to 1930 BC.[119]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam the tribe of Kam or "Kusa" was driven from the highlands of Ethiopia to the lowlands by the Ag'azyan dynasty.[120]
Biblical figure Ham, who is the ancestor of Africans, including the Aethiopians.
Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa provided alternate reign dates for this king of 3500–2787 BC (713 years) and listed Noah as the first king of this dynasty with reign dates of 3844–3500 BC (344 years).[100]
E. A. Wallis Budge theorized this king's name was actually a reference to "k.mt", the name of Egypt before the Greco-Roman period and noted that some kings of this dynasty had clearly Egyptian-inspired names (such as Amen, Horkam and Ramenpahte).[101]
Peter Truhart believed this king's inclusion on the regnal list represented Egyptian contacts with Punt (which he identifies with modern-day Ethiopia) that took place around 3000 BC.[108]
Biblical figure Cush, son of Ham, through whom the people of Aethiopia likely descend.
Often considered a representation of the Kingdom of Kush in modern-day Sudan. Some translations of the Bible identify Kush with "Aethiopia", leading to the traditional Ethiopian identification with ancient Kush, which is seen throughout this list.
Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa provided alternate reign dates for this king of 2787–2545 BC (242 years).[100]
24
Habassi
40 years
2585–2545 BC
2915–2955
Traditional figure inserted into the Biblical lineage as a son of Cush, representing Abyssinia.[121]
An Ethiopian tradition states that Sebtah was king of Kush and Wurd Bashir was the capital during his reign.[124] This legend states that he traveled to the source of the Nile and built Wurd Bashir with a great wall and nine gates.[125]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as a Nubian courtesan who drowned all her lovers in the Red Sea until she was stopped by king Horkam.[126]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam it was during the reign of this queen, who he calls Kasiyoni, in the year 2421 B.C./3079 A.M., that the Sinites, ancestors of the Shanqella tribe, arrived in Ethiopia.[120] The Shanqella lived in highland Ethiopia for 440 years until they were driven to the lowlands by the ancestors of the Ag'azyan people.[120]
This queen's name could be based on the ancient Egyptian word "Nehesy" meaning "the Nubian".[127]
Morié equated this king with the Biblical figure Raamah and the Egyptian mythological figure Horus.[126]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam, it was in the 15th year of this king's reign that Aynar, son of Arwadi ("the Arvadite") came to Ethiopia and was the ancestor of the Qemant tribe.[120] Aynar and his wife Intalan came to Ethiopia due to a famine in Canaan.[120]
In Morié's narrative, this king founded the city of "Hasabo".[129]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam, it was in the 15th year of this king's reign (2360 B.C./3140 A.M.) that the tribe of Weyto, descended from the Zemarites, entered Ethiopia.[128] They had arrived in Ethiopia due to a famine in Egypt and Sudan.[128]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as a king of Aethiopia under the name "Snouka Menken", though with "Attozanes" as one of his alternate names.[132]
In Morié's narrative, this king was also king of Egypt for 13 years.[132]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as an Aethiopian nobleman who was supposed to marry a daughter of king "Ba-en-Khons", but instead she was taken by the king to be his own wife.[133]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the king who ruled at the time of Aethiopia's conquest by the "Hyksos" (the so-called "Ag'azyan Dynasty" of this list).[133]
According to Heruy Wolde Selassie, this king was defeated by Rama (a Hindu god) of India.[115] This narrative was inspired by Morié's Historie de l'Ethiopie, in which he claimed that Rama had a vast empire stretching across India and Arabia and had defeated the Egyptian Pharaoh. According to Morié, the Ethiopian king, "Poeri I", then became a tributary to Rama.[133] While Morié did not make this identification, it is possible that the author of the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list identified Rama with Raamah, son of Cush and father of Sheba, who founded the next dynasty of this regnal list.
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's The History of the People of Ethiopia, it was during the reign of this king that the tribes of Saba, Abal and Ofir left Yemen and settled in Ethiopia.[134]
"Total: 25 sovereigns of the tribe of Kam, plus 21 sovereigns of the tribe of Ori – Grand total, 46 sovereigns."[95]
Ancient blocks from Yeha, the likely capital of D'mt, with Sabaean inscriptions
"Agdazyan [sic] dynasty of the posterity of the kingdom of Joctan."[135]
Note: Historian Manfred Kropp noted the word "Agdazyan" is likely a transcribal error and meant to say "Ag'azyan", as the Ethiopian syllable signs da and 'a are relatively easy to confuse with each other.[10]
Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia provides the following information on the "Tribe of Yoqt'an":[136]
"The tribe of Yoqt'an are the grandchildren of Sem. Sem begat fifteen children. Of the fifteen Arfaksad was the third. Arfaksad begat Qaynan; Qaynan begat Sala; Sala begot 'Ebor and 'Ebor begat Falek and Yoqt'an. [...] Yoqt'an begat thirteen children, and their names were Almodäd, Śalf, Hasrämot, Yarah, Hadoram, Awzal, Doqla, Hubal or Obal, Abima'el, Saba, Awfir, Hawila and Yubab (Genesis 10.25–29). As for their territory, it was in Asia from Mesha to Śīfar and as far as the eastern mountains. (Genesis 10.30).
When their territory became too small and restricted for them, five of the thirteen children of Yoqt'an, Saba, Awfir, Hawila, Obal and Abima'el, departed Asia in a great multitude and migrated, journeying to Yemen. When this tribe of Yoqt'an, offspring of Sem, reached Yemen, they paid tribute to the Kusa of Yemen [but] without agreeing to an alliance. Later, however, they saw their weakness and by trickery and other means caused rebellion among the Yemenite Kusa, and, making king a brave and wise one of their own race called 'Yaroba', became the lords of all Yemen. At the end of the reign of the tribe of Kam, the tenth year of the reign of P'i'ori I and the 3,510th year of the world [...] these people were called 'Ag'azyan'. The tribe of Yoqt'an of the tribe of Sem left Yemen in a great multitude and crossed the Bab Il-Mändäb and entered Ethiopia.
In that period the tribe of Yoqt'an were called at different times by five names. They were called 'Saba', 'Bädäw', 'Irräñña', 'Tigri', and 'Ag'azyan'.
Ityopp'is was the son of Bulqaya and the grandson of Akhunas known as Saba II. His mother, the daughter of the king of Tut, was called 'Aglä'e'. [...] Ityopp'is I ruled for fifty-six years, from the 3644th to the 3700 year of the world, 1856-1800 B.C., and the country was called Ityopp'is after his name. [...] After Ityopp'is died the king's son Lankdun, whose second name was Nowär'ori, succeeded him on the [the throne of] the kingdom.
The sons of Ityopp'is I were five; they are Lankdun, Saba, Noba, Bäläw, and Käläw. The first son Lakndun inherited the kingship, but the other four divided up the land of the state among themselves and held it. Saba is the ancestor of the people who settled in the country now called Tigre; the country used to be called Saba after his name. [...] that the country was called Saba is for Saba II, grandfather of Ityopp'is, and not for Saba, son of Ityopp'is.
The third dynasty of this regnal list is descended from Joktan, grandson of Shem and great-grandson of Noah. According to Genesis 10:7 and 1 Chronicles 1:9, Sheba was a grandson of Cush through Raamah, which provides a link between this Semitic dynasty and the Hamitic dynasty that preceded it. The dynasty ends with the Queen of Sheba, whose name is Makeda in Ethiopian tradition. The Ag'azyan dynasty includes a number of kings whose names clearly reference ancient Egypt and Kush, most notably the line of High Priests of Amun that reigned near the end of this era. While these priests are archaeologically verified, they did not rule modern-day Ethiopia, but rather ruled over or had some contact with ancient Nubia and Kush, which is equated with Aethiopia in some translations of the Bible and these translated editions have influenced modern Ethiopia's belief in an affinity with ancient Nubia.
The word Ag'azyan means "free" or "to lead to freedom" in Ge'ez.[137][115] According to both Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia and Heruy Wolde Selassie's Wazema, this originated from the liberation of Ethiopia from the rule of the Kamites/Hamites and three of Joktan's sons divided Ethiopia between themselves. Sheba received Tigray, Obal received Adal and Ophir received Ogaden.[134][115]E. A. Wallis Budge had a different theory of the origin of the term Aga'azyan, believing that it referred to several tribes that migrated from Arabia to Africa either at the same time as or after the Habashat had migrated. He stated that the word "Ge'ez" had come from "Ag'azyan".[137] The term "Ag'azyan" may also refer to the Agʿazi region of the Axumite empire located in modern-day Eastern Tigray and Southern Eritrea.
This section of the regnal list is heavily influenced by Louis J. Morié's book Histoire de L'Éthiopie, with the majority of monarchs having similar names and line of succession to those found in Morié's book.[138]
Four panels by an unknown 17th to 19th century Ethiopian painter showing the killing of Arwe
There are some monarchs in this dynasty who originated from native Abyssinian tradition, these being Angabo I (no. 74), who founded a new dynasty after killing the serpent king Arwe, and his successors Zagdur I (no. 77), Za Sagado (no. 80), Tawasya (no. 97) and Makeda (no. 98), the last of whom is identified with the Queen of Sheba (See Regnal lists of Ethiopia for more information).[139][140] The 1922 regnal list incorporates these five rulers within the longer narrative of Louis J. Morié. There is also another king named Ethiopis, who Ethiopian tradition credits with inspiring the name of the country.
Depiction of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, from an Ethiopian Chapel in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Sheba is usually considered by historians to have been the south Arabian kingdom of Saba, in an area that later became part of the Aksumite Empire. The Kebra Nagast however specifically states that Sheba was located in Ethiopia.[141] This has led to some historians arguing that Sheba may have been located in a region in Tigray and Eritrea, which was once called "Saba".[142] American historian Donald N. Levine suggested that Sheba may be linked with the historical region of Shewa, where the modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located.[143] Additionally, a Sabaean connection with Ethiopia is evidenced by a number of settlements on the Red Sea coast that emerged around 500 BC and were influenced by Sabaean culture.[144] These people were traders and had their own writing script.[144] Gradually over time their culture merged with that of the local people.[144][145] The Sabaean language was likely the official language of northern Ethiopia during the pre-Axumite period (c. 500 BC to 100 AD).[146] Some historians believe that the kingdom of Dʿmt, located in modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia, was Sabaean-influenced, possibly due to Sabaean dominance of the Red Sea or due to mixing with the indigenous population.[147][148]
Roman-Jewish historian Josephus wrote that that Achaemenid king Cambyses II conquered the capital of Aethiopia and changed its name from "Saba" to "Meroe".[149] Josephus also stated the Queen of Sheba came from this region and was queen of both Egypt and Ethiopia.[150] This suggests that a belief in a connection between Sheba and Kush was already in place by the 1st century AD. Josephus also associated Sheba/Saba with Kush when describing a campaign led by Moses against the Ethiopians, in which he won and later married Tharbis, the daughter of the king of 'Saba' or Meroe.
Peter Truhart, in his book Regents of Nations, dated the kings from Akbunas Saba II to Lakndun Nowarari to 1930–1730 BC and listed them as a continuation of the line of "Kings of Ethiopia and Meroe" that begun in 2145 BC.[119] Truhart's regnal list then jumps forward and dates the kings from Tutimheb onwards as contemporaries of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth dynasties of Egypt, with a date range of 1552–1185 BC.[119] Truhart also identified modern-day Ethiopia with the Land of Punt.[119] His list however omits the High Priests of Amun from Herihor to Pinedjem II.[84]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as a wife of "Sebi II".[152]
Despite sharing a name with Cassiopeia, a queen of Aethiopia in Ancient Greek myth who was the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda, Morié's original narrative differentiates this queen from the more well-known Cassiopeia/"Kasiyope".[153] Instead, "Kasiyope I" is the name given to a queen of Ethiopia who plotted the assassination of Osiris with Set according to one version of the Osiris myth recounted by Plutarch.[154]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor to "Nekhti I".[152]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, it was in the reign of this king that the ancestors of the Shinasha people arrived in Ethiopia.[155]
Taye stated this king was the son of a man named "Amin".[41]
An Ethiopian legend claims that the name "Ethiopia" is derived from the name of king Ethiopis.[156] Likewise, Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder believed that the word "Aethiopia"/"Ethiopia" came from a king named Aethiopis, who was the son of the Roman god Vulcan.[121]
Some Ethiopian traditions trace the word "Ethiopia" to Itan, a Ge'ez word for incense, a reference to the Ethiopian plateau which has long traded in incense.[121]
One Ethiopian tradition states that Etiyopus was a son of Cush and grandson of Kam.[121]
Another tradition additionally claims that Etiyopus' son was named Aksumawi, and he had a son named Malayka Aksum, who then had six sons named Sum, Nafas, Bagi'o, Kuduki, Akhoro and Farheba.[159] The names of Etiyopus' son, grandson and great-grandsons are not found on this regnal list.
According to the Book of Axum, this king built Ethiopia's first capital, Mazaber.[160]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, this king was the son of Bulqaya and Aglä'e, daughter of the king of Tut and was a grandson of Akhunas Saba II.[161]
Some Ethiopian regnal lists claim this king was the first to rule Ethiopia.[162]
One tradition states Etiyopus was buried in Aksum and that fire used to burn in his grave.[163]
In Morié's narrative this king was defeated by Moses as the head of the army of Amenhotep I.[166] However, the estimated reign dates of Amenhotep I (c. 1524–1503 BC) are far later than the dates of Tutimheb on this list.
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie under the name "At-Hor" as a king who was placed on the throne of Aethiopia by the Pharaoh after the defeat of the previous king.[167]
Morié claimed the previous king "Thout-em-heb" was replaced by Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I with one of the pharaoh's astronomers, "At-Hor", who is Jethro of the Bible.[167] This would mean that At-Hor/Jethro was the father of Zipporah, wife of Moses, the latter having lead the army of Amenhotep I against Thout-em-heb/Tutimheb according to Morié's narrative.[166] The author of the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list may have combined the two separate narratives of Hephaestus and Jethro into one king.
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie under the name "Snouka II Menken (Raskhoperen)" as a "Meroite" king who ruled after the end of the "Jethride" dynasty.[169]
In Morié's narrative, this king ruled Egypt for 13 years.[169]
57
Bonu I
8 years
1683–1675 BC
3817–3825
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor of "Snouka II".[170]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor of "Moumeses (Moso)".[172]
Daughter of Mumazes according to Tafari's list.[174]
However, Morié originally claimed that Aruas was a son of Mumazes.[172] Both Taye Gabra Mariam and Peter Truhart also noted this monarch was male on their respective lists.[41][119]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor of "Amen-as-ro I".[175]
Peter Truhart believed this king is identifiable with Perahu, the only known king of Punt, who was a contemporary of Pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1479–1458 BC).[119]
However, Morié's original narrative misidentified Paser I, Viceroy of Kush, as a reigning king of Aethiopia.[176] Paser was the father of Amenemopet, who is named as the next king on this list, "Amen Emhat I". Paser was in power during the reigns of Ay and Horemheb (c. 1323–1292 BC) and thus was alive over two and a half centuries after the dates on this regnal list.
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor of "Poeri II".[176]
Son of Paser/Piori II.
Morié misidentified the Viceroys of Kush named Paser I and Amenemopet as reigning kings of Aethiopia (i.e. Kush). As such, the king "Amen Emhat I" is to be equated with Amenemopet, who followed his father Paser I/"Piori II" to power. Morié himself called Amenemopet by the name "Amen-em-hat".[176]
Amenemopet was Viceroy of Kush during the reign of Seti I (c. 1290–1279 BC).
While the reign of Ahmose II was much later than the dates for Aktissanis on this list, the reign of Ahmose I (c. 1550–1525 BC) did take place around this time.
"Actisanes" was possibly based on the historical Kushite king Aktisanes who ruled Nubia in the early third century BC.
66
Mandes
17 years
1531–1514 BC
3969–3986
A legendary Egyptian king, known as "Mendes" or "Meudes", who succeeded Actisanes after his death and recovered Egyptian independence, according to Diodorus Siculus.[86]
According to Diodorus Siculus, king Mendes had a labyrinth built into his tomb and this inspired Daedalus who, after visiting Egypt, built a similar labyrinth of Minos, king of Crete.[86]
This king was Egyptian, but may have been mistaken as "Aethiopian" by the author of this list due to directly succeeding Actisanes.
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the first of the "Bennides" who succeeded "Khonsi".[178]
Morié identified this king as several different legendary characters from Greek mythology, specifically Phoenix (son of the king of Tyre), Belus (King of Egypt), Aleus (King of Arcadia), Polydorus (King of Thebes) and Argus (King of Argos).[179] Both Belus and Phoenix have been identified in different sources as the father of Cepheus, the next ruler on this regnal list.[180][181]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor of "Se-Khons".[184]
In Morié's narrative, this king ruled Egypt for three years after defeating Amenmesse,[184] although Amenmesse actually reigned more than two centuries after the dates of Senuka II on this regnal list.
Some variations of the Arwe myth claim that Angabo was of non-royal origin and was made king as reward for slaying Arwe.[163] This version of the legend states that Angabo was a stranger who saved Makeda (the future Queen of Sheba) from being sacrificed to Arwe and that her father was chief minister to king "Za Sebado".[185]
However, Morié also identified this king with Erythras, who was the son of Perseus and Amphimedusa, daughter of Danaus and granddaughter of Belus.[193]
A king named "Nekhi IV" who succeeded "Her-Hathor III" in the narrative of Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie.[196]
A king from earlier Ethiopian regnal lists, usually named "Sebado", who was the successor of Zagdur or Za Gedur and ruler of Ethiopia for 50 years.[140][139]
Sagado is the name of a mountain in the Amhara region.[197]
The name "Akate" is likely baed on "Nycteus", as used in Morié's narrative.[196]
Morié claimed Tithonus attempted to conquer Aethiopia but was taken prisoner by "Nekhti IV".[199] However, the daughter of the Aethiopian king wished to marry him, so he was freed and later became king.[199]
Morié also claimed that this king ruled parts of Upper Egypt during the reign of pharaoh Amenmesse.[199] However, Amenmesse actually reigned over half a century after the dates on this regnal list.
Historian Martin Bernal, in his book Black Athena, argued that it was possible for the name "Memnon" to have originated from the Egyptian name "Amenemhat".[204]
84
Konsab I
5 years
1241–1236 BC
4259–4264
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie as the successor of "Amenemhat II".[205]
According to Ethiopian historian Tekletsadiq Mekuria, this king was the father of Herihor.[209] However, there is no archaeological evidence to prove this.
Morié's narrative in Historie de l'Éthiopie did not identify Amen Astate with the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep and instead claimed there was a gap of 130 years between this king and "Her-Hor".[208]
Egyptian High Priests of Amun who de facto ruled Upper Egypt during the time of the Twenty-first Dynasty (c. 1077–943 BC). Some Egyptologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries believed the High Priests had been ancestors of the Napatan rulers of Nubia.[81] This theory influenced Morié's narrative in Histoire de L'Éthiopie, in which he described them as an "Ammonian Dynasty" who ruled at Napata.[210]
This list places their respective reigns over 70 years earlier than estimates from modern-day Egyptology.
No archaeological evidence suggests they ruled the territory of modern-day Ethiopia or that they were related to the monarchs of Kush.
The monarch known as "Pinotsem II" is not based on a historical High Priest of Amun, but was rather error of late 19th/early 20th century Egyptology.
Egyptian High Priest of Amun Herihor (r. 1080–1074 BC).[109]
Although there was a second High Priest of Amun named Pinedjem, his line of succession fits more closely with the position of Pinotsem III below.
Manfred Kropp [de] noted that the existence of a third High Priest of Amun named Pinedjem was an error in late 19th-century Egyptology, which suggests that the writer of this regnal list had used European sources for compiling the list.[22] The existence of a third "Pinedjem" was only accepted by mainstream Egyptology for a brief period (1881–1905).[212]
Morié's narrative in Historie de l'Éthiopie claimed this king was a son of Pinotsem I.[213]
The Biblical Queen of Sheba in Ethiopian tradition. She is believed by Ethiopians to have visited king Solomon of Israel and had a son with him named Menelik.
Earlier regnal lists credit 50 years of rule to this queen.[217]
According to some Ethiopian traditions, Makeda's father was named Angabos and he became king of Ethiopia after killing the serpent king Arwe.[60]
One version of the tradition states her father was chief minister to king "Za Sebado" and she was rescued from the serpent Arwe by Angabo, who later became king.[185]
The Kebra Nagast refers to this queen as the "Queen of the South [who] was the Queen of Ethiopia". In this text she is described as "very beautiful in face", having a "superb" stature and possessing intelligence and understanding of "high character". Because of this she travelled to Jerusalem to "hear the wisdom of Solomon". The Kebra Nagast also states that she was very rich and traded "by sea and by land" to regions such as India and Aswan in Egypt.[218]
According to the Kebra Nagast, she also supposedly forbade women from ruling Ethiopia in the future,[219] though this is contradicted by thirteen reigning queens who appear later in this list.
E. A. Wallis Budge theorised that the name "Makeda" may be based on "Maatkare", the throne name of pharaoh Hatshepsut.[109] Alternatively, the name may be based on "mlkt", a Sabaean term for "queen" that appears on some Sabaean inscriptions.[220]
According to the Book of Axum, Makeda rebuilt Axum in the territory of Aseba and this was the reason why the Bible refers to her as the "Queen of Saba" and "Queen of Azeb" (i.e. South).[221]
"Of the posterity of Ori up to the reign of Makeda 98 sovereigns reigned over Ethiopia before the advent of Menelik I."[135]
Dynasty of Menelik I (1,475 years)edit
The next dynasty of this list begins with Menelik I, son of Queen Makeda and King Solomon. The Ethiopian monarchy claimed a line of descent from Menelik that remained unbroken – except for the reign of the Zagwe dynasty — until the monarchy's dissolution in 1975. Tafari's 1922 regnal list divides up the Menelik dynasty into three sections:
Monarchs who reigned before the birth of Christ (982 BC–9 AD)
Monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ (9–306 AD)
Monarchs who were Christian themselves (306–493 AD)
Additionally, a fourth line of monarchs descending from Kaleb is listed as a separate dynasty on this regnal list but most Ethiopian regnal lists do not acknowledge any dynastic break between Kaleb and earlier monarchs. This line of monarchs is dated to 493–920 AD and is made up of the last kings to rule Axum before it was sacked by Queen Gudit. The line of Menelik was restored, according to tradition, with the accession of Yekuno Amlak.
Ethiopian tradition credits Makeda with being the first Ethiopian monarch to convert to Judaism after her visit to king Solomon, before which she had been worshipping Sabaean gods. However, Judaism did not become the official religion of Ethiopia until Makeda's son Menelik brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. While Ethiopian tradition asserts that the kings following Menelik maintained the Jewish religion, there is no evidence that this was the case and virtually nothing is known of Menelik's successors and their religious beliefs.[223]
Other Ethiopian regnal lists, based on either oral or textual tradition, present an alternate order and numbering of the kings of this dynasty. If any other Ethiopian regnal list is taken individually, then the number of monarchs from Menelik I to Bazen is not enough to realistically cover the claimed time period from the 10th century BC to the birth of Jesus Christ. Tafari's list tries to bring together various different regnal lists into one larger list by naming the majority of kings that are scattered across various oral and textual records regarding the line of succession from Menelik. The result is a more realistic number of monarchs reigning over the course of ten centuries. Of the 67 monarchs on Tafari's list from Menelik I to Bazen, at least 40 are attested on pre-20th century Ethiopian regnal lists.
Manfred Kropp noted this section of the regnal lists shows an increasing interweaving of traditional Ethiopian regnal lists with names from Egyptology and Nubiology.[224] These Nubian and Egyptian rulers did not follow the Jewish religion, so their status as alleged successors of Menelik calls into question how strong the 'Judaisation' of Ethiopia truly was in Menelik's reign. These kings do not have Egyptian and Nubian elements in their names on regnal lists from before the 20th century and these elements were only added in 1922 to provide a stronger link to ancient Kush. Louis J. Morié's book Histoire de l'Éthiopie clearly influenced the names and regnal order of this section of the regnal list, as it had also influenced previous dynasties.[225] The author of the 1922 regnal list combined Morié's line of kings with pre-existing Axumite regnal lists to form a longer line of monarchs from Menelik I's reign in the 10th century BC to Bazen's reign which coincided with the birth of Christ. In many cases, kings from Morié's book are combined with different kings from the Axumite regnal lists.
Peter Truhart, in his book Regents of Nations, stated that an "Era of Nubian Supremacy" began with the reign of Amen Hotep Zagdur, as from this point onwards many kings' names show clear links to the kings of Napata and Kush.[84] Truhart also stated that the kings from Safelya Sabakon to Apras were likely related to or possibly identifiable with the Pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth dynasties (c. 730–525 BC).[84] He additionally noted that an "Era of Meroen Influence" began with the reign of Kashta Walda Ahuhu.[84]
Son of Solomon and Makeda in Ethiopian/Abyssinian tradition, and named on all regnal lists as an ancestor of the Axumite kings.
Some previous regnal lists called this king Ibn Hakim or Ebna El-Hakim, meaning "son of the wise man".[227][228][229]
The Kebra Nagast states he ruled in the 10th century BC, which matches the dates listed here.
Some Ethiopian traditions state Menelik founded Aksum,[230] while some chronicles claim this was done by Solomon.[231]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, a group of Israelites came to Ethiopia with Menelik I and later became the ancestors of the Beta Israel tribe.[232]
Some previous regnal lists state Menelik's reign lasted either 24, 25 or 29 years.[227][229][228]
Tomai was the successor of Menelik I on some previous regnal lists.[229]
Successor of "Ro-ke-Amen" (Menelik) in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie, with the name "Zerakh".[233]Zerah the Cushite is figure from the Bible who attempted to conquer the Kingdom of Judah but failed.
Amenhotep was a son of and the successor of "Zerakh" in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie.[237]
Zagdur was the successor of Tomai on some earlier regnal lists.[229][238]
Both Heruy Wolde Selassie's list and Alaqa Taye's list state this king ruled for 41 years, from 930 to 889 BC, resulting in all of the following monarchs of this dynasty until Safelya Sabakon (no. 122) having their reign dates pushed forward by 10 years compared to Tafari's list.[222][41]
103
Aksumay Ramissu
20 years
899–879 BC
4601–4621
Aksumay was the successor of Zagdur on some earlier regnal lists.[229][238]
Ramissu was the son and successor of "Amenhotep" in Morié's Histoire de L'Éthiopie.[237]
Awseyo was the successor of Aksumay on some earlier regnal list.[229][238]
Sera II was the successor of "Ramessou" in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie.[240]
Earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 3 years.[229][238]
Morié claimed this king launched a second invasion of Judah and carried off the family of Jehoram, as related in the Bible.[240] The reign dates for this king on this list roughly corresponds with the estimated reign dates for Jehoram (c. 849–842 BC).
105
Tawasya II
21 years
841–820 BC
4659–4680
A king named "Za Sawe" or "Sawe" was the successor of Awseyo on some earlier regnal lists.[241][228]
A king named "Tahawasya" appears on different regnal lists, but in a different chronological position.[241][228] Peter Truhart theorised this king was the same ruler as "Za Sawe".[84]
Earlier regnal lists state "Za Sawe" reigned for 31 or 34 years.[241][227]
Abralyus was the successor of Tahawasya on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Piyankihi is a name for the Kushite Pharaoh of Nubia and Egypt Piye, who was the founder of the Twenty-fifth dynasty and was mentioned in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie.[242]
–
107
Aksumay Warada Tsahay
23 years
788–765 BC
4712–4735
Warada Dahay was the successor of Abralyus on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Morié claimed this king reinstated the ancient cults after Aethiopia had been following Judaism since the reign of Menelik I.[243]
Shabaka was a Kushite Pharaoh of Nubia and Egypt (r. 705–690 BC) who is named in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie as the successor of Kashta, though he actually succeeded his father Shebitku.[244]
Some historians have theorized that there may be some affinity between the word "Saba" and the name of the so-called Aethiopian king Sabaka.[246]
The name Nicanta was used as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba by Morié.[248]
The first of 6 Queens on this list named Kandake, the Meroitic term for the sister of the king of Kush who sometimes ruled over Kush and Nubia as regent or as a monarch in her own right.
"Terhak" is a name for the Kushite Pharaoh Taharqa who ruled Nubia and Egypt from 690 to 664 BC, and was mentioned in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie as the successor of Shabaka.[249]
A king named "Tahawasya" was the successor of Handadyu on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Warada Nagash was the successor of Handadyu on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Toma Seyon was usually the successor of Elalyion on some older regnal lists, but is named as the successor of "Masyo" on at least one recorded list.[253][238]
Piankhi III was the successor of "Nouat-Meimaoun" in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie.[254]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, in the year 627 B.C./4873 A.M. the tribe of Asmakih disputed with Pharaoh Psamtik I and an army of 240,000 deserted him and came to Ethiopia, joining the Ethiopian king.[259] The king was in Nawatan (Napata) at the time and gladly took them in, allowing them to reconquer territory that had been lost to enemies.[257] This tribe later settled where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet and built a city called Ezar where they lived for 300 years, the territory was later the location of the Shilluk Kingdom.[257] This narrative was directly lifted from Louis J. Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie, in which he included a very similar narrative, but instead claimed this took place in the reign of Amenasro II.[260]
Ramhay was the successor of Safay on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Historical Kushite king Nastasen (r. c. 335–315 BC) who is mentioned in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie as the successor of "Hor-se-atew I" and the first of the "Meroite" kings.[262]
An unpublished chronicle from Aksum states that a king named "Ramahay" reigned at the time of Alexander the Great and asked for Greek technicians and engineers to build palaces, monuments and stelae, one of which was destroyed centuries later by Gudit.[263] Alexander's rule of Egypt did not take place until 332 BC, over two centuries after these dates, and thus either the dating is wrong or this legend refers to the second king named Ramhay on this list (no. 145). Perhaps coincidentally, the Nubian king Nastasen did in fact reign during the time of Alexander the Great. It is unknown if this is the reason why the author of this regnal list associated Nastasen with Ramahay despite the Nubian king's absence on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists.
In Morie's narrative, this monarch was king Hydaspes of Aethiopia, a character from Aethiopica, an ancient Greek book written by Heliodorus of Emesa in either the 220s or 370s AD.[265]
Aglebul was the successor of Safelya on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
"Sepekos"/"Sebikhos" is an alternate name for the Kushite Pharaoh Shebitku used in Manetho's Aegyptica.[266]
Both Taye Gabra Mariam's list and Heruy Wolde Selassie's list stated this king reigned for 21 years, from 490 to 469 BC.[41][222] This, combined with the addition of 10 years to Amen Hotep Zagdur's reign earlier, results in all monarchs of this dynasty up to Feliya Hernekhit on Selassie's list and Nicotnis Kandake V on Taye's list having their reign dates pushed forward by 11 years compared to Tafari's list.
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, the Amharic language was spoken at least as far back as the year 478 BC/5022 AM.[268]
Elaliyon was the successor of Awseya on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Taaaken is mentioned in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie as a king who ruled about half a century after "Houd-as-ew" and over a century before "Kantakeh II".[270]
Restored Judaism as the official religion of Aethiopia according to Morié.[239]
Mentioned in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie as a king who ruled in the 4th century BC.[272]
Peter Truhart re-numbered this king as "Atserk Amen I", likely because no king of this name appears earlier on the 1922 regnal list.[273]
The confusion over the numbering of the kings named "Atserk Amen" stems from the numbering used by Morié, who named this king the third to use this name.[274] However the first two kings named "Atserk Amen" in his narrative were renamed to "Sera I (Tomai)" (no. 101) and "Awseyo Sera II" (no. 104) on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list.
Truhart also believed that the four kings named "Atserk Amen" were based on the name of a Merotic king,[275] though does not specify who.
Kantakeh II was a queen who ruled in the 4th century BC during the time of Alexander the Great in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie, which also identified her as the queen from the Alexander Romance.[277]
Nicaula was a name that was sometimes used to refer to the Queen of Sheba.[278] Morié listed this as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba.[248]
Portuguese missionary Jerónimo Lobo noted that contemporary Abyssinians/Ethiopians in the 17th century sometimes used the name "Nicaula" for the Queen of Sheba, alongside the names "Makeda" and "Nagista Azeb".[281]
Erk-Amen I was mentioned in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie as a king who ruled in the 3rd century BC and succeeded "Atserk-Amen III".[283]
Louis J. Morié's original narrative identified this king with Ergamenes, a Kushite king mentioned in the writings of Diodorus Siculus.[284] Modern-day archaeologists consider Arqamani to be the most likely king of Kush that the story of Ergamenes is based on.
Alaqa Taye swapped this king's position with Awtet Arawura below.[41]
Ramhay was the successor of Safay on some earlier regnal lists.[241][238]
Erk-Amen II was the son and successor of "Kantakeh IV" in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie.[286]
Likely a Kushite king,[273] either Arakamani or Arqamani, who ruled Kush in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC
However, it is more likely this king is intended to be Arakamani, often equated with Ergamenes, a Nubian king reported by Greek historian Agatharchides to have reigned during the time of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV of Egypt (r. 221–204 BC).
An unpublished chronicle from Axum states that a king named "Ramahay" reigned at the time of Alexander the Great and asked for Greek technicians and engineers to build palaces, monuments and stelae, one of which was destroyed centuries later by Gudit.[263] Alexander's rule of Egypt took place during 332–323 BC, and thus this king's reign on this regnal list is a century too late to be a contemporary of Alexander. However, this story of king Ramahay bears notable similarities with the story of Ergamenes, who was said to have been instructed in Greek philosophy, interested in Greek art and the general Greek way of life.[287] It is therefore possible that naming this king "Ramhay Arkamen" is intended to reflect that "Ramahay" is to be identified with "Ergamenes".
Heruy Wolde Selassie's regnal list states this king reigned for 22 years.[271] This, along with the addition of 10 years to the reign of Amen Hotep Zagdur (no. 102) and the removal of 1 year from the reign of Agalbus Sepekos (no. 123) results in all monarchs up to Queen Nicotnis Kandake V (no. 162) having their reign dates pushed forward by 11 years compared to Tafari's list.
Ab-ra-amen was a king who reigned at some point after Berou-Kanower in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie.[288]
Safelya appears on some earlier Ethiopian regnal lists, though usually as the successor of Gotoba, Hande or Ramhay.[253][241][238]
E. A. Wallis Budge and Peter Truhart both suggested that this king could be the Axumite king Aphilas,[294] although the reign dates on this list are far too early.
Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Aglebu.[241][228]
Earlier regnal lists state this monarch ruled for only 1 year and did not specify the gender.[241][228]
156
Dawit II
10 years
88–78 BC
5412–5422
–
–
The reason why Tafari called this king "Dawit II" may be because Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam numbered the king this way and referred to Menelik I as "Dawit" in his regnal list.[41]
Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Mahasse.[241][228]
One version of Heruy Wolde Selassie's regnal list and Alaqa Taye's regnal list both state that this king reigned for 4 years, from 14 to 10 BC[271][41]
Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa stated that this king reigned for 2 years.[295]
Appears on at least one earlier regnal list under the name "Laka" as the successor of Nalke.[228]
One version of Heruy Wolde Selassie's regnal list and Taye Gabra Mariam's regnal list both state that this king reigned for 2 years, from 10 to 8 BC[271][41] In the case of Selassie's list, this was done due to the Christianisation of Ethiopia being moved forward ten years from 317 to 327.[296]
Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa stated that this king reigned for 8 years.[295]
Appears on most earlier regnal lists as a king who reigned 8 years before the birth of Christ.[241][80]
Successor of Laka/Luzay on at least one list.[228]
Other lists place Bazen after Mahasse or Nalke.[241][80]
Some earlier regnal lists claim this king ruled for 16 years.[80]
Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa stated that this king reigned for 6 years.[295]
A tomb is known to exist for this king and some local Ethiopian traditions claim he was Bathlazar.[297]
Egyptologist Henry Salt claimed that he saw an ancient inscription on a stone in a church in Axum stating "This is the sepulchral stone of Bazen".[298] He did however claim that this was the name of several Abyssinian kings, so he may not have been referring to this specific king.[298]
Text accompanying this section: "These thirty-five sovereigns at the time of Akapta Tsenfa Arad had been Christianized by the Apostle Saint Matthew. There were few men who did not believe, for they had heard the words of the gospel. After this Jen Daraba, favourite of the Queen of Ethiopia, Garsemat Kandake, crowned by Gabre Hawariat Kandake, had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem according to the law of Orit (the ancient law),[ds] and on his return Philip the Apostle [sic] taught him the gospel, and after he had made him believe the truth he sent him back, baptising him in the name of the trinity. The latter (the Queen's favourite), on his return to his country, taught by word of mouth the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ and baptised them. Those who were baptised, not having found an Apostle to teach them the Gospel, had been living offering sacrifices to God according to the ancient prescription and the Jewish Law."[300]
Despite the text above claiming that Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia during this line of monarchs, Charles Rey pointed out that this retelling of events contradicts both the known information around the Christianisation of Ethiopia and the story of Queen Ahwya Sofya and Abreha and Atsbeha in the next section.[301]
The claim that Matthew the Apostle had Christianized king Akaptah Tsenfa Arad (no. 167) is inspired by Louis J. Morié's narrative in Historie de l'Éthiopie, in which he claimed that a king named "Hakaptah" ruled Aethiopia beginning in c. 40 AD and it was during his reign that Matthew converted the king's daughter Ephigenia.[302] This narrative was inspired by the older Church story of Matthew which involved a king named "Egippus".[303]
The story of Garsemot Kandake VI and Jen Daraba is based on the Biblical story of the Ethiopian eunuch, who was the treasurer of Kandake, queen of the Ethiopians and was baptized after travelling to Jerusalem. However, the eunuch was actually baptised by Philip the Evangelist, not Philip the Apostle as Tafari mistakenly states. Louis J. Morié's narrative did not accept that this Kandake queen, whom he numbered fifth rather than sixth, was the one who is mentioned in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch.[304] The apparent contradiction in story of the Christianisation of Ethiopia according to Tafari's regnal list is due to an attempt to accommodate both the native Abyssinian tradition around Abreha and Atsbeha and the Biblical traditions of "Ethiopia" (i.e. Nubia).
Taye Gabra Mariam's version of this list does not refer to the traditions of the Baptism by Matthew the Apostle and the Biblical Kandake, choosing not to include the name "Akaptah" for the 167th monarch and not including the name "Kandake" for the 169th monarch.[305]
This section is the last part of the regnal list that directly refers to ancient Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush, which came to an end in the 4th century AD following its conquest by Ezana.
Peter Truhart believed that the line of Axumite kings begins with Gaza Agdur (no. 188) and dated the beginning of his reign to c. 150.[306]
Note: All monarchs numbered 166 to 200 (with the exception of 168 and 169) appear on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists (see Regnal lists of Ethiopia). The other lists suggest there are multiple distinct traditions regarding the order of succession from Bazen to Abreha and Atsbeha, which this regnal list attempts to combine into a longer line of succession. Numerous monarchs also have their names expanded or altered specially for the 1922 regnal list.
An Aethiopian king named "Egippus" who, in Church tradition, was the father of saint Ephigenia of Ethiopia, who was consecrated by Matthew.[303] This king appeared in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie under the name Hakaptah and was dated to the 1st century AD.[286]
Senfa Arad succeeded Bazen on some earlier regnal lists.[314][315]
King Hirtacus who, in Church tradition, asked Matthew the Apostle to persuade Ephigenia to marry him, but instead Matthew rebuked the king for lusting after her and the king promptly had Matthew killed while he stood at the altar.[316] This king appeared in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie under the name Hor-em-tekhou and succeeded "Hakaptah".[317]
A queen named "Kandake" succeeded "Hor-em-tekhou" in Morié's Histoire de l'Éthiopie.[318]
The historical Kandake whose period of rule may align with this monarch could be Amanitore who ruled in the 1st century AD.
According to some Ethiopian traditions, the first church of Ethiopia, the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, was built during this queen's reign by eunuch after her converstion to Christianity.[319] However, it is more likely the church was built by Ezana in the 4th century after his conversion to Christianity.[320]
Bahar Asgad succeeded Senfa Asgad or Senfa Arad on some earlier regnal lists.[321][322]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, a group of Jews fled to Ethiopia after the Seige of Jerusalem and became part of the Beta Israel.[232]
Successor of Sutuwa on some earlier regnal lists.[308][309]
Earlier regnal lists state a variety of different reign lengths for this king, ranging from 10 years and 2 months to 16 years and 6 months.[323][308][309]
Hakali succeeded Malik on some earlier regnal lists.[308][309]
Sharguay succeeded Kulu Seyon on some earlier regnal lists.[310]
Hakli could be the Aksumite king Zoskales, the earliest known king of Axum who ruled in c. 100. Egyptologist Henry Salt and Ethiopian scholar Sergew Hable Sellassie both theorised that Zoskales was the king known as "Za Haqala" or "Za Hakale" that appears on some Ethiopian regnal lists.[327][328] However, G.W.B. Huntingford felt that there is not enough evidence to support this identification.[329]
Earlier regnal lists state Hakli reigned for 13 years.[309][308]
The names "Bagamai" and "Arka"/"Herka" are often listed independently on other Ethiopian regnal lists, which could mean that they are two different kings.[331] However, no regnal list (apart from Tafari's) includes both names, so it is possible they are meant to be two names for the same person.
Agdur succeeded Ṣenfa Arad or Saifa Arad on earlier regnal lists.[310][322]
Known as "Graza Agdour" in a list attached at the end of the Acta of Abreha and Atsbeha found in the Axum Zion Church, which also states he reigned for 8 years, from 212 to 221.[333]
This king may be identifiable with the Aksumite king GDRT, who appears in some regnal lists under the name "Gedur", "Zegdur" or "Zegduru" ("Ze" meaning "of" in Ge'ez). A similarly named king "Amen Hotep Zagdur" appears earlier in Tafari's list as no. 102. However, archaeologists believe that king GDRT reigned at some point in the early third century AD, which more closely matches the date of the 188th king on this list.
Asgwagwa succeeded Besi Sark on some earlier regnal lists.[308][309]
Known as "Agdour Asguagua" in a list attached at the end of the Acta of Abreha and Atsbeha found in the Axum Zion Church, which also states that he reigned for 8 years, from 221 to 229.[333]
Some chronicles claim that a king named "Azguagua" was the son of a king named "Alada" and was converted to Christianity by Frumentius and his brother Edesius.[230] The 1922 regnal list rejects this tradition and instead dates the conversion of Ethiopia to Christianity in the reign of Ahywa Sofya. The reign dates for Asgwegwe on this list are also far too early to be in line with the lifetime of Frumentius.
Earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 76 or 77 years.[308][309]
Peter Truhart identified this king with the Axumite king ʽDBH or "Adhebah".[306]
Saifa Arad appeared on some earlier regnal lists, but usually as the successor of Moal Genha or Seyon Geza.[310][322]
According to the Tarika Nagast (History of Kings), the father of Abreha and Atsbeha was king Sayfa-Ar'ed.[336]
E. A. Wallis Budge referred to the king from the Tarika Nagast account as "Senfa Arad (II)".[337]
This identification however still raises questions over the 1922 regnal list, as this king is followed by four further kings before the mother of Abreha and Atsbeha becomes ruler of Ethiopia.
One regnal list quoted by Carlo Conti Rossini claimed that "Seifa Arad" was the throne name of king Tazer,[315] who numbered 199 on this list is plausibly the father of Abreha and Atsbeha.
196
Ayba
17 years
253–270
5753–5770
Named on earlier regnal lists, but usually as the successor of Samera.[308][309]
Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 16 or 17 years.[308][309]
Named on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Asfeha.[308][309]
Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 23 years.[308][309]
Peter Truhart tentatively identified this king as the Axumite king Wazeba.[306] This identification allows for Tafari's list to match with archaeological evidence that shows that Wazeba was succeeded by Ousanas, who Truhart identifies with the next king Tazer.
Truhart dated the beginning of this king's reign to c. 300 and stated his reign lasted for either 10 or 13 years.[306]
Peter Truhart identified this king with "Ela Ameda" or Ousanas.[306] This identification allows for Tafari's list to match with archaeological evidence that shows Ousanas was succeeded by his wife Sofya as regent before their son became king of Axum.
A king named Ameda reigned before Ahywa on some earlier regnal lists and was in power for at least 30 years.[308][309]
Ahywa was the immediate predecessor of Abreha and Atsbeha on some earlier regnal lists.[308][309]
According to an unpublished history of the kings of Axum, a queen named "Ahiyewa" was the mother of Abreha and Atsbeha and she ruled for three years during the minority of her sons.[340]
Wife of Tazer according to Gedle Abreha and Asbeha.[339]
Tafari's regnal list notes that "her regnal name was Sofya, and she was the mother of Abreha Atsbeha".[341]
An Aksumite queen named Sofya ruled Axum as regent following the death of her husband Ousanas (otherwise known as Ella Allada) in c. 330. Her son was king Ezana.
Some earlier regnal lists state that "Ahywa" reigned for 3 years.[308][309]
Peter Truhart [de] dated the beginning of this queen's reign to c. 325.[306]
Manfred Kropp [de] theorised that the story of Queen Ahywa Sofya and her sons Abreha and Atsbeha was modeled on Roman Empress Helena and her son Constantine I, and that the traditional date of the conversion of Ethiopia to Christianity (317) is deliberately placed before the time of the First Council of Nicaea.[342]
Christian Sovereigns (187 years)edit
"Chronological table of the Christian sovereigns who received baptism and followed completely the law of the Gospel."[341]
Church of Abreha and Atsbeha
Brothers Abreha and Atsbeha are often cited in Ethiopian tradition as the first Christian kings of Ethiopia. According to Tyrannius Rufinus, Christianity was introduced to this region by Frumentius and his brother Edesius. They were sailing down the Red Sea with a Syrian merchant named Meropius when they landed on the coast and were seized by the native people, who spared the two brothers and took them to the king. Frumentius was made the king's chancellor and Edesius was made cupbearer or butler. After the king's death, the widowed queen asked both men to stay until her son was grown up and Frumentius assisted her in ruling the kingdom. During his time in power, Frumentius had many churches built and obtained facilities to allow more trade with Christians and years later asked Athanasius, the Pope of Alexandria, to send a bishop to Abyssinia to teach the Christians there who had no leader. E. A. Wallis Budge believed that the brothers had initially arrived at Adulis.[343]
Tafari's regnal list reflects the above tradition by specifically crediting Frumentius, under the name of Aba Salama, with introducing Christianity during the rule of queen Ahywa Sofya, who is the widowed queen of the story. According to Tyrannius Rufinus, the Axumites converted to Christianity during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine I (306–337).[344] The dating of Tafari's list aligns with this narrative.
Heruy Wolde Selassie's book Wazema provided a somewhat different explanation for the Christinisation of Ethiopia. According to him Frumentius, known as Käsate Berhan (Revealer of the Light (of Faith)), went from Ethiopia to Alexandria in 309 E.C. and was appointed by Athanasius as Metropolitan of Ethiopia, where he returned in 330 and baptized the Ethiopians.[313] Selassie also stated that according to the Synaxarium, Frumentius was sent to Egypt by Queen Sofya with letters for the Patriarch, arriving there before the Council of Nicaea (317 E.C.) but only returning to Ethiopia in 330.[313]
Peter Truhart believed that a "period of disintegration" began with the reign of Queen Adhana I during which there may have been multiple reigning monarchs at the same time.[345] Truhart dated this period to c. 375–450.[345]E. A. Wallis Budge previously stated that he believed there were "kinglets" who ruled parts of Ethiopia between 360 and 480 separate from other lines of kings. This theory was used to explain why there was so much variation between different Ethiopian regnal lists. Budge identified most of the monarchs from Adhana I to Lewi as "kinglets",[346] while the later kings were those who appear more frequently on regnal lists. John Stewart's book African States and Rulers provides alternate reign dates and succession order for the monarchs from Abreha I to Del Na'od.[347]
"In the year 327 [sic] after Jesus Christ – 11 years after the reign of these two sovereigns (mother and son) – the gospel was introduced to Ethiopia by Abba Salama, and the Queen Sofya, who was baptised, became a good Christian."[341][eu]
Regarded traditionally as the first Christian monarchs of Ethiopia in the early 4th century.[350] They appear on all Regnal lists of Ethiopia that cover the Christian period.
The names 'Abreha' and 'Atsbeha' may be corruptions of the names of Ezana and his brother Shiazana.[351][352] Egyptologist Henry Salt equated Abreha with Ezana and Atsbeha with Saizana.[353] However, E. A. Wallis Budge was skeptical of this and suggested that the chroniclers deliberately avoided mentioning Ezana and Shizana and instead preferred to claim conversion took place through members of the so-called Solomonic line, which Ezana and Shizana may not have been part of.[354] It is known that it was Ezana who was the first king to convert to Christianity, due to the teachings of Aba Salama. Despite this, Ezana is largely absent from many Ethiopian regnal lists.[355]
Stuart Munro-Hay theorized that the story of Abreha and Atsbeha resulted from a confusion over two historical figures; The Aksumite king Kaleb, whose throne name was Ella Atsbeha, and Aksumite general Abraha, who promoted Christianity in Yemen.[356] The dates on this list roughly correspond with the estimated period of Ezana's reign by historians (c. 320s-360).
According to Tafari, it was during this joint reign that Aba Salama introduced the Gospel to Ethiopia in 327 and the Queen Ahwya Sofya was baptised.[341] Manfred Kropp [de] argued that this date was wrong and it should be 317.[349] Some Ethiopian traditions state that it was in the year 333 that the people converted to Christianity.[337]
On the version of this regnal list included in Heruy Wolde Selassie's Wazema, the date of Christianization is brought forward by ten years to 327.[296]
Some earlier regnal lists state these kings ruled for 27 years.[357]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) for Abreha and Atsbeha from John Stewart: 356–370.[347]
Peter Truhart dated Ezana's reign to c. 339–365 (26 years).[345]
Peter Truhart dated the beginning of Saizana's reign to c. 365 and believed he reigned 17 years.[345]
Earlier regnal lists specify that one of the brother ruled by himself after the joint reign, but differ on whether this was Abreha or Atsbeha.[358][359]
Successor of Abreha and Atsbeha on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
One regnal list quoted by Pedro Páez stated this king co-ruled with Arfed and Amsi, who were all brothers and divided each day into three parts so each could rule during a different part of the day.[360]
Successor of Asfeh on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
One tradition states that this king was a co-ruler with Abreha and Atsbeha from 356 to 370, and that each day of their joint reign was divided into three parts, so that each king was absolute during a specific part of the day.[346]
Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king's reign to c. 365 and theorized that he may be the same king as Saizana.[345]
205
Arfed Gebra Maskal
4 years
365–369
5865–5869
Successor of Asfeh on some earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
One regnal list quoted by Pedro Páez stated this king co-ruled with Asfeh and Amsi, who were all brothers and divided each day into three parts so each could rule during a different part of the day.[360]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 370–374.[347]
Successor of Abreha II on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
According to one tradition, this king was murdered by his successor Elagabaz.[346][345] The king was known to be vain and proud and refused to allow his daughter Admas to be married to Elagabaz when he asked for her hand in marriage. The king died shortly after being imprisoned.[364]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 401–402.[347]
Successor of Sahel II on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
One Ethiopian tradition claims that Elagabaz killed his predecessor and married a princess named Admas before proclaiming himself king.[346] He had been ordered to be executed by the king, but rose up against him with an army.[365] Elagabaz later married a pagan queen named Lab, who was from a neighbouring district. This resulted in a brother of Admas, named Shahel (or Suhal), to rise up and kill both Elagabaz and Lab, and proclaim himself king.[346]
Possibly the Axumite king WʽZB who reigned during the mid 6th century, also known as "Ella Gabaz" on an inscription where he states that he is the son of "Ella Atsbeha" or king Kaleb, who is placed much further down Tafari's list.[366] Alternatively WʽZB may be the second king named Elagabaz on this list (no. 222).
Successor of Gobaz on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
According to one tradition, this king was the brother-in-law of Elagabaz, and slew him to become king. E. A. Wallis Budge dated the beginning of his reign to 394.[346][345]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 404–408.[347]
Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king's reign to c. 395.[345]
215
Abreha III
10 years
402–412
5902–5912
Co-rulers on some earlier regnal lists, which usually state they ruled together for 16 years and do not specify Adhana's gender.[357]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 408–418.[347]
Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king's reign to c. 400.[345]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 418–424.[347]
With the exception of the usurper Gudit, Adhana II is the last queen named on this regnal list and it appears that no legitimate female monarch reigned over Ethiopia until Empress Zewditu in 1913. Mentewab had herself crowned co-ruler on the accession of her son Iyasu II in 1730 but this is not noted in the regnal list.
Ameda was the successor of Agabi and Lewi on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
Yakob was usually a different king who co-ruled with Dawit as successors of Ameda.[357]
Earlier regnal lists state that Ameda ruled for 11 years.[357]
Yakob and Dawit co-ruled for 3 years according to earlier regnal lists.[357]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 475–486.[347]
John Stewart believes this king was Alla Amidas,[347] who other historians believe reigned in the mid 6th century. Alternatively, this king may be Ousanas, also known as Ella Allada or Ella Amida, who reigned in the 4th century.
Stewart lists joint kings Jacob and David (who do not appear on Tafari's list) as ruling between Alla Amidas and Armah from 486 to 489.[347]E. A. Wallis Budge also confirmed one Ethiopian tradition that states that Yakob (Jacob) and Dawit (David) ruled jointly for three years following Alla Amidas.[368] Alaqa Taye called this king "Ameda III (Yacob)", seemingly combining Yakob with Alla Amidas, and Dawit being combined with Armah.[41]
Armah succeeded Yakob and Dawit on some earlier regnal lists.[357] However this regnal list combines Yakob with Ameda and Dawit with Armah.
Dawit was a co-ruler with Yakob who succeeded Ameda and preceded Armah on some earlier regnal lists.[357]
Earlier regnal lists state that Armah ruled for 14 years.[357][362]
Yakob and Dawit co-ruled for 3 years according to earlier regnal lists.[357]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from E. A. Wallis Budge and John Stewart: 489–504.[362][347]
John Stewart lists two kings after Armah who do not appear on Tafari's list: Zitana (504–505) and Jacob II (505–514).[347] Budge also gives the same kings' names and dates, adding that one Ethiopian tradition claimed Jacob II (Yakob II) was called "Arwe" because of his cruelties and was defeated by 'Ella 'Asbeha, otherwise known as Kaleb.[362]
Peter Truhart stated this king ruled for between 6 and 14 years.[345]
228
Amsi
5 years
464–469
5964–5969
Appears on some earlier regnal lists, but usually as the successor of Arfed.[361][359] The kings from Sahel I to Armah I usually appear in separate line of succession from Abreha and Atsbeha, but have been inserted between Arfed and Amsi on this list to provide a longer and more realistic line of succession up to the reign of Kaleb.
One regnal list quoted by Pedro Páez stated this king co-ruled with Asfeh I and Arfed, who were all brothers and divided each day into three parts so each could rule during a different part of the day.[360] This regnal list however rejects the tradition by moving Amsi's reign much further down in chronological order.
Possibly either the Aksumite king Ousanas, also known as Ella Allada or Ella Amida, or Alla Amidas, who reigned in the mid 6th century and during whose reign the Nine Saints came to Ethiopia.
Peter Truhart stated this king ruled for between 8 and 30 years.[345]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 325–356.[347]
Despite sharing the same name as the Axumite king Ezana, he reigned much earlier than these dates and it is more likely this king is meant to be Tazena, father of Kaleb, the next king on this list. The king is also known by the name Zitana.[370][336]
Peter Truhart called this king "Ezana II", having previously acknowledged Abreha I as the same person as Ezana of Axum.[345]
"Of the posterity of Sofya and Abreha Atsbeha until the reign of Pazena Ezana 31 [sic] sovereigns reigned over Ethiopia: from Ori until the reign of Pazena Ezana 230 [sic] sovereigns."[341]
Dynasty of Atse (Emperor) Kaleb until Gedajan (427 years)edit
Other Ethiopian regnal lists do not acknowledge a dynastic break between Kaleb and earlier kings. It is possible that this list marks a break here only because it considers Kaleb to be the first emperor of Ethiopia. Louis J. Morié stated that Saint Elesbaan (another name for Kaleb) was the first to claim the title of "Emperor".[371] However, Henry Salt believed that Menelik I was the first to use this title.[371]
Taye Gabra Mariam's list did not make a break between Tazena and Kaleb.[372] Taye's list also inserted the heading "Of the reign of Gudit and her descendants" between Gedajan and Gudit, though the two kings Anbase Wedem and Dil Na'od are not usually considered descendants of Gudit in other sources.[373]
Despite this section's heading, three further rulers are named after Gedajan, with Dil Na'od being the actual last king of this line of Axumite kings. The choice of title for this section may be due the interruption of the Axumite line by queen Gudit, although some Ethiopian traditions state that she usurped the throne after Dil Na'od, and thus her reign is sometimes dated later compared to this regnal list.
According to a text named Tarika Nagast, the kings from Kaleb to Dil Na'od were each the son of the previous king (omitting Za Israel, Gedajan and Gudit from its list of kings).[336] The text quotes the list of kings from a manuscript held in the church of Debre Damo.[336]
Various sources suggest that there was a struggle for the throne between Israel and his brother Gabra Maskal after the death of abdication of their father.[378]
One source claims that Israel usurped the throne but dropped dead when the priests announced that Kaleb had chosen Gabra Maskal as his successor.[381]
Another source claims that Israel became leader of the Zar cult after failing the usurp the throne after his father's abdication.[381]
However, a different source claims that it was his brother who usurped the throne and Israel returned to Ethiopia to try to regain it, resulting in a long-lasting conflict.[381]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 542–550.[347]
Peter Truhart dated this king's reign to either 533 or 534.[345]
A king named on Taye Gabra Mariam's version of this list but not on Tafari's list or Heruy Wolde Selassie's list.[41]
Could be Gebre Krestos, a son of Kaleb who is only recorded on one known regnal list and a Ge'ez inscription.[380] Alternatively, this could simply be a throne name of Gebre Meskel.[380]
Wasan Sagad could be the king named Saifu in Chinese sources based on dating and a possible similarity in the names. Stuart Munro-Hay identified "Saifu" as a grandson of Kaleb.[385]
Successor of Gum on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart and Peter Truhart: 720–725.[347][388]
246
Latem
16 years
730–746
6230–6246
Successor of Asguagum on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
According to Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, it was in the tenth year of this king's reign that a second group of the Weyto tribe, who had split from from the earlier group 3,100 years before and settled in Egypt and Sudan, arrived in Ethiopia.[128]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart and Peter Truhart: 725–741.[347][388]
247
Talatam
21 years
746–767
6246–6267
Successor of Latem on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart and Peter Truhart: 741–762.[347][388]
Successor of Gadagosh on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
This king died due to suffocation by a crowd on the same day he was crowned, which is why it became illegal afterwards to approach the emperor.[389] A barrier was thereafter placed before the emperor to prevent this from happening again.[387]
"Eskakatir" means "until Noon".
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart and Peter Truhart: 775.[347][388]
One manuscript from Gojjam claims that this king was the father of Gudit and had a wife named Makia Maryam who was Gudit's mother.[390] Like Tafari's list, this manuscript states that Aizar only reigned for half a day and reigned two decades before Wudme Asfare (who is claimed to be Gudit's grandfather in other sources).[390]
250
Dedem
5 years
780–785
6280–6285
Successor of Aizar on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
Successor of Wededem on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
Some chronicles claim this king ruled for 150 years.[390]
An unpublished chronicle from Axum states that this king was the grandfather of Gudit through his daughter.[390][388]
Ethiopian historian Sergew Hable Selassie estimated that Wudme Asfare's 30-year reign to have taken place from 792 to 822 AD[390] Selassie felt that the actual reign dates could differ by as much as 100 years compared to written sources.[390]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart and Peter Truhart: 790–820.[347][388]
Successor of Armah II on earlier regnal lists.[361][359]
Knud Tage Anderson estimated this king's reign lasted from c. 925 to c. 945. One tradition claims this king died of thirst while visiting an Arab country.[391]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart and Peter Truhart: 825–845.[347][388]
Successor of Degennajan on some earlier regnal lists.[361]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 845–846.[347]
This name has been suggested as an alternate name for Degnnajan,[392] though this list considers them to be separate kings and other regnal lists name Gedajan as a separate king.[393][361]
One tradition claims that Gedajan or Gidajan was the name of Anbase Wedem before he became king.[394]
The 10-month reign length is also found on one regnal list.[394]
A queen from Ethiopian tradition who sacked Axum and brought an end to the Axumite line.[395]
Some earlier regnal lists place this queen before Anbase Wedem,[396][397] while others place her reign after Del Naad.[398]
Also known as Yodït, which may have been her real name.[399] The name "Gudit" is likely a nickname, as it means "the freak, the monster, the unnatural or unusual or surprising or strange one".[399]
Also known as Esato, which means "Fire".[390] A regnal list quoted by Pedro Páez stated that Esato was a Jewish queen who reigned in Amhara while Gudit was a different queen who reigned in Tigray for 40 years and destroyed Churches in the region.[400] However, a different list quoted by August Dillmann instead claimed that Esato and Gudit were the same woman, and that the names were what they were known as in Amhara and Tigray respectively.[396]
Sometimes known as Terdai Gobaz.[26][388] However, a list quoted by August Dillmann named her separately from Gudit/Esato and lists her after Del Naad and directly before the Zagwe dynasty.[401] This suggests that Terdai Gobaz is the same person as Masoba Warq.
Moved the capital of Ethiopia to Lasta after sacking Axum.[398]
One version of the legend places Gudit after Del Naad, who she supposedly had overthrown.[402]
Knud Tage Anderson argued that Gudit was the same woman as Masoba Warq, a daughter of Del Naad who married Mara Takla Haymanot, the founder of the Zagwe dynasty.[403] However, he notes that a crucial difference is that Gudit is considered to be the predecessor of Anbase Wedem while Masoba Warq followed Dil Na'od, the last Axumite king.[394]
Some Ethiopian traditions state that Gudit was a granddaughter of Wudme Asfare.[388]
Scottish traveler James Bruce noted a version of the story of Gudit in which she was a cousin of Mara Takla Haymanot, who took over rule of Ethiopia following the reigns of Gudit's successors and founded the Zagwe dynasty.[404] Bruce also recorded one legend that stated that Gudit was a princess and a wife of a governor of the district of Bugna who wanted to overthrow the Christian religion and place her infant son on the throne. According to this version of the story Gudit had 400 royal princes killed and Del Naad (who was an infant) was taken to Shewa as the last survivor of his line.[405]
Páez and de Almeida mentioned a different version of the legend where Gudit was a woman who ruled the kingdom of Tigre for 40 years, destroying all the churches there and was followed by Anbase Wedem (as also shown on Tafari's list).[406] A different Queen named Esato was said to have ruled in Amhara and was part of "a generation of traitors".[406] Queen Esato however does not appear on Tafari's list.
Yet another legend claims that Gudit was a poor girl who came to Axum and became a prostitute. A priest who slept with her stole a piece of golden curtain from the treasury of the Siyon church, made it into golden shoes and gave them to her. The priest was declared innocent of this theft because Gudit was blamed for tempting him, and she was then punished to have her right breast removed and be exiled. She met a Jewish Syrian prince named Zanobis, who pitied her and married her, and she converted to Judaism. Together the destroyed the city of Axum and were able to do so because the king, Degnajan, had perished of thirst while visiting an Arab country.[407]
Gudit's historicity appears to be confirmed in the writings of traveller Ibn Hawqal, who mentions that Ethiopia (called "the country of the Habasha") had been ruled by a woman for many years by the time of his visit and that she assumed power after killing the previous king.[408] Ibn Hawqal's travels took place between 943 and 977, which would mean that Gudit's reign is dated later than what is suggested on this list. Ibn Hawqal stated that the queen had ruled for around 30 years by the time of his travels, meaning her reign began by 947 at the latest.[409]
A chronicle called History of the Patriarchs of the Egyptian Church also confirms Gudit's historicity. The chronicle quotes a letter written in c. 980 to the patriarch of Alexandria which makes reference to a "Queen of the Bani al-Hamwiah" who imprisoned many Ethiopians and destroyed churches. The Ethiopian king had also been driven out. The queen's reign came to an end when the patriarch Philotheos sent a new Metropolitan bishop to Ethiopia.[410]
Knud Tage Anderson argued that the negative portrayal of Gudit was a creation of later times. He believed that Gudit/Yodit had been a member of the royal family and took power after the disappearance of king Degnajan's army and his death by thirst in Arabia. He also argued that she may have saved the country from political disaster, just as the biblical Judith had saved her people from disaster. He noted that Ibn Haqwal's description of Gudit/Yodit was positive and even in admiration of this queen.[391]
E. A. Wallis Budge dated Gudit's accession to roughly 300 years before the beginning of Yekuno Amlak's reign (c. 970).[59]
Taddesse Tamrat dated the beginning of Gudit's reign to c. 945.[409]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 846–885.[347]
Sometimes known as "Ga'wa", but this is likely a conflation with the much later Tigray queen Ga'ewa from the sixteenth century.[390]
257
Anbase Wedem
20 years
890–910
6390–6410
Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of either Degennajan,[359] Gedajan[361] or Gudit.[396]
One tradition states he succeeded his father Degnajan but roamed from mountain to mountain to escape Gudit.[394]
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 885–905.[347]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, this king took revenge against the Ethiopian Jews after they had helped Gudit burn churches in Aksum and overthrow the kingdom.[gh] A group of Jews had entered Ethiopia from Egypt before Gudit's reign.[232]
The placement of Anbase Wedem's reign as following that of Gudit's is corroborated by an unpublished chronicle from Aksum.[411] Páez and de Almeida also read of one version of the Gudit legend which named Anbase Wedem as her successor.[406]
However, this is not supported by all sources. A version of the Gudit legend recounted by James Bruce places Gudit after Dil Na'od.[402] regnal lists seen by Páez and de Almeida,[393] Salt and Budge[359] all state that Anbase Wedem succeeded Degna Djan, not Gudit.
Peter Truhart stated this king had been a "pretender" to the throne from 875 until his accession in 885.[388]
The following monarchs are historically verified, though exact dates remain unclear among historians. Some historians, such as Carlo Conti Rossini, believe that this dynasty did not come to power until the 12th century,[412] disagreeing with the much earlier dates suggested by Tafari's list. Some Ethiopian regnal lists omit the Zagwe dynasty altogether, considering it illegitimate. Many regnal lists state that after the reign of Dil Na'od the kingdom was ruled by "another people who were not of the tribe of Israel" (i.e. not descended from king Solomon).[413] Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia disagreed with the idea that the Zagwe kings were usurpers and instead argued that they "continued the material and spiritual culture" of Axum.[41] He also stated that the Zagwe line was founded by the Agaw people.[41]
Multiple traditions around the Zagwe dynasty exist, most commonly stating that the dynasty was in power for 133 or 333 years. Tafari follows the longer tradition for his regnal list. Carlo Conti Rossini suggested that the Zagwe dynasty was actually founded shortly before 1150.[414] 16th century missionary Pedro Páez stated that the Zagwe dynasty had ruled for 143 years.[415] E. A. Wallis Budge noted another version of the Zagwe tradition states that 11 kings ruled for 354 years, meaning that each king reigned for an average of 32 years, which Budge felt was unrealistic. James Bruce theorized that five kings of this dynasty were Jewish and descendants of Gudit, while the other six kings were Christians and originated from Lasta.[26] Bruce specifically named Tatadim, Jan Seyum, Germa Seyum, Harbai and Mairari as the "Pagan" or Jewish kings, while Mara Takla Haymanot, Kedus Harbe, Yetbarak, Lalibela, Yemrehana Krestos and Na'akueto La'ab (in these chronological orders) were Christians.[11]
E. A. Wallis Budge noted another tradition that claimed that Na'akueto La'ab abdicated the throne in favour of Yekuno Amlak. If this was the case, then according to Budge the dynasty may have continued to claim the title of Negus until c. 1330, with their descendants governing Lasta for centuries after this.[416]
The following list includes seven consecutive kings ruling for 40 years each. This is also reported in other regnal lists, although there is no confirmed proof that these seven kings ruled for these exact number of years. The suspiciously round numbers given for their reign lengths suggest certain gaps in Ethiopia's history that were filled in by extending the reigns of the Zagwe kings. The existence of multiple traditions for this dynasty, ranging from 133 to 333 years in power, further suggest great uncertainty over this period in Ethiopian history. See regnal lists of Ethiopia for more information on the alternate lines of succession for this dynasty.
Alternate reign dates (Gregorian) from John Stewart: 1117–1133.[347]
A text from Dabra Libanos stated this king reigned for 40 years, like most kings of this dynasty.[417]
Ethiopian traditions differ on the exact circumstances around the rise of the Zagwe dynasty. One tradition states that Mara married Masoba Wark, a daughter of Dil Na'od, and overthrew him to become king. According to this tradition, Mara Takla Haymanot was a high-ranking official before taking the throne.[412][403]
Another tradition states that Dil Na'od was instead overthrown by Gudit who was succeeded to the throne by several of her own family before her cousin Mara ascended to the throne.[418]
Knud Tage Anderson argued that Masoba Wark and Gudit were the same woman.[403]
According to Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia, the Oromo people arrived in Ethiopia in the tenth year of this king's reign.[419]
E. A. Wallis Budge dated the reigns of the first two kings of this dynasty to c. 992–1030 based on the reign lengths of 3 and 40 years that are given for these kings on some regnal lists.[421]
Name means "Sun of the Blood" or "Blood of the Sun".[422]
"Of the posterity of Mara Takla Haymanot (whose regnal name was Zagwe) until the reign of Harbay 11 sovereigns reigned over Ethiopia; 268 [sic] sovereigns in all."[428]
Claimants during the Zagwe periodedit
The Shewa province in Ethiopia
"Chronological table of the 8 generations of an Israelitish dynasty, who were not raised to the throne, during the period of the reign of the posterity of the Zagwe."[428]
Tafari provides no background information, reign dates or lengths for this line of kings, but E. A. Wallis Budge explained these kings reigned at Shewa and were descendants of Dil Na'od.[11]Henry Salt likewise stated that the Axumite royal family fled to Shewa after Axum was destroyed by Gudit and reigned there for 330 years until the accession of Yekuno Amlak.[398] The names and order of kings on Tafari's list matches that found in René Basset's 1882 book Études sur l'histoire d'Éthiopie.[11]
A manuscript from Dabra Libanos included a list which numbered a total of 44 kings and a woman named Masoba Wark.[429] In some traditions, Masoba Wark, whose name means "golden basket",[391] is claimed to be a daughter of Dil Na'od who married Mara Takla Haymanot.[412] She supposedly married him against her father's will and together they took the throne.[403] A different regnal list from Debre Damo lists all of these kings as rulers of the Zagwe dynasty.[336] This list begins the dynasty with a king named "Zagwe", followed by king named "Del Na'ad" (apparently different from the Axumite king of the same name) and then provides the following eight kings as his successors.[336]
The description of this dynasty as an "Israelitish" dynasty is a reference to the Ethiopian monarchy's claimed descent from Solomon. Yekuno Amlak would claim his descent from king Solomon through this line of kings (see Emperors of Ethiopia Family Tree).
These kings were not mentioned in Taye Gabra Mariam's History of the People of Ethiopia.
Name means "Venerable as the sea" or "Who guards the sea".[430]
Peter Truhart dated this king's reign to after 1100.[431]
Henry Salt listed an additional king named "Asgud" between Bahr Asagad and Edem Asagad.[432] Morié also mentioned a king named "Asged" who, on some regnal lists, was confused with his predecessor under the name "Birasgud-Asgud".[430]
"Chronological table of the sovereigns from Yekuno Amlak, Emperor, and of his posterity, all issued from the ancient dynasties which were raised to the throne".[433]
Note: The following emperors are historically verified. However, some of the reign dates listed below are not used by Ethiopian historians and are inaccurate. For the correct reign dates, see List of emperors of Ethiopia.
The Solomonic dynasty is historically verified, but the dates included on Tafari's regnal list do not always match with the generally accepted dates used by historians, even when taking into account the 7 or 8-year gap between the Ethiopian calendar and the Gregorian calendar.
Taye Gabra Maryam titled this section "Reign of As'e Yekuno Amlak and his descendants".[373]
Historian Manfred Kropp [de] was skeptical of the way this dynasty is often referred to as the "Solomonic" or "Solomonid" dynasty, which he believes was a creation of European Renaissance scholars. He noted that Ethiopian chronicles refer to the throne of the monarchy as the "Throne of David", not Solomon.[434] Tafari's regnal list certainly makes no direct reference to this dynasty being called the "Solomonic" line, only that they were descended from the earlier ancient dynasties.
'Yekuno Amlak' means "There shall be to him sovereignty".[435]
While many historians accept that Yekuno Amlak became ruler of Ethiopia after defeating the last Zagwe king at the Battle of Ansata, James Bruce related a different tradition where the monk Tekle Haymanot persuaded Na'akueto La'ab to abdicate in favour of Yekuno Amlak, who was reigning at Shewa, where a line of princes from Dil Na'od had continued to rule after the original Solomonic line was deposed by Gudit.[436]
Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 13 years, from 1255 to 1268.[41]
E. A. Wallis Budge called this king Senfa 'Ar'ed IV, acknowledging the reigns of Akaptah Tsenfa Ared (no. 167), Atsgaba Seifa Arad (no. 195) and the unnumbered Tsinfa Arad from the Israelite dynasty on Tafari's list.[437]
This emperor's actual name was "Sarwe Iyasus" and his throne name is usually known to be "Mehreka Nan". The name "Badl Nan" or "Badel Nan" is however used in some sources, such as a manuscript held in the Debre Damo monastery.[336]
This emperor is usually known as "Amda Iyasus", however some sources, such as a manuscript held in Debre Damo, give the name "Amda Seyon".[336] The same manuscript is possibly a source for the 7-year reign given on this regnal list, even though Amda Iyasus likely only reigned for less than a year.[336]
Note: The following emperors are historically verified. However, some of the reign dates listed below are not used by Ethiopian historians and are inaccurate. For the correct reign dates, see List of emperors of Ethiopia.
Text accompanying this section:
"Elevation to the throne of Atse (Emperor) Lebna Dengel, and the invasion of Ethiopia by Gran"[433]
The following three kings are usually considered part of the Solomonic dynasty, but are separated by Tafari into a different group, likely because the conquest of three-quarters of Ethiopia by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi took place during this time.
Tafari states that 15 years after Lebna Dengel ascended to the throne, "Gran devastated Ethiopia for fifteen years".[433] Taye Gabra Mariam used the same dating.[443] Historians accept the Gregorian dates for the Ethiopian–Adal war as 1529–1543, beginning 22 years after the beginning of Lebna Dengel's reign instead.
"Lebna Dengel" means "incense of the virgin".[444]
Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 30 years, from 1500 to 1530.[41] This results in all kings until Sarsa Dengel having their reign dates pushed back by 2 years compared to Tafari's list.
Note: The following emperors are historically verified. However, some of the regnal dates listed below are not used by Ethiopian historians and are inaccurate. For the correct dates, see List of emperors of Ethiopia.
The Gondarian Line of the Solomonic dynasty is usually defined as beginning with the reign of Susenyos; however, Tafari includes the 3 prior kings to Susenyos as part of this line as well. This is likely because Sarsa Dengel moved the centre of the Ethiopian empire away from Shewa to the Begemder province, where Gondar is located.[445]
The regnal list omitted Susenyos II who reigned briefly in 1770. Susenyos II was said to be an illegitimate son of Iyasu II, but his claims were dubious and this is the most likely reason for his omission.
Taye Gabra Mariam's list did not place these emperors into a separate dynasty.[446]
Yakob's reign was divided into 2 parts, interrupted by the brief reign of Za Dengel. However, this regnal list places Za Dengel as a direct successor at the end of Yakob's uninterrupted 9-year reign.
Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 7 years, from 1587 to 1594.
April 11, 2024
1922, regnal, list, ethiopia, official, regnal, list, used, ethiopian, monarchy, which, names, over, monarchs, across, millennia, list, partially, inspired, older, ethiopian, regnal, lists, chronicles, notable, additional, monarchs, ruled, nubia, which, known,. The 1922 regnal list of Ethiopia is an official regnal list used by the Ethiopian monarchy which names over 300 monarchs across six millennia The list is partially inspired by older Ethiopian regnal lists and chronicles but is notable for additional monarchs who ruled Nubia which was known as Aethiopia in ancient times Also included are various figures from Greek mythology and the Biblical canon who were known to be Aethiopian as well as figures who originated from Egyptian sources Ancient Egyptian Coptic and Arabic This list of monarchs was included in Charles Fernand Rey s book In the Country of the Blue Nile in 1927 and is the longest Ethiopian regnal list published in the Western world It is the only known regnal list that attempts to provide a timeline of Ethiopian monarchs from the 46th century BC up to modern times without any gaps 1 However earlier portions of the regnal list are pseudohistorical and were recent additions to Ethiopian tradition at the time the list was written 2 3 Despite claims by at least one Ethiopian court historian that the list dates back to ancient times 4 the list is more likely an early 20th century creation The earlier sections of the list are clearly inspired by the work of French historian Louis J Morie who published a two volume history of Ethiopia i e Nubia and Abyssinia in 1904 3 His work drew on then recent Egyptological research but attempted to combine this with the Biblical canon and writings by ancient Greek authors This resulted in a pseudohistorical work that was more imaginative than scientific in its approach to Ethiopian history 3 There are different versions of the regnal list that are known to exist and it is not clear when the first version was written Alternate or possibly earlier versions of the list were included in the works of Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam and Heruy Wolde Selassie The 1922 regnal list published in Rey s book will be referred to as Tafari s list in this article to differentiate it from other versions Tafari himself did not claim authorship and stated that he had made a copy of an already existing list 5 This regnal list contains a great deal of conflation between the history of modern day Ethiopia and Aethiopia a term used in ancient times and in some Biblical translations to refer to a generalised region south of Egypt most commonly in reference to the Kingdom of Kush in modern day Sudan As a result many parts of this article will deal with the history of ancient Sudan and how this became interwoven into the history of the Kingdom of Axum the region of Abyssinia which includes modern day Eritrea and the modern state of Ethiopia The territory of modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea was known as Abyssinia to Europeans until the mid 20th century and as such this term will be used occasionally in this article to differentiate from ancient Aethiopia i e Nubia Contents 1 Background 1 1 Authorship 1 1 1 Heruy Wolde Selassie and Wazema 1 1 2 Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 1 1 3 Alaqa Taye s History of the People of Ethiopia 1 2 Other sources and cultural influences 1 2 1 Other Ethiopian regnal lists 1 2 2 Unpublished sources 1 2 3 Biblical influences 1 2 4 Coptic and Arabic influences 1 2 5 Ancient Egyptian and Nubian influences 1 2 6 Greek sources 1 3 Conflict with other Ethiopian traditions 1 4 Responses to the regnal list 2 Regnal list 2 1 Tribe of Ori or Aram 1 286 years 2 2 Interregnum 531 years 2 3 Tribe of Kam 728 years 2 4 Ag azyan Dynasty 1 003 years 2 5 Dynasty of Menelik I 1 475 years 2 5 1 Monarchs who reigned before the birth of Christ 991 years 2 5 2 Monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ 297 years 2 5 3 Christian Sovereigns 187 years 2 6 Dynasty of Atse Emperor Kaleb until Gedajan 427 years 2 7 Sovereigns issued from Zagwe 333 years 2 7 1 Claimants during the Zagwe period 2 8 Solomonic dynasty before the Ethiopian Adal war 247 years 2 9 Solomonic dynasty during the Ethiopian Adal war 55 years 2 10 The House of Gondar 224 years 2 11 Subsequent monarchs 2 11 1 List in Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia 2 11 2 List in Heruy Wolde Selassie s Wazema 2 11 3 List in Charles Rey s In the Country of the Blue Nile 3 Sources of information from Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 3 1 Comparison between Louis J Morie s Nubian regnal list and the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list 3 2 Comparison between Louis J Morie s Abyssinian regnal list and the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list 4 See also 5 Notes 6 Sources 6 1 Bibliography 7 Further readingBackground edit nbsp Tafari Makonnen in 1923Charles Fernand Rey s 1927 book In the Country of the Blue Nile included a 13 page appendix with a list of Ethiopian monarchs written by the Prince Regent Tafari Makonnen who later became the Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 6 Tafari s list begins in 4530 BC and ends in 1779 AD with dates following the Ethiopian Calendar which is several years behind the Gregorian calendar 7 Tafari s cover letter was written in the town of Addis Ababa on the 11th day of Sane 1914 Ethiopian Calendar which was June 19 1922 on the Gregorian Calendar according to Rey 5 Rey revealed in another book he wrote Unconquered Abyssinia that this list was given to him in 1924 by a court historian who was a learned old gentleman 8 This court historian had caused to be compiled on the instructions of Ras Tafari a complete list of rulers of Abyssinia from the beginning of time up to date 8 Rey noted that the list contained many names of Egyptian origin which was a good illustration of the difficulties in researching the history of Abyssinia 8 The court historian claimed that the regnal list had already been compiled prior to the advent of the Ethiopian dynasty in Egypt and that the original version had been taken to Egypt and left there afterwards becoming lost 4 Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie president of the Crown Council of Ethiopia acknowledged the regnal list in a speech given in 2011 in which he stated Ethiopian tradition traces the origins of the dynasty to a king called Ori who lived about 4470 BC sic While the reality of such a vastly remote provenance must be considered in semi mythic terms it remains certain that Ethiopia also known as the Kingdom of Kush was already ancient by the time of David and Solomon s rule in Jerusalem 9 The goal of the 1922 regnal list was to showcase the immense longevity of the Ethiopian monarchy The list does this by providing precise dates over 6 300 years and drawing upon various historical traditions from both within Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia The regnal list names 313 numbered monarchs Abreha and Atsbeha were mistakenly counted as one monarch on Tafari s version of the list These rulers are divided into eight dynasties Tribe of Ori or Aram 4530 3244 BC 21 monarchs Tribe of Kam 2713 1985 BC 24 monarchs Ag azyan dynasty of the kingdom of Joctan 1985 982 BC 52 monarchs mistitled Agdazyan on Tafari s list 10 Dynasty of Menelik I 982 BC 493 AD 133 monarchs Monarchs who reigned before the birth of Christ 982 BC 9 AD Monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ 9 306 Christian Sovereigns 306 493 Dynasty of Kaleb until Gedajan 493 920 27 monarchs Usually treated as a continuation of the Menelik dynasty on earlier regnal lists Zagwe dynasty 920 1253 11 monarchs Solomonic dynasty 1253 1555 26 monarchs and its Gondarian branch 1555 1779 18 monarchs In addition to the above there is a so called Israelitish dynasty with eight unnumbered kings from the time of Zagwe rule who did not ascend to the throne of Ethiopia These kings were descendants of the dynasty of Menelik 11 The first three dynasties are mostly legendary and take various elements from the Bible as well as Ancient Egyptian Nubian Greek Coptic and Arab sources Many of the monarchs of the Menelik and Kaleb dynasties appear on Ethiopian regnal lists written before 1922 but these lists often contradict each other and many of the kings themselves are not archeologically verified though in some cases their existence is confirmed by Aksumite coinage Many of the historically verified rulers of the Ag azyan and Menelik dynasties did not rule over the region of modern Ethiopia but rather over Egypt and or Nubia It is only from the dynasty of Kaleb onward that the monarchs are certainly Aksumite or Abyssinian in origin The Zagwe and Solomonic dynasties are both historically verified though only the Solomonic line has a secure historical dating of 1270 to 1975 which at times contradicts the reign dates found on this regnal list Each monarch on the list has their respective reign dates and number of years listed Two columns of reign dates were used in the list One column uses dates according to the Ethiopian calendar from 4530 BC to 1779 AD while the other column lists the Year of the World placing the creation of the world in 5500 BC Other Ethiopian texts and documents have also placed a similar date for the creation of the world 12 13 The dating of 5500 BC as the creation of the world on this list was influenced by calculations from the Alexandrian and Byzantine eras which placed the world s creation in 5493 BC and 5509 BC respectively 14 The use of Biblical figures in royal lineage has been found in other fictitious histories such as the Swedish Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus written in the 16th century Authorship edit Neither Tafari Makonnen nor Charles Rey explicitly stated who wrote the regnal list originally or who supplied Tafari with a copy of it Both Heruy Wolde Selassie and Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam included versions of the list in their work however there is clear evidence that a large part of the list s early sections is lifted from the work of an obscure French historian named Louis J Morie Heruy Wolde Selassie and Wazema edit nbsp Heruy Wolde Selassie in a photograph taken prior to 1939German historian Manfred Kropp believed the author of the regnal list was Ethiopian foreign minister Heruy Wolde Selassie 1878 1938 Selassie was a philosopher and historian and had mastered several European languages He had previously served as secretary to Emperor Menelik II r 1889 1913 15 At the time the list was written in 1922 Selassie was president of the special court in Addis Ababa whose job was to resolve disputes between Ethiopians and foreigners 16 Kropp noted that Selassie s historical sources include the Bible Christian Arab writers Jirjis al Makin Ibn al Amid 1205 1273 and Ibn al Rahib 1205 1295 and Christian traveller and writer Sextus Julius Africanus c 160 240 Kropp argued that Selassie was one of a number of Ethiopian writers who sought to synchronize Ethiopian history with the wider Christian Oriental histories This was aided by the translation of Arabic texts in the 17th century Kropp also felt that the developing field of Egyptology influenced Selassie s writings particularly from Eduard Meyer Gaston Maspero and Alexandre Moret whose works were published in French in Addis Ababa in the early 20th century Kropp believed that Selassie was also assisted by French missionaries and the works they held in their libraries 17 Kropp additionally theorized that Tafari Makonnen played a large role in the writing of the list 18 Selassie wrote a book titled Wazema which contained a version of the regnal list Wazema translates to The Vigil a metaphor to celebrate the history of the kings of Ethiopia 19 The book was divided into two sections the first deals with political Ethiopian history from the dawn of history to modern times while the second section deals with the history of the Ethiopian church 19 Manfred Kropp noted there were three different versions of the regnal list published in the works of Heruy Wolde Selassie Selassie s regnal list omits the first dynasty of Tafari s list the so called Tribe of Ori or Aram and also the first three rulers of the second dynasty instead beginning in 2545 BC with king Sebtah Selassie himself stated that he used European literature among his sources including James Bruce s Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile 20 Manfred Kropp felt the existence of multiple versions of the regnal list suggest that Selassie grew increasingly critical of the sources he used for the first version of the list in 1922 21 Ethiopian historian Sergew Hable Selassie commented that Heruy Wolde Selassie strove for accuracy but the sources he used for Wazema precluded his success 19 Manfred Kropp noted one important source for the information in Wazema Selassie himself told the reader that if they wish to find out about more about Joktan the supposed founder of the Ag azyan dynasty they could consult page 237 of a book by Moraya At first Kropp thought this was referring to Alexandre Moret 22 but it was later made clear that Selassie s regnal list had been significantly inspired by a book called Histoire de l Ethiopie by Louis J Morie published in 1904 3 Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie edit Further information 1922 regnal list of Ethiopia Sources of information from Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie Louis J Morie was a French historian who wrote a history of Ethiopia in the early 20th century The two volume work titled Histoire de l Ethiopie Nubie et Abyssinie was published in 1904 the first volume focusing on ancient Nubia called Ancient Ethiopia by Morie and the second volume focusing on Abyssinia Modern Ethiopia 23 24 An abridged edition was printed in 1897 but only 100 copies were made for the author s friends 25 Historian Manfred Kropp de identified the first volume as a key source in the creation of the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list and provided evidence from Morie s text that corroborated the names and information on the list 3 Kropp noted that Morie s book was more imaginative than scientific in its approach to Ethiopian history and blamed Selassie s European friends and contemporaries for the influence of Morie s book on Selassie s writing of Ethiopian history 3 E A Wallis Budge mentions Morie s book in his own similarly titled two volume work A History of Ethiopia Nubia and Abyssinia 26 but surprisingly makes no mention of the clear similarity between Morie s narrative and the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list Charles Rey in his book Unconquered Abyssinia mentioned an enthusiastic French writer who had gone as far as to date the birth of the Abyssinian monarchy from the foundation of the Kingdom of Meroe by Cush about 5800 B C but Rey felt this writer could not be taken seriously because of his belief that the Deluge was a historical event 8 Rey was likely referring to Morie who had claimed that 5800 BC was the approximate date when Cush began ruling Aethiopia and he also treated the Biblical flood narrative as historical fact 27 Like Budge Rey apparently did not notice the striking the similarities between Morie s narrative and the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list Morie s book displays his desire to hold on to religion and Biblical narratives in a world that was increasingly looking towards science He showed concern with the possibility of abandoning religion which would result in the civilized peoples of the world to descend down the moral scale 28 Morie felt that it was possible for science and religion to be in agreement 29 He described Atheism as a cause of moral and political decadence 30 Because of his anxieties of the decline of religion Morie sought to base his historical narrative around the Biblical timeline He described the Book of Genesis as the best source to consult on the most remote parts of human history 31 Morie believed the Ethiopian state of Meroe was the oldest empire of the post Flood world having been founded by Cush of the Bible and went on to birth the kingdoms of Egypt Uruk Babylon Assyria and Abyssinia 32 Morie followed the Biblical tradition by crediting Nimrod a son of Cush with founding Uruk and Babylon and crediting Mizraim a son of Ham with founding Egypt 29 He additionally identified Mizraim with the Egyptian god Osiris Ham with Amun and Cush with Khonsu 33 Morie defined the history of Ethiopia as divided into two parts Ancient Nubia and Christian Abyssinia 34 and defined Ethiopians as the Nubian and Abyssinian peoples 35 Morie acknowledged the potential confusion this could cause and thus occasionally used Abyssinia to specify which of these two regions he was writing about with a priority of using Ethiopia for ancient Nubia 36 Alaqa Taye s History of the People of Ethiopia edit Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam 1861 1924 was a Protestant Ethiopian scholar translator and teacher whose written works include books on grammar religion and Ethiopian history 37 He was ordered by Menelik II to write a complete history of Ethiopia using Ethiopian European and Arab sources 38 Taye s work was not published in his lifetime His first historical work was Ya Ityopya Hizb Tarik History of the People of Ethiopia which was published in 1922 the same year Tafari s regnal list was written 39 The book contained legends and folk stories around the origins of different people of Ethiopia 39 Ya Ityopya Hizb Tarik was a condensed from of a much larger work titled Ya Ityopya Mangist Tarik History of the Ethiopian State which has not been published and is only known to exist in partial form as manuscripts 40 Ethiopian historian Sergew Hable Selassie felt this book did not do justice to Taye s erudition and does not reflect his true ability as it was based on unreliable sources and was not at all systematic 19 Taye s History of the People of Ethiopia contains a regnal list that matches closely with the one copied by Tafari 41 The first edition from 1922 contained a list of monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ beginning with Bazen 40 The sixth edition from 1965 expanded the list to include monarchs who reigned from Akhunas Saba II 1930 BC onwards corresponding with the Ag azyan and Menelik dynasties of Tafari s list 42 The first edition however does refer to the earlier dynasties of Ori and Kam and provides some background information on them 43 The longer text Ya Ityopya Mangist Tarik originally contained more in depth information on all the dynasties that appear on Tafari s version of the regnal list 44 In recent years there has been more credible and conclusive evidence that some of Alaqa Taye s manuscripts were acquired by Heruy Wolde Selassie and published as his own works including Wazema 45 Such evidence strengthens the possibility that Taye wrote the original regnal list instead of Selassie Ya Ityopya Hizb Tarik preceded the publication of Heruy Wolde Selassie s book Wazema by at least seven years 41 Like Selassie Taye acknowledged Louis J Morie whose work he described as one of the many learned books of history 46 Taye noted that his history had been selectively gathered from the works of Homer Herodotus James Bruce Jean Francois Champollion Hiob Ludolf Karl Wilhelm Isenberg Werner Munzinger Enno Littmann Giacomo De Martino Eli Samni Traversi Eli Bizon Ignatius Guidi Ignatius of Jesus Al Azraqi Ibn Ishaq Abul Izz Bar Hebraeus called Abul Farag Yohannis Madbir and Giyorgis Walda Amid 46 He also gathered information from an unnamed history of Yemen the Alexander Romance called The Book of Alexander and an ancient work of history found at Zaway 46 Taye additionally noted numerous Biblical verses that he recommended to readers for them to understand the history of the Ethiopian peoples and kings 46 Other sources and cultural influences edit Other Ethiopian regnal lists edit Further information Regnal lists of EthiopiaNumerous regnal lists of Ethiopian monarchs from before 1922 are known to survive and show a clear influence on the compiling of the 1922 list There are known to be lists that date back to the 13th century which are reliable for the period of the Solomonic dynasty but are often based on legendary memories for the Kingdom of Aksum 47 These lists allow chroniclers to provide proof of legitimacy for the Solomonic dynasty by linking it back to the Axumite period 48 The lists were also intended to fill in gaps between major events such as the meeting of Makeda and Solomon in the 10th century BC the arrival of Frumentius in the early 4th century and the rise of the Zagwe dynasty in the 10th century 49 However many regnal lists show great variations in the names of the Axumite monarchs with only a few such as Menelik I Bazen Abreha and Atsbeha and Kaleb frequently appearing across the majority of lists The 1922 regnal list noticeably tries to accommodate all these differing traditions by including the majority of the different kings into one longer line of succession Unpublished sources edit It is possible that Tafari s regnal list includes information gathered from sources that have yet to be published or are in private hands One unpublished text simply called the Chronicle of Ethiopia was in the possession of Qesa Gabaz Takla Haymanot of Aksum 50 The author of this chronicle collected information from various old chronicles held in a number of different churches and monasteries and attempted to compile the information in a harmonic way 51 The chronicle covers information from the reign of Menelik I to Menelik II 51 Some of the known information from this unpublished chronicle does support elements of Tafari s list Biblical influences edit nbsp The Queen of Sheba meets King Solomon of Israel from an illustration accompanying a copy of the Kebra Nagast Various Biblical figures are included on the 1922 regnal list Three of Noah s descendants are named as founders or ancestors of the first three dynasties Aram Ham and Joktan with some of their sons and descendents also appearing on the list Other Biblical figures include Zerah the Cushite and the Queen of Sheba whom Ethiopians call Makeda According to Ethiopian tradition Makeda was an ancestor of the Solomonic dynasty and mother of Menelik I whose father was king Solomon of Israel The meeting of Makeda and Solomon is recorded in the text Kebra Nagast The Biblical events of the flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel are both included in the chronology of the regnal list dated respectively to 3244 BC and 2713 BC with the 531 year period in between an interregnum where no kings are named Another Biblical story included is that of the Ethiopian eunuch named Jen Daraba according to this regnal list who visited Jerusalem during the reign of the 169th sovereign Garsemot Kandake VI Coptic and Arabic influences edit The first dynasty of the regnal list the Tribe of Ori is taken from medieval Coptic and Arabic texts on the kings of Egypt who ruled before the Great Flood French historian Louis J Morie in his 1904 book Histoire de L Ethiopie recorded a similar list of monarchs to those who are part of the Tribe of Ori 52 Morie noted the regnal list he saw was recorded by the Copts in their annals and was found in both Coptic and Arabic tradition 53 He noted there had originally been a list of 40 kings but only 19 of them had been preserved up to the early 20th century 54 He believed that the regnal list originated from the works of Murtada ibn al Afif an Arab writer from the 12th century who wrote a number of works though only one titled The Prodigies of Egypt has partially survived to the present day 54 55 Manfred Kropp theorized the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list may have been influenced by the works of Ibn al Rahib a 13th century Coptic historian whose works were translated into Ge ez by Ethiopian writer Enbaqom in the 16th century and Jirjis al Makin Ibn al Amid another 13th century Coptic historian whose work Al Majmu al Mubarak The Blessed Collection was also translated around the same time Both writers partially based their information on ancient history from the works of Julius Africanus and through him quote the historical traditions of Egypt as recorded by Manetho Jirgis was known as Walda Amid in Ethiopia 56 Kropp believed that some of the names of the early part of Tafari s regnal list were taken from a regnal list included within Jirgis text which draws upon traditions from Manetho and the Old Testament 57 A medieval Arab text called Akhbar al Zaman The History of Time dated to between 940 and 1140 may have been an earlier version of the regnal list Morie saw 58 It is likely based on earlier works such as those of Abu Ma shar dated to c 840 860 58 The authorship is unknown but it may have been written by historian Al Masudi based on earlier Arab Christian and Greek sources 58 Another possible author is Ibrahim ibh Wasif Shah who lived during the Twelfth century 58 The text contains a collection of lore about Egypt and the wider world in the age before the Great Flood and after it 58 Included is a list of kings of Egypt who ruled before the Great Flood and this list shows some similarities with the list of kings of the Tribe of Ori or Aram included on Tafari s list who also ruled before the Great Flood Several kings show similarities in names and chronological order though not all kings on one list appear on the other A number of Coptic monks from Egypt came to Ethiopia in the 13th century and brought with them many books written in Coptic and Arabic These monks also translated many works into Ge ez 59 It is possible that the legends from Akhbar al Zaman may have entered Ethiopia during this time Ancient Egyptian and Nubian influences edit Further information Aethiopia nbsp Reconstructions of six statues of Kushite kings discovered at Dukki Gel in SudanMany of the Egyptian and Nubian monarchs included on the list are historically verified but did not rule the region of modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea and often have reign dates that do no match historical dates used by modern day archaeologists The rulers numbered 88 to 96 on the list are the High Priests of Amun who were the de facto rulers of Upper Egypt during the time of the Twenty first dynasty c 1077 943 BC Several other kings on the list have names that are clearly influenced by those of Egyptian pharaohs such as Senefrou 8 Amen I 28 Amen II 43 Ramenpahte 44 Tutimheb 53 Amen Emhat I 63 Amen Emhat II 83 Amen Hotep Zagdur 102 Aksumay Ramissu 103 and Apras 127 Numerous monarchs of the Kushite kingdom in modern day Sudan are also included on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list Most of the pharaohs of the Twenty fifth Dynasty of Egypt who ruled over both Nubia and Egypt are listed as part of the dynasty of Menelik I However the Kushite Pharaohs are not known to have ruled much further south than the area of modern day South Sudan Kushite monarchs from after the Twenty Fifth Dynasty of Egypt are also occasionally mentioned on this list specifically Aktisanes 65 Aspelta 118 Harsiotef 119 Nastasen 120 Arakamani 138 and Arqamani 145 Additionally there are six queens on this list who are referred to as Kandake the Meroitic term for the king s sister used by the rulers of Kush Apart from the monarchs listed above there were also some Viceroys of Kush who ruled over Nubia during the New Kingdom after Egypt conquered the Kingdom of Kerma in c 1500 BC nbsp The Axumite empire at its maximum extent of influence Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie served as the main source for these Egyptian and Nubian monarchs and the regnal order they are presented in on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list as noted above 3 However there are other reasons why the author of this regnal list felt that the inclusion of Egyptian and Nubian monarchs was appropriate for a historical outline of Ethiopia Abyssinia One reason is due to the Axumite conquest of Meroe the last capital of the Kingdom of Kush by King Ezana in c 325 AD 60 It was from this point onward that the Axumites began referring to themselves as Ethiopians the Greco Roman term previously used largely for the Kushites 61 Following this the inhabitants of Axum modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea were able to claim lineage from the Ethiopians or Aethiopians mentioned in the Bible including the Kandakes who were actually Kushites The claiming of the term Ethiopian by the Axumites may however pre date Christianity For example Axumite king Ezana is called King of the Ethiopians on a Greek inscription where he also calls himself son of the invincible Mars suggesting this pre dates his conversion to Christianity 62 Professor of Anthropology Carolyn Fluehr Lobban believed the inclusion of Kushite rulers on the 1922 regnal list suggests that the traditions of ancient Nubia were considered culturally compatible with those of Axum 63 Makeda the Biblical Queen of Sheba was referred to as Candace or Queen Mother in the Kebra Nagast 64 suggesting a cultural connection between Ethiopia and the ancient kingdom of Kush Portuguese missionary Francisco Alvares who travelled to Ethiopia in 1520 recorded one Ethiopian tradition which claimed that Yeha was the favourite residence of Queen Candace when she honoured the country with her presence 65 nbsp The world according to Herodotus He defined Aethiopes as being south of Egypt and including Meroe E A Wallis Budge theorized that one of the reasons why the name Ethiopia was applied to Abyssinia was because Syrian monks identified Kush and Nubia with Abyssinia when translating the Bible from Greek to Ge ez 66 Budge further noted that translators of the Bible into Greek identified Kush with Ethiopia and this was carried over into the translation from Greek to Ge ez 67 Louis J Morie likewise believed the adoption of the word Ethiopia by the Abyssinians was due to their desire to search for their origins in the Bible and coming across the word Ethiopia in Greek translations 68 Historian Adam Simmons noted that the 3rd century Greek translation of the Bible translated the Hebrew toponym Kus into Aethiopia 69 He argued that Abyssinia did not cement its Ethiopian identity until the translation of the Kebra Nagast from Arabic to Ge ez during the reign of Amda Seyon I r 1314 1344 69 He also argued that global association of the name Ethiopia with Abyssinia only took place in the reign of Menelik II particularly after his success at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 when the Italians were defeated 69 E A Wallis Budge argued that it was unlikely that the Ethiopians mentioned in ancient Greek writings were the Abyssinians but instead were far more likely to be the Nubians of Meroe 70 He believed the native name of the region around Axum was Habesh from which Abyssinia is derived and originating in the name of the Habasha tribe from southern Arabia He did note however that the modern day people of the region did not like this term and preferred the name Ethiopia due to its association with Kush 67 The ancient Nubians are not known to have used the term Ethiopian to refer to themselves however Silko the first Christian Nubian king of Nobatia in the early sixth century described himself as Chieftain of the Nobadae and of all the Ethiopians 71 The earliest known Greek writings that mention Aethiopians date to the 8th century BC in the writings of Homer and Hesiod Herodotus in his work Histories c 430 BC defined Aethiopia as beginning at the island of Elephantine and including all land south of Egypt with the capital being Meroe 72 This geographical definition confirms that in ancient times the term Aethiopia was commonly used to refer to Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush rather than modern day Ethiopia The earliest known writer to use the name Ethiopia for the region of the Kingdom of Axum was Philostorgius in c 440 AD 73 There are also some pieces of archaeological evidence that show connections between ancient Nubia and Abyssinia Some Nubian objects from the Napatan and Meroitic periods have been found in Ethiopian Abyssinian graves dating to the 8th to 2nd centuries BC 74 There have also been discoveries of red orange sherds similar to those from the pre Axumite period in sites of the Jebel Mokram Group in Sudan showing contacts along caravan routes toward the Nile Valley in the 1st millennium BC 75 This shows that interactions between Nubia and modern day Ethiopia long pre date the Axumite conquest Archaeologist Rodolfo Fattovich believed that the people of the pre Axumite culture had contacts with the kingdom of Kush the Achaemenid Empire and the Greeks but that these contacts were mostly indirect 76 nbsp Stele with Egyptian hieroglyphs found in Axum as shown in James Bruce s Travels to Discover the Source of the NileScottish traveller James Bruce in his multi volume work Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile included a drawing of a stele found in Axum and brought back to Gondar by the Ethiopian emperor The stele had carved figures of Egyptian gods and was inscribed with hieroglyphs E A Wallis Budge believed the stele to be a Cippi of Horus which were placed in homes and temples to keep evil spirits away He noted that these date from the end of the Twenty sixth Dynasty c 664 525 BC onwards Budge believed this was proof of contacts between Egypt and Axum in the early 4th century BC 77 Archaeological excavations in the Kassala region have also revealed direct contact with Pharaonic Egypt Some tombs excavated in the Yeha region the likely capital of the Dʿmt kingdom contained imported albastron dated to c 770 404 BC which had a Napatan or Egyptian origin 78 Budge noted that none of the Egyptian and Nubian kings on the 1922 list appear on other known regnal lists from Ethiopia He believed that contemporary Ethiopian priests had been reading a modern European History of Egypt and had incorporated in the regnal list Egyptian pharaohs who had laid Nubia and other parts of the Sudan under tribute as well as the names of various Kushite kings and Priest kings 79 To support his argument he stated that while the names of Abyssinian kings have meanings the names of Egyptian kings would be meaningless if translated into the Ethiopian language 79 Manfred Kropp likewise noted that no Ethiopian manuscript prior to the 1922 regnal list included names of monarchs resembling those used by Egyptian rulers 1 A comparison of known Ethiopian regnal lists shows that most of the monarchs on the 1922 list with Egyptian or Nubian names do not have these elements in their names on other regnal lists see Regnal lists of Ethiopia For example the 102nd king on Tafari s list Amen Hotep Zagdur only appears as Zagdur on earlier regnal lists 80 The next king Aksumay Ramissu is only known as Aksumay on earlier lists while the 106th king Abralyus Wiyankihi II was previously only known as Abralyus 80 The 111th king Tsawi Terhak Warada Nagash is a combination of multiple kings One king named Sawe or Za Tsawe is listed as the fifth king following Menelik I according to some lists while another king named Warada Nagash is named as the eighth king following Menelik I on different lists 80 No known list includes both kings and the 1922 list combined the two different kings as a single entry with the addition of the name Terhak to be equated with the Kushite Pharaoh Taharqa who otherwise does not appear on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists 80 Also missing from earlier Ethiopian regnal lists are the six Kandake queens numbered 110 135 137 144 162 and 169 nbsp Herihor High Priest of Amun of Upper Egypt between c 1080 and 1074 BC shown here with wife NodjmetThe inclusion of the High Priests of Amun who ruled Upper Egypt between c 1080 and 943 BC can be directly traced to Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie and contemporary Egyptology 3 The association between these Egyptian High Priests and Aethiopia was particularly strong in European Egyptological writings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries During this period several major Egyptologists such as Heinrich Brugsch James Breasted and George Reisner believed that the rise of the Kush kingdom was due to the influence of the High Priests of Amun moving into Nubia towards the end of the Twentieth Dynasty because of political conflict arising at the end of the New Kingdom 81 Brugsch in particular entertained the idea that the early Kushite kings were lineal descendants of the priests from Egypt though this was explicitly rejected by Breasted 81 Later Egyptologists A J Arkell and Walter Emery theorized that a priestly government in exile had influenced the Kushite kingdom 82 E A Wallis Budge agreed with these ideas and suggested that the High Priests of Amun moved south to Nubia due to the rise of the Libyan pharaohs in Lower Egypt and consolidated their high position by intermarrying with Nubian women Budge further theorised that the name of the Nubian pharaoh Piye or Piankhi was taken from that of the High Priest of Amun Piankh and he was possibly Piankh s descendant 83 Such ideas around the Kushite monarchy originating from this specific line of priests are now considered outdated but the popularity of these theories in the early 20th century explains their inclusion in almost exact chronological order on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list Greek sources edit nbsp 6th century BC Greek black figure vase showing Memnon leaving for TroyA number of figures from Greek mythology are included on the regnal list in most cases due to being described as Aethiopian in ancient sources Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie is again largely responsible for their inclusion His book included Memnon a mythical king of Aethiopia who fought in the Trojan War his father Tithonus and his brother Emathion who are all included on the regnal list under the names Amen Emhat II 83 Titon Satiyo 81 and Hermantu 82 84 Cassiopeia was also mentioned in Morie s book but he confusingly uses the name for two different women 85 This results in the 1922 regnal list including Cassiopeia under the name of Kasiyope 49 while her husband Cepheus is listed four hundred years later under the name Kefe 71 The list additionally included figures who were not part of Morie s narrative showing that the author used other sources to build the regnal list The legendary Egyptian king Mandes as written about in Diodorus work Bibliotheca Historia appears on the list as the 66th monarch 86 This text by Diodorus seems to have influenced other parts of the regnal list such as the inclusion of king Actisanes as the direct predecessor of Mandes the name Sabakon for the 122nd monarch of the regnal list an alternate name for the Kushite pharaoh Shabaka and the 127th monarch named Apras the Greek name for Egyptian pharaoh Wahibre Haaibre 86 The list of Egyptian kings from Herodotus Histories also had some influence on the 1922 regnal list with the various names of rulers being re used for Ethiopian monarchs Examples include Nitocris used for Nicotnis Kandake IV no 162 Proteus used for Protawos no 67 as well as the aforementioned Sabakon used for Safelya Sabakon no 122 and Apries for Apras no 127 87 Manetho s Aegyptiaca is another source for certain names on the regnal list such as Sebikos for Agalbus Sepekos no 123 Tarakos for Awseya Tarakos no 125 and Sabakon 88 Conflict with other Ethiopian traditions edit The list occasionally contradicts other Ethiopian traditions One example is that of king Angabo I who is placed in the middle of the Ag azyan dynasty on this list However some Ethiopian legends instead claim he was the founder of a new dynasty 89 In both cases the dating is given as the 14th century BC E A Wallis Budge noted that there were differing versions of the chronological order of the Ethiopian kings with some lists stating that a king named Aithiopis was the first to rule while other lists claim that the first king was Adam 90 Tafari s list instead begins with Aram The list also has its own internal conflicting information Tafari claims that it was during the reign of the 169th monarch queen Garsemot Kandake VI in the first century AD when Christianity was formally introduced to Ethiopia However this is in direct conflict with the story of the later queen Sofya who ruled 249 years later Responses to the regnal list edit Contemporary historian Manfred Kropp described the regnal list as an artfully woven document developed as a rational and scientific attempt by an educated Ethiopian from the early 20th century to reconcile historical knowledge of Ethiopia Kropp noted that the regnal list has often been viewed by historians as little more than an example of a vague notion of historical tradition in north east Africa However he did also note that the working methods and sources used by the author of the list remain unclear 17 Kropp further stated that despite some rulers names having astonishing similarities to those of Egyptian and Meroitic Nubian rulers there has been little attempt to critically examine the regnal list in relation to other Ethiopian sources 91 Kropp noted that Tafari s regnal list was the first Ethiopian regnal list that attempted to provide names of kings from the 970th year of the world s creation onwards without any chronological gaps In particular it was the first Ethiopian regnal list to consistently fill in all dates from the time of Solomon to the Zagwe dynasty Kropp felt that the regnal list was a result of incorporating non native traditions of Aethiopia into native Ethiopian history 1 Egyptologist E A Wallis Budge 1857 1934 was dismissive of the claims of great antiquity made by the Abyssinians whom he described as having a passionate desire to be considered a very ancient nation which had been aided by the vivid imagination of their scribes who borrowed traditions from the Semites such as Yamanites Himyarites and Hebrews and modified them to suit their aspirations He noted the lack of pre Christian regnal lists and believed that there was no kingdom of Abyssinia Ethiopia until the time of king Zoskales c 200 AD Budge additionally stated that all extant manuscripts date to the 17th 19th centuries and believed that any regnal lists found in them originated from Arab and Coptic writers 2 Budge felt the 1922 regnal list proves that almost all kings of Abyssinia were of Asiatic origin and descended from Southern or Northern Semites before the reign of Yekuno Amlak 92 However native Ethiopian rule before Yekuno Amlak is evidenced by the kingdoms of D mt c 980 400 BC and Aksum c 150 BC 960 AD as well as by the rule of the Zagwe dynasty The Geographical Journal reviewed In the Country of the Blue Nile in 1928 and noted the regnal list which contained many more names than in previously published lists and was evidently a careful compilation which helps to clear up the tangled skein of Ethiopian history 93 However the reviewer did also notice that it contained discrepancies which Rey made no attempt to clear up 93 The reviewer pointed to how king Dil Na od is said to have reigned for 10 years from 910 to 920 yet travel writer James Bruce previously stated the deposition of this dynasty occurred in 960 40 years later 93 The reviewer did admit however that Egyptologist Henry Salt s dating of this event to 925 may have had more reason to it compared to Bruce s dating considering that Salt s dating is seemingly backed up by Tafari s regnal list 93 The Washington Post made use of the regnal list when reporting on the coronation of Haile Selassie in 1930 The paper reported that Selassie would become the 336th sovereign of the Ethiopian empire which was founded in the ninety seventh sic year after the creation of the world and as such his reign would begin in the 6 460th year of the reign of the Ethiopian dynasty 94 The newspaper noted that Adam was no longer claimed by Ethiopians as the original ancestor of the kings of Ethiopia and instead the modern Abyssinians claimed their first king was Ori or Aram the son of Shem 94 The same article mentioned the 531 year gap between the Flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel during which time 42 different Ethiopian sovereigns ruled Africa though the regnal list itself did not provide any names for this time period 94 Regnal list editGregorian dates Tafari s regnal list uses dates according to the Ethiopian Calendar According to Charles Fernand Rey one can estimate the Gregorian date equivalent by adding a further seven or eight years to the date As an example he states that 1 AD on the Ethiopian calendar would be 8 AD on the Gregorian calendar He notes that the calendar of Ethiopia likely changed in some ways throughout history but argued that this was a good enough method for estimates 95 E A Wallis Budge stated that the Ethiopian calendar was 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January 1 to September 10 and 7 years behind from September 11 to December 31 96 Tribe of Ori or Aram 1 286 years edit Tribe or Posterity of Ori or Aram 95 nbsp Deluge by Ivan Aivazovsky 1864 Tafari s list does not provide any background on this dynasty but Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia gives the following information on the Tribe of Orit 97 Those who before all others left Asia earliest and who entered Ethiopia and occupied the country are called the tribe of Orit Their father was one of the sons of Adam called Ori or Aram He and his line twenty one kings ruled in Ethiopia from the year 1030 of the world sic until 2256 of the world During the time of their last King Soliman Tagi in the era of Noah they were wiped out and brought to an end by the devastating flood The first dynasty of this regnal list consists of 21 monarchs who ruled before the Biblical Great Flood This dynasty is legendary and borrowed from a list of pre Flood kings of Egypt that is found in medieval Coptic and Arabic texts French historian Louis J Morie recorded a list of 19 monarchs in his 1904 book Histoire de L Ethiopie 52 The medieval Arab text Akhbar al Zaman contains a regnal list that may have been an earlier version of the list Morie saw centuries later This list contained a total of 19 kings and the majority had similar names to those found on the later version in 1904 58 Morie noted that the kings were supposed to be rulers of Egypt but he personally believed they had actually ruled what he referred to as Ethiopia i e Nubia 52 He pointed to a story of the third king Gankam who had a palace built beyond the Equator at the Mountains of the Moon as proof that these kings resided in Aethiopia 98 55 The kings of this dynasty are described as Priest kings in Coptic tradition and were called the Soleyman dynasty 55 While the original Coptic tradition called the first king Aram in reference to the son of Shem of the same name this regnal list calls the king Ori or Aram The name Ori may have originated from Morie s claim that this dynasty was called the Aurites and that Aram had inspired the name of his country which was called Aurie or Aeria 99 The only rulers of this dynasty who do not originate from the Coptic Antediluvian regnal list are Senefrou and Assa who E A Wallis Budge believed where the historical Egyptian pharaohs Sneferu and Djedkare Isesi Heruy Wolde Selassie ignored this dynasty on his version of the regnal list 20 Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa in his book Ethiopia s 5 000 year history completely omitted this dynasty and instead begins with the Ham Kam dynasty 100 E A Wallis Budge believed that the reason for the list beginning with Aram instead of Ham was because contemporary Ethiopians wanted to distance themselves from the Curse of Ham 101 The medieval Ethiopian text Kebra Nagast stated that God decreed sovereignty for the seed of Shem and slavery for the seed of Ham 101 No 95 Name 95 Length of reign 95 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 95 Year of the World 95 Reason for inclusion Notes1 Ori I a or Aram 60 years 4530 4470 BC 970 1030 Recorded in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as rulers of Aethiopia Nubia 103 Son of Shem in Biblical tradition 101 Son of Adam in the Coptic tradition of the Soleyman dynasty 104 2 Gariak I 66 years 4470 4404 BC 1030 1096 Son of Ori I Aram 55 104 Known as Gether in the Bible There may have originally been other kings who ruled between Gariak I and Gannkam 105 3 Gannkam 83 years 4404 4321 BC 1096 1179 Descendant of Gariak I 55 104 Coptic tradition credits this king with building a palace out of iron and bronze at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon after foreseeing the Great Flood and its future destruction 98 4 Borsa Queen 67 years 4321 4254 BC 1179 1246 5 Gariak II 60 years 4254 4194 BC 1246 1306 Son of Gannkam 55 106 6 Djan I 80 years 4194 4114 BC 1306 1386 Djan is an old Ethiopian title meaning chief king or royalty 107 7 Djan II 60 years 4114 4054 BC 1386 1446 Son of Djan I 108 105 8 Senefrou 20 years 4054 4034 BC 1446 1466 Raided Nubia during his reign 109 Historical pharaoh Sneferu r 2613 2589 BC 109 9 Zeenabzamin 58 years 4034 3976 BC 1466 1524 Recorded in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as rulers of Aethiopia Nubia 103 Originally known as Zeyn al Zaman which means Ornament of the century 105 10 Sahlan 60 years 3976 3916 BC 1524 1584 11 Elaryan 80 years 3916 3836 BC 1584 1664 Originally known as El Rian 108 12 Nimroud 60 years 3836 3776 BC 1664 1724 Not to be confused with the Biblical figure Nimrod According to Coptic tradition his original name was Youssef and he was a minister to king Elaryan 105 13 Eylouka Queen 45 years 3776 3731 BC 1724 1769 Originally known as Daluka 108 105 14 Saloug 30 years 3731 3701 BC 1769 1799 Originally the 34th ruler of this dynasty according to Coptic tradition 105 The surviving list of kings by the early 20th century was apparently incomplete 52 15 Kharid 72 years 3701 3629 BC 1799 1871 Originally known as Surid 105 Eldest son of Saloug 105 Coptic tradition credits this king with building 3 pyramids and reigning 390 years before the Great Flood 105 Tafari s list dates the end of this king s reign to 385 years before the Flood 16 Hogeb 100 years 3629 3529 BC 1871 1971 The longest reigning monarch of this regnal list Second son of Saloug and brother of Kharid 110 17 Makaws 70 years 3529 3459 BC 1971 2041 18 Assa 30 years 3459 3429 BC 2041 2071 Sent an expedition to the Land of the Spirits Punt and had a Pygmy brought back from there 109 Historical pharaoh Djedkare Isesi 109 19 Affar 50 years 3429 3379 BC 2071 2121 Recorded in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as rulers of Aethiopia Nubia 103 Originally known as Afros 110 Coptic tradition claimed that this king s name was the inspiration behind the word Africa 110 20 Milanos 62 years 3379 3317 BC 2121 2183 Originally known as Malinos 110 21 Soliman Tehagui 73 years 3317 3244 BC 2183 2256 Originally the 40th and last ruler of the Soleyman dynasty in medieval Coptic tradition 111 Originally known as Tchaghi or Cagi but sometimes known as Pharaon 108 111 Coptic and Arabic tradition claimed that this king sent his general Sourkhrag and priest Philemon to discuss with Noah the worship of God and of idols prior to the Great Flood 111 Total 21 sovereigns of the Tribe of Ori 95 Interregnum 531 years edit nbsp Tower of Babel by Joos de Momper c 1595 1605 From the Deluge until the fall of the Tower of Babel 112 The 531 year period from 3244 BC to 2713 BC 2256 2787 AM is the only section in this regnal list where no monarchs are named Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia gave the following explanation for this gap 113 After the extinction of these people The Tribe of Ori in the great flood until the destruction of the tower of Babel and the scattering of people and the differentiation of languages in the year 531 sic the entire area and the country of Ethiopia was an empty land without native people After this the tribe of Kam came and inherited her Some older Ethiopian regnal lists state the monarchs who reigned between the Great Flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel were pagans idolators and worshippers of the serpent and thus were not worthy to be named 101 The Tower of Babel was according to the Bible built by humans in Shinar at a time when humanity spoke a single language The tower was intended to reach the sky but this angered God who confounded their speech and made them unable to understand each other and caused humanity to be scattered across the world This story serves as an origin myth to explain why so many different languages are spoken around the world Tribe of Kam 728 years edit nbsp 1553 drawing of Ham by Guillaume Rouille Sovereignty of the tribe of Kam after the fall of the tower of Babel 112 Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia gave the following background for the tribe of Kam or Kusa 113 Kam came to Ethiopia crossing the Bab il Mandab from Asia This was in the year 2787 of the world in the 2 713th year before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ Kam ruled Ethiopia for 78 years and returning to Asia intending to seize Syria he fought against the sons of Sem and died in battle But his sons set the eldest brother Kugan to rule over themselves and inherited Ethiopia The tribe of Kam with their descendants 25 kings in all reigned and ruled Ethiopia for 743 years sic from 2787 to the year 3515 of the world This dynasty begins with the second son of the Biblical prophet Noah Ham whose descendants populated the African continent and adjoining parts of Asia according to the Bible Ham was the father of Cush Kush Nubia Mizraim Egypt Canaan Levant and Put Libya or Punt Taye s statement that Kam was killed in battle while attempting to invade Syria was likely inspired by Louis J Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie in which he stated that Kam Ham was killed in a battle against the Assyrians after attempting to invade their territories 114 According to Heruy Wolde Selassie s book Wazema the Kamites originated from the Middle East and conquered Axum Meroe Egypt and North Africa 115 This claim also likely originated from Louis J Morie who stated that Ham arrived in Aethiopia after the Deluge and his descendants ruled over different parts of Aethiopia and Egypt 116 Earlier Ethiopian traditions presented a very different line of kings descending from Ham E A Wallis Budge stated that in his time there was a common belief in Ethiopia that the people were descended from Ham his son Cush and Cush s son Ethiopis who is not named in the Bible and from whom the country of Ethiopia gets its name 117 Some regnal lists explicitly state the names Ethiopia and Axum come from descendants of Ham that are not named in the Bible 118 Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa s book Ethiopia s 5 000 year history begins this dynasty with Noah and omits Habassi but otherwise has a similar line of kings as this list 100 Heruy Wolde Selassie omitted the first three rulers of this dynasty in his book Wazema and begins the dynasty with Sebtah in 2545 BC 20 Peter Truhart in his book Regents of Nations dated the monarchs of this dynasty to 2585 1930 BC and stated that the capital during this period was called Mazez 108 He identified king Kout as the first king of this dynasty instead of Kam 108 Truhart called the monarchs from Kout to Lakniduga the Dynasty of Kush based at Mazez and stated they ruled from 2585 to 2145 BC 108 while the monarchs from Manturay to Piori I are listed as the Kings of Ethiopia and Meroe who ruled from 2145 to 1930 BC 119 According to Taye Gabra Mariam the tribe of Kam or Kusa was driven from the highlands of Ethiopia to the lowlands by the Ag azyan dynasty 120 No 112 Name 112 Length of reign 112 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 112 Year of the World 112 Reason for inclusion Notes22 Kam 78 years 2713 2635 BC 2787 2865 Biblical figure Ham who is the ancestor of Africans including the Aethiopians Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa provided alternate reign dates for this king of 3500 2787 BC 713 years and listed Noah as the first king of this dynasty with reign dates of 3844 3500 BC 344 years 100 E A Wallis Budge theorized this king s name was actually a reference to k mt the name of Egypt before the Greco Roman period and noted that some kings of this dynasty had clearly Egyptian inspired names such as Amen Horkam and Ramenpahte 101 Peter Truhart believed this king s inclusion on the regnal list represented Egyptian contacts with Punt which he identifies with modern day Ethiopia that took place around 3000 BC 108 23 Kout 50 years 2635 2585 BC 2865 2915 Biblical figure Cush son of Ham through whom the people of Aethiopia likely descend Often considered a representation of the Kingdom of Kush in modern day Sudan Some translations of the Bible identify Kush with Aethiopia leading to the traditional Ethiopian identification with ancient Kush which is seen throughout this list Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa provided alternate reign dates for this king of 2787 2545 BC 242 years 100 24 Habassi 40 years 2585 2545 BC 2915 2955 Traditional figure inserted into the Biblical lineage as a son of Cush representing Abyssinia 121 Son of Cush Kout 121 122 58 Ethiopian sources claim the word Abyssinia is derived from the name of this king 121 The medieval text Akhbar al Zaman mentions Habassi or Habash as a son of Cush and ancestor of the Abyssinians 58 While many historians link the word Abyssinia with the Arabic word Habesh this link was rejected by Ethiopian scholar Aleqa Asras Yenesaw 121 Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa omitted this king from his list of monarchs of the Kam dynasty 100 25 Sebtah b 30 years 2545 2515 BC 2955 2985 Biblical figure Sabtah son of Cush Son of Cush Kout An Ethiopian tradition states that Sebtah was king of Kush and Wurd Bashir was the capital during his reign 124 This legend states that he traveled to the source of the Nile and built Wurd Bashir with a great wall and nine gates 125 26 Elektron 30 years 2515 2485 BC 2985 3015 Similar name to Electryon king of Tiryns and Mycenae in Greek mythology and descendent of the Aethiopian king and queen Cepheus and Cassiopeia 27 Neber c 30 years 2485 2455 BC 3015 3045 28 Amen I d 21 years 2455 2434 BC 3045 3066 Peter Truhart stated this king ruled for 29 years 108 29 Nehasset Nais e Queen 30 years 2434 2404 BC 3066 3096 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as a Nubian courtesan who drowned all her lovers in the Red Sea until she was stopped by king Horkam 126 According to Taye Gabra Mariam it was during the reign of this queen who he calls Kasiyoni in the year 2421 B C 3079 A M that the Sinites ancestors of the Shanqella tribe arrived in Ethiopia 120 The Shanqella lived in highland Ethiopia for 440 years until they were driven to the lowlands by the ancestors of the Ag azyan people 120 This queen s name could be based on the ancient Egyptian word Nehesy meaning the Nubian 127 30 Horkam f 29 years 2404 2375 BC 3096 3125 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as a son of Cush who ruled over a part of Aethiopia 126 Husband of Nehasset Nais 126 Morie equated this king with the Biblical figure Raamah and the Egyptian mythological figure Horus 126 According to Taye Gabra Mariam it was in the 15th year of this king s reign that Aynar son of Arwadi the Arvadite came to Ethiopia and was the ancestor of the Qemant tribe 120 Aynar and his wife Intalan came to Ethiopia due to a famine in Canaan 120 31 Saba I g 30 years 2375 2345 BC 3125 3155 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as a son of Horkam 126 Biblical figure Seba son of Cush Son of Horkam 129 In Morie s narrative this king founded the city of Hasabo 129 According to Taye Gabra Mariam it was in the 15th year of this king s reign 2360 B C 3140 A M that the tribe of Weyto descended from the Zemarites entered Ethiopia 128 They had arrived in Ethiopia due to a famine in Egypt and Sudan 128 32 Sofard h 30 years 2345 2315 BC 3155 3185 33 Askndou i 25 years 2315 2290 BC 3185 3210 34 Hohey j 35 years 2290 2255 BC 3210 3245 35 Adglag k 20 years 2255 2235 BC 3245 3265 36 Adgala I l 30 years 2235 2205 BC 3265 3295 37 Lakniduga I m 25 years 2205 2180 BC 3295 3320 38 Manturay n 35 years 2180 2145 BC 3320 3355 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the first of the Meroites and the first ruler of Aethiopia to regulate legislation and Solar worship 130 39 Rakhu o 30 years 2145 2115 BC 3355 3385 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the son of Mentou Rai 130 Morie identified this king with Phlegyas a king of the Lapiths who appears in Greek mythology 130 40 Sabe I p 30 years 2115 2085 BC 3385 3415 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the next known ruler of Aethiopia after Ra khou 130 Could be the Biblical figure Sabtechah a son of Cush based on the alternate name Kepheas given by Morie 130 Morie claimed it was during the reign of this king that a Kushite tribe went to Chaldea and lived alongside the Jewish population there 131 41 Azagan I q 30 years 2085 2055 BC 3415 3445 42 Sousel Atozanis r 20 years 2055 2035 BC 3445 3465 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as a king of Aethiopia under the name Snouka Menken though with Attozanes as one of his alternate names 132 In Morie s narrative this king was also king of Egypt for 13 years 132 43 Amen II s 15 years 2035 2020 BC 3465 3480 Peter Truhart omitted this king from his regnal list 119 44 Ramenpahte t 20 years 2020 2000 BC 3480 3500 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as an Aethiopian nobleman who was supposed to marry a daughter of king Ba en Khons but instead she was taken by the king to be his own wife 133 E A Wallis Budge believed this king s name was based on Men pekhti Ra 101 the throne name of Ramesses I r 1292 1290 BC 45 Wanuna 3 days 2000 BC 3500 46 Piori I 15 years 2000 1985 BC 3500 3515 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the king who ruled at the time of Aethiopia s conquest by the Hyksos the so called Ag azyan Dynasty of this list 133 According to Heruy Wolde Selassie this king was defeated by Rama a Hindu god of India 115 This narrative was inspired by Morie s Historie de l Ethiopie in which he claimed that Rama had a vast empire stretching across India and Arabia and had defeated the Egyptian Pharaoh According to Morie the Ethiopian king Poeri I then became a tributary to Rama 133 While Morie did not make this identification it is possible that the author of the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list identified Rama with Raamah son of Cush and father of Sheba who founded the next dynasty of this regnal list According to Taye Gabra Mariam s The History of the People of Ethiopia it was during the reign of this king that the tribes of Saba Abal and Ofir left Yemen and settled in Ethiopia 134 Total 25 sovereigns of the tribe of Kam plus 21 sovereigns of the tribe of Ori Grand total 46 sovereigns 95 Ag azyan Dynasty 1 003 years edit See also Sabean colonization of Africa nbsp Ancient blocks from Yeha the likely capital of D mt with Sabaean inscriptions Agdazyan sic dynasty of the posterity of the kingdom of Joctan 135 Note Historian Manfred Kropp noted the word Agdazyan is likely a transcribal error and meant to say Ag azyan as the Ethiopian syllable signs da and a are relatively easy to confuse with each other 10 Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia provides the following information on the Tribe of Yoqt an 136 The tribe of Yoqt an are the grandchildren of Sem Sem begat fifteen children Of the fifteen Arfaksad was the third Arfaksad begat Qaynan Qaynan begat Sala Sala begot Ebor and Ebor begat Falek and Yoqt an Yoqt an begat thirteen children and their names were Almodad Salf Hasramot Yarah Hadoram Awzal Doqla Hubal or Obal Abima el Saba Awfir Hawila and Yubab Genesis 10 25 29 As for their territory it was in Asia from Mesha to Sifar and as far as the eastern mountains Genesis 10 30 When their territory became too small and restricted for them five of the thirteen children of Yoqt an Saba Awfir Hawila Obal and Abima el departed Asia in a great multitude and migrated journeying to Yemen When this tribe of Yoqt an offspring of Sem reached Yemen they paid tribute to the Kusa of Yemen but without agreeing to an alliance Later however they saw their weakness and by trickery and other means caused rebellion among the Yemenite Kusa and making king a brave and wise one of their own race called Yaroba became the lords of all Yemen At the end of the reign of the tribe of Kam the tenth year of the reign of P i ori I and the 3 510th year of the world these people were called Ag azyan The tribe of Yoqt an of the tribe of Sem left Yemen in a great multitude and crossed the Bab Il Mandab and entered Ethiopia In that period the tribe of Yoqt an were called at different times by five names They were called Saba Badaw Irranna Tigri and Ag azyan Ityopp is was the son of Bulqaya and the grandson of Akhunas known as Saba II His mother the daughter of the king of Tut was called Agla e Ityopp is I ruled for fifty six years from the 3644th to the 3700 year of the world 1856 1800 B C and the country was called Ityopp is after his name After Ityopp is died the king s son Lankdun whose second name was Nowar ori succeeded him on the the throne of the kingdom The sons of Ityopp is I were five they are Lankdun Saba Noba Balaw and Kalaw The first son Lakndun inherited the kingship but the other four divided up the land of the state among themselves and held it Saba is the ancestor of the people who settled in the country now called Tigre the country used to be called Saba after his name that the country was called Saba is for Saba II grandfather of Ityopp is and not for Saba son of Ityopp is The third dynasty of this regnal list is descended from Joktan grandson of Shem and great grandson of Noah According to Genesis 10 7 and 1 Chronicles 1 9 Sheba was a grandson of Cush through Raamah which provides a link between this Semitic dynasty and the Hamitic dynasty that preceded it The dynasty ends with the Queen of Sheba whose name is Makeda in Ethiopian tradition The Ag azyan dynasty includes a number of kings whose names clearly reference ancient Egypt and Kush most notably the line of High Priests of Amun that reigned near the end of this era While these priests are archaeologically verified they did not rule modern day Ethiopia but rather ruled over or had some contact with ancient Nubia and Kush which is equated with Aethiopia in some translations of the Bible and these translated editions have influenced modern Ethiopia s belief in an affinity with ancient Nubia The word Ag azyan means free or to lead to freedom in Ge ez 137 115 According to both Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia and Heruy Wolde Selassie s Wazema this originated from the liberation of Ethiopia from the rule of the Kamites Hamites and three of Joktan s sons divided Ethiopia between themselves Sheba received Tigray Obal received Adal and Ophir received Ogaden 134 115 E A Wallis Budge had a different theory of the origin of the term Aga azyan believing that it referred to several tribes that migrated from Arabia to Africa either at the same time as or after the Habashat had migrated He stated that the word Ge ez had come from Ag azyan 137 The term Ag azyan may also refer to the Agʿazi region of the Axumite empire located in modern day Eastern Tigray and Southern Eritrea This section of the regnal list is heavily influenced by Louis J Morie s book Histoire de L Ethiopie with the majority of monarchs having similar names and line of succession to those found in Morie s book 138 nbsp Four panels by an unknown 17th to 19th century Ethiopian painter showing the killing of ArweThere are some monarchs in this dynasty who originated from native Abyssinian tradition these being Angabo I no 74 who founded a new dynasty after killing the serpent king Arwe and his successors Zagdur I no 77 Za Sagado no 80 Tawasya no 97 and Makeda no 98 the last of whom is identified with the Queen of Sheba See Regnal lists of Ethiopia for more information 139 140 The 1922 regnal list incorporates these five rulers within the longer narrative of Louis J Morie There is also another king named Ethiopis who Ethiopian tradition credits with inspiring the name of the country nbsp Depiction of Makeda the Queen of Sheba from an Ethiopian Chapel in the Church of the Holy SepulchreSheba is usually considered by historians to have been the south Arabian kingdom of Saba in an area that later became part of the Aksumite Empire The Kebra Nagast however specifically states that Sheba was located in Ethiopia 141 This has led to some historians arguing that Sheba may have been located in a region in Tigray and Eritrea which was once called Saba 142 American historian Donald N Levine suggested that Sheba may be linked with the historical region of Shewa where the modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located 143 Additionally a Sabaean connection with Ethiopia is evidenced by a number of settlements on the Red Sea coast that emerged around 500 BC and were influenced by Sabaean culture 144 These people were traders and had their own writing script 144 Gradually over time their culture merged with that of the local people 144 145 The Sabaean language was likely the official language of northern Ethiopia during the pre Axumite period c 500 BC to 100 AD 146 Some historians believe that the kingdom of Dʿmt located in modern day Eritrea and Ethiopia was Sabaean influenced possibly due to Sabaean dominance of the Red Sea or due to mixing with the indigenous population 147 148 Roman Jewish historian Josephus wrote that that Achaemenid king Cambyses II conquered the capital of Aethiopia and changed its name from Saba to Meroe 149 Josephus also stated the Queen of Sheba came from this region and was queen of both Egypt and Ethiopia 150 This suggests that a belief in a connection between Sheba and Kush was already in place by the 1st century AD Josephus also associated Sheba Saba with Kush when describing a campaign led by Moses against the Ethiopians in which he won and later married Tharbis the daughter of the king of Saba or Meroe Peter Truhart in his book Regents of Nations dated the kings from Akbunas Saba II to Lakndun Nowarari to 1930 1730 BC and listed them as a continuation of the line of Kings of Ethiopia and Meroe that begun in 2145 BC 119 Truhart s regnal list then jumps forward and dates the kings from Tutimheb onwards as contemporaries of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth dynasties of Egypt with a date range of 1552 1185 BC 119 Truhart also identified modern day Ethiopia with the Land of Punt 119 His list however omits the High Priests of Amun from Herihor to Pinedjem II 84 No 135 Name 135 Length of reign 135 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 135 Year of the World 135 Reason for inclusion Notes47 Akbunas Saba II u 55 years 1985 1930 BC 3515 3570 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the first king of the Hyksos dynasty of Aethiopia under the name Ankhnas 152 Possibly Sheba son of Joktan or otherwise a descendant of Joktan 48 Nakehte Kalnis v 40 years 1930 1890 BC 3570 3610 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of king Ankhnas 152 49 Kasiyope w Queen 19 years 1890 1871 BC 3610 3629 Cassiopeia queen of Aethiopia in Greek mythology Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as a wife of Sebi II 152 Despite sharing a name with Cassiopeia a queen of Aethiopia in Ancient Greek myth who was the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda Morie s original narrative differentiates this queen from the more well known Cassiopeia Kasiyope 153 Instead Kasiyope I is the name given to a queen of Ethiopia who plotted the assassination of Osiris with Set according to one version of the Osiris myth recounted by Plutarch 154 50 Sabe II x 15 years 1871 1856 BC 3629 3644 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor to Nekhti I 152 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia it was in the reign of this king that the ancestors of the Shinasha people arrived in Ethiopia 155 Taye stated this king was the son of a man named Amin 41 51 Etiyopus I y 56 years 1856 1800 BC 3644 3700 Ethiopis a legendary king in Abyssinian Ethiopian tradition who inspired the name Ethiopia 156 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie under the name Atew I Ethiops as the fifth ruler of Aethiopia after the Hyksos conquest 157 Known as Itiyopp is in various sources 115 158 151 An Ethiopian legend claims that the name Ethiopia is derived from the name of king Ethiopis 156 Likewise Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder believed that the word Aethiopia Ethiopia came from a king named Aethiopis who was the son of the Roman god Vulcan 121 Some Ethiopian traditions trace the word Ethiopia to Itan a Ge ez word for incense a reference to the Ethiopian plateau which has long traded in incense 121 One Ethiopian tradition states that Etiyopus was a son of Cush and grandson of Kam 121 Another tradition additionally claims that Etiyopus son was named Aksumawi and he had a son named Malayka Aksum who then had six sons named Sum Nafas Bagi o Kuduki Akhoro and Farheba 159 The names of Etiyopus son grandson and great grandsons are not found on this regnal list According to the Book of Axum this king built Ethiopia s first capital Mazaber 160 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia this king was the son of Bulqaya and Agla e daughter of the king of Tut and was a grandson of Akhunas Saba II 161 Some Ethiopian regnal lists claim this king was the first to rule Ethiopia 162 One tradition states Etiyopus was buried in Aksum and that fire used to burn in his grave 163 52 Lakndun Nowarari z 30 years 1800 1770 BC 3700 3730 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the next known king of Aethiopia after Atew I 157 Son of Etiyopus I 151 Peter Truhart seemingly identified this king with the mythical serpent of Ethiopian legend Arwe though it is unclear why 119 53 Tutimheb 20 years 1770 1750 BC 3730 3750 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Nower Ari 164 Morie claimed this king was the father of Tharbis 164 a Cushite princess who married Moses after he defeated the Aethiopians as head of the Egyptian army according to Josephus 165 In Morie s narrative this king was defeated by Moses as the head of the army of Amenhotep I 166 However the estimated reign dates of Amenhotep I c 1524 1503 BC are far later than the dates of Tutimheb on this list 54 Her Hator I aa 20 years 1750 1730 BC 3750 3770 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie under the name At Hor as a king who was placed on the throne of Aethiopia by the Pharaoh after the defeat of the previous king 167 The ancient Greek god Hephaestus was the father of Ethiopis according to Pliny the Elder 121 Ancient Greek god Hephaestus who was the father of Ethiopis according to Pliny the Elder 121 Morie claimed the previous king Thout em heb was replaced by Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I with one of the pharaoh s astronomers At Hor who is Jethro of the Bible 167 This would mean that At Hor Jethro was the father of Zipporah wife of Moses the latter having lead the army of Amenhotep I against Thout em heb Tutimheb according to Morie s narrative 166 The author of the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list may have combined the two separate narratives of Hephaestus and Jethro into one king 55 Etiyopus II ab 30 years 1730 1700 BC 3770 3800 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie under the name Atew II Ethiops as a king of Aethiopia 168 Son of Vulcan Roman counterpart of Hephaestus according to Pliny the Elder 121 56 Senuka I ac 17 years 1700 1683 BC 3800 3817 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie under the name Snouka II Menken Raskhoperen as a Meroite king who ruled after the end of the Jethride dynasty 169 In Morie s narrative this king ruled Egypt for 13 years 169 57 Bonu I 8 years 1683 1675 BC 3817 3825 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Snouka II 170 Also known as Tsawente Ben n u 119 The name of this king is based on Bennu an Egyptian god 171 58 Mumazes Queen 4 years 1675 1671 BC 3825 3829 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Bennou I 172 Daughter of Bonu I 172 41 173 59 Aruas ad Queen ae 7 months 1671 BC 3829 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Moumeses Moso 172 Daughter of Mumazes according to Tafari s list 174 However Morie originally claimed that Aruas was a son of Mumazes 172 Both Taye Gabra Mariam and Peter Truhart also noted this monarch was male on their respective lists 41 119 60 Amen Asro I af 30 years 1671 1641 BC 3829 3859 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Arouas 175 In Morie s narrative this king ruled Egypt for 2 years 175 61 Ori or Aram II ag 30 years 1641 1611 BC 3859 3889 62 Piori II 15 years 1611 1596 BC 3889 3904 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Amen as ro I 175 Peter Truhart believed this king is identifiable with Perahu the only known king of Punt who was a contemporary of Pharaoh Hatshepsut r 1479 1458 BC 119 However Morie s original narrative misidentified Paser I Viceroy of Kush as a reigning king of Aethiopia 176 Paser was the father of Amenemopet who is named as the next king on this list Amen Emhat I Paser was in power during the reigns of Ay and Horemheb c 1323 1292 BC and thus was alive over two and a half centuries after the dates on this regnal list 63 Amen Emhat I ah 40 years 1596 1556 BC 3904 3944 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Poeri II 176 Son of Paser Piori II Morie misidentified the Viceroys of Kush named Paser I and Amenemopet as reigning kings of Aethiopia i e Kush As such the king Amen Emhat I is to be equated with Amenemopet who followed his father Paser I Piori II to power Morie himself called Amenemopet by the name Amen em hat 176 Amenemopet was Viceroy of Kush during the reign of Seti I c 1290 1279 BC 64 Tsawi I ai 15 years 1556 1541 BC 3944 3959 65 Aktissanis aj 10 years 1541 1531 BC 3959 3969 Legendary king of Aethiopia Actisanes who according to Diodorus defeated Pharaoh Ammoses Ahmose II and conquered Egypt 86 While the reign of Ahmose II was much later than the dates for Aktissanis on this list the reign of Ahmose I c 1550 1525 BC did take place around this time Actisanes was possibly based on the historical Kushite king Aktisanes who ruled Nubia in the early third century BC 66 Mandes 17 years 1531 1514 BC 3969 3986 A legendary Egyptian king known as Mendes or Meudes who succeeded Actisanes after his death and recovered Egyptian independence according to Diodorus Siculus 86 According to Diodorus Siculus king Mendes had a labyrinth built into his tomb and this inspired Daedalus who after visiting Egypt built a similar labyrinth of Minos king of Crete 86 This king was Egyptian but may have been mistaken as Aethiopian by the author of this list due to directly succeeding Actisanes 67 Protawos ak 33 years 1514 1481 BC 3986 4019 A legendary king of Egypt Proteus mentioned by Diodorus Siculus as the next known king after Mandes 86 Egyptian king Proteus from Greek mythology who is mentioned the writings of Herodotus Euripides and Homer Like Mandes this king was not Aethiopian but may have been assumed to be related to Actisanes by the writer of this regnal list 68 Amoy I al 21 years 1481 1460 BC 4019 4040 69 Konsi Hendawi am 5 years 1460 1455 BC 4040 4045 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the next known king of Aethiopia after Amen em hat I 177 This king s name means Konsi the Indian 41 115 According to Morie s narrative this king arrived in Aethiopia as part of a Hindu colony 177 The name Konsi is based on the name of the Egyptian god Khonsu 70 Bonu II 2 years 1455 1453 BC 4045 4043 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the first of the Bennides who succeeded Khonsi 178 Morie identified this king as several different legendary characters from Greek mythology specifically Phoenix son of the king of Tyre Belus King of Egypt Aleus King of Arcadia Polydorus King of Thebes and Argus King of Argos 179 Both Belus and Phoenix have been identified in different sources as the father of Cepheus the next ruler on this regnal list 180 181 71 Sabe III Kefe an 15 years 1453 1438 BC 4047 4062 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Bennou II 182 Cepheus an Aethiopian king from Greek mythology who was the husband of Cassiopeia and father of Andromeda 183 Third son of Bonu II according to Taye Gabra Mariam s list 41 72 Djagons ao 20 years 1438 1418 BC 4062 4082 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor to Sebi III under the name Se Khons Gigon 167 Possibly Danaus a king of Libya from Greek mythology who is sometimes named as a brother of Cepheus and son of Belus 73 Senuka II ap 10 years 1418 1408 BC 4082 4092 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Se Khons 184 In Morie s narrative this king ruled Egypt for three years after defeating Amenmesse 184 although Amenmesse actually reigned more than two centuries after the dates of Senuka II on this regnal list 74 Angabo I Zaka Laarwe aq 50 years 1408 1358 BC 4092 4142 A king from Abyssinian tradition who killed a mythical serpent king named Arwe 60 Regnal lists date Angabo s reign around 350 years before Makeda This list places 345 years between them Also known as Za Besi Angabo 140 Some variations of the Arwe myth claim that Angabo was of non royal origin and was made king as reward for slaying Arwe 163 This version of the legend states that Angabo was a stranger who saved Makeda the future Queen of Sheba from being sacrificed to Arwe and that her father was chief minister to king Za Sebado 185 Some regnal lists claim that Angabo was king for 200 years 186 According to Taye Gabra Mariam Angabo was the son of Adhana though it is unclear what their relation if any is to this dynastic line 41 According to some Ethiopian traditions Angabo was the father of Makeda 187 Manfred Kropp theorised the epithet Zaka Laarwe meant Who slayed the serpent 115 75 Miamur 2 days 1358 BC 4142 A similar name Miamun was used by Josephus to refer to Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II 188 76 Helena ar Queen 11 years 1358 1347 BC 4142 4153 77 Zagdur I as 40 years 1347 1307 BC 4153 4193 Appears on Ethiopian regnal lists as the successor of Angabo and ruler of Ethiopia for 100 years 140 139 Son of Angabo I 139 Also known as Gedur or Za Gedur 190 139 According to Taye Gabra Mariam this king devised the phonetic Ge ez alphabet 41 78 Her Hator II at 30 years 1307 1277 BC 4193 4223 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Snouka III 191 Grandson of Sabe III Kefe 192 and son of Andromeda and Perseus according to Louis J Morie 191 However Morie also identified this king with Erythras who was the son of Perseus and Amphimedusa daughter of Danaus and granddaughter of Belus 193 79 Her Hator III au 1 year 1277 1276 BC 4223 4224 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Her Hator II 191 Nephew of Her Hator II and son of Perses son of Andromeda and Perseus 194 80 Akate Za Sagado av 20 years 1276 1256 BC 4224 4244 A king named Nekhi IV who succeeded Her Hathor III in the narrative of Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie 196 A king from earlier Ethiopian regnal lists usually named Sebado who was the successor of Zagdur or Za Gedur and ruler of Ethiopia for 50 years 140 139 Sagado is the name of a mountain in the Amhara region 197 The name Akate is likely baed on Nycteus as used in Morie s narrative 196 81 Titon Satiyo aw 10 years 1256 1246 BC 4244 4254 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Nekhti IV 198 Greek mythical figure Tithonus a prince of Troy who was the father of the Aethiopian king Memnon Morie claimed Tithonus attempted to conquer Aethiopia but was taken prisoner by Nekhti IV 199 However the daughter of the Aethiopian king wished to marry him so he was freed and later became king 199 Morie also claimed that this king ruled parts of Upper Egypt during the reign of pharaoh Amenmesse 199 However Amenmesse actually reigned over half a century after the dates on this regnal list 82 Hermantu ax 5 months ay 1246 BC 4254 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Tetouni 202 Greek mythical figure Emathion who was a son of Tithonus and brother of Memnon 183 An illegitimate son of Titon Satiyo according to Morie 202 83 Amen Emhat II 5 years 1246 1241 BC 4254 4259 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Her Mentou 203 Green mythical figure Memnon king of Aethiopia who fought in the Trojan War and was a son of Tithonus and brother of Emathion 84 Historian Martin Bernal in his book Black Athena argued that it was possible for the name Memnon to have originated from the Egyptian name Amenemhat 204 84 Konsab I 5 years 1241 1236 BC 4259 4264 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Amenemhat II 205 Son of Tithonus Titon Satiyo 205 85 Konsab II az 5 years 1236 1231 BC 4264 4269 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Khons Ab I 206 The name Sannib from Tafari s list is likely an error a mistakenly transcribed name combining the prior king Konsab with the next king Sanuka 86 Senuka III ba 5 years 1231 1226 BC 4269 4274 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Khons Ab II 207 87 Angabo II bb 40 years 1226 1186 BC 4274 4314 88 Amen Astate bc 30 years 1186 1156 BC 4314 4244 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Snouka IV Menken 208 Egyptian High Priest of Amun Amenhotep who had de facto rule over Thebes before Herihor s reign 209 According to Ethiopian historian Tekletsadiq Mekuria this king was the father of Herihor 209 However there is no archaeological evidence to prove this Morie s narrative in Historie de l Ethiopie did not identify Amen Astate with the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep and instead claimed there was a gap of 130 years between this king and Her Hor 208 89 Herhor bd 16 years 1156 1140 BC 4244 4360 Egyptian High Priests of Amun who de facto ruled Upper Egypt during the time of the Twenty first Dynasty c 1077 943 BC Some Egyptologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries believed the High Priests had been ancestors of the Napatan rulers of Nubia 81 This theory influenced Morie s narrative in Histoire de L Ethiopie in which he described them as an Ammonian Dynasty who ruled at Napata 210 This list places their respective reigns over 70 years earlier than estimates from modern day Egyptology No archaeological evidence suggests they ruled the territory of modern day Ethiopia or that they were related to the monarchs of Kush The monarch known as Pinotsem II is not based on a historical High Priest of Amun but was rather error of late 19th early 20th century Egyptology Egyptian High Priest of Amun Herihor r 1080 1074 BC 109 Herihor was also Viceroy of Kush during the reign of Ramesses XI 90 Piyankihi I be 9 years 1140 1131 BC 4360 4369 Egyptian High Priest of Amun Piankh r 1074 1070 BC 109 Piankh was also Viceroy of Kush and led a campaign into Nubia 91 Pinotsem I bf 17 years 1131 1114 BC 4369 4386 Egyptian High Priest of Amun Pinedjem I r 1070 1032 BC 109 Son of Piankh 92 Pinotsem II bg 41 years 1114 1073 BC 4386 4427 Although there was a second High Priest of Amun named Pinedjem his line of succession fits more closely with the position of Pinotsem III below Manfred Kropp de noted that the existence of a third High Priest of Amun named Pinedjem was an error in late 19th century Egyptology which suggests that the writer of this regnal list had used European sources for compiling the list 22 The existence of a third Pinedjem was only accepted by mainstream Egyptology for a brief period 1881 1905 212 Morie s narrative in Historie de l Ethiopie claimed this king was a son of Pinotsem I 213 93 Massaherta bh 16 years 1073 1057 BC 4427 4443 Egyptian High Priest of Amun Masaharta r 1054 1045 BC 109 Son of Pinedjem I Morie s Historie de l Ethiopie claimed this king was a son of Pinotsem II 213 94 Ramenkoperm bi 14 years 1057 1043 BC 4443 4457 Egyptian High Priest of Amun Menkheperre r 1045 992 BC 109 Son of Pinedjem I Morie s Historie de l Ethiopie claimed this king was a son of Pinotsem II 213 95 Pinotsem III bj 7 years 1043 1036 BC 4457 4464 Egyptian High Priest of Amun Pinedjem II r 990 976 BC 214 Son of Menkheperre 96 Sabe IV 10 years 1036 1026 BC 4464 4474 High Priest of Amun Psusennes III Pasebakhaennuit mentioned in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie as the successor of Pinotsem III 215 A king called Za Sebadh is named on Abyssinian regnal lists as the predecessor of Za Kawnasya 84 In Morie s narrative this king was a relative of Solomon resulting in him being placed closed to the reign of Makeda on this list 215 97 Tawasya Dews bk 13 years 1026 1013 BC 4474 4487 A king from earlier Ethiopian regnal lists who succeeded Za Sebadh and was the predecessor and father of Makeda 139 84 140 Known as Zakawsya Kawnasya or Qawasya on earlier regnal lists 139 84 140 Earlier regnal lists claim this king ruled for only one year 140 139 According to Taye Gabra Mariam this king s wife was named Esmeni and she was the mother of Makeda 216 98 Makeda bl Queen 31 years 1013 982 BC 4487 4518 The Biblical Queen of Sheba in Ethiopian tradition She is believed by Ethiopians to have visited king Solomon of Israel and had a son with him named Menelik Daughter of Tawsaya 84 140 139 Earlier regnal lists credit 50 years of rule to this queen 217 According to some Ethiopian traditions Makeda s father was named Angabos and he became king of Ethiopia after killing the serpent king Arwe 60 One version of the tradition states her father was chief minister to king Za Sebado and she was rescued from the serpent Arwe by Angabo who later became king 185 The Kebra Nagast refers to this queen as the Queen of the South who was the Queen of Ethiopia In this text she is described as very beautiful in face having a superb stature and possessing intelligence and understanding of high character Because of this she travelled to Jerusalem to hear the wisdom of Solomon The Kebra Nagast also states that she was very rich and traded by sea and by land to regions such as India and Aswan in Egypt 218 According to the Kebra Nagast she also supposedly forbade women from ruling Ethiopia in the future 219 though this is contradicted by thirteen reigning queens who appear later in this list The Kebra Nagast claims that she abdicated in favour of her son Menelik I E A Wallis Budge theorised that the name Makeda may be based on Maatkare the throne name of pharaoh Hatshepsut 109 Alternatively the name may be based on mlkt a Sabaean term for queen that appears on some Sabaean inscriptions 220 According to the Book of Axum Makeda rebuilt Axum in the territory of Aseba and this was the reason why the Bible refers to her as the Queen of Saba and Queen of Azeb i e South 221 Of the posterity of Ori up to the reign of Makeda 98 sovereigns reigned over Ethiopia before the advent of Menelik I 135 Dynasty of Menelik I 1 475 years edit The next dynasty of this list begins with Menelik I son of Queen Makeda and King Solomon The Ethiopian monarchy claimed a line of descent from Menelik that remained unbroken except for the reign of the Zagwe dynasty until the monarchy s dissolution in 1975 Tafari s 1922 regnal list divides up the Menelik dynasty into three sections Monarchs who reigned before the birth of Christ 982 BC 9 AD Monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ 9 306 AD Monarchs who were Christian themselves 306 493 AD Additionally a fourth line of monarchs descending from Kaleb is listed as a separate dynasty on this regnal list but most Ethiopian regnal lists do not acknowledge any dynastic break between Kaleb and earlier monarchs This line of monarchs is dated to 493 920 AD and is made up of the last kings to rule Axum before it was sacked by Queen Gudit The line of Menelik was restored according to tradition with the accession of Yekuno Amlak Heruy Wolde Selassie considered Makeda to be the first of a new dynasty instead of Menelik 222 Monarchs who reigned before the birth of Christ 991 years edit nbsp The Ark of the Covenant arriving in Ethiopia with Menelik IEthiopian tradition credits Makeda with being the first Ethiopian monarch to convert to Judaism after her visit to king Solomon before which she had been worshipping Sabaean gods However Judaism did not become the official religion of Ethiopia until Makeda s son Menelik brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia While Ethiopian tradition asserts that the kings following Menelik maintained the Jewish religion there is no evidence that this was the case and virtually nothing is known of Menelik s successors and their religious beliefs 223 Other Ethiopian regnal lists based on either oral or textual tradition present an alternate order and numbering of the kings of this dynasty If any other Ethiopian regnal list is taken individually then the number of monarchs from Menelik I to Bazen is not enough to realistically cover the claimed time period from the 10th century BC to the birth of Jesus Christ Tafari s list tries to bring together various different regnal lists into one larger list by naming the majority of kings that are scattered across various oral and textual records regarding the line of succession from Menelik The result is a more realistic number of monarchs reigning over the course of ten centuries Of the 67 monarchs on Tafari s list from Menelik I to Bazen at least 40 are attested on pre 20th century Ethiopian regnal lists Manfred Kropp noted this section of the regnal lists shows an increasing interweaving of traditional Ethiopian regnal lists with names from Egyptology and Nubiology 224 These Nubian and Egyptian rulers did not follow the Jewish religion so their status as alleged successors of Menelik calls into question how strong the Judaisation of Ethiopia truly was in Menelik s reign These kings do not have Egyptian and Nubian elements in their names on regnal lists from before the 20th century and these elements were only added in 1922 to provide a stronger link to ancient Kush Louis J Morie s book Histoire de l Ethiopie clearly influenced the names and regnal order of this section of the regnal list as it had also influenced previous dynasties 225 The author of the 1922 regnal list combined Morie s line of kings with pre existing Axumite regnal lists to form a longer line of monarchs from Menelik I s reign in the 10th century BC to Bazen s reign which coincided with the birth of Christ In many cases kings from Morie s book are combined with different kings from the Axumite regnal lists Peter Truhart in his book Regents of Nations stated that an Era of Nubian Supremacy began with the reign of Amen Hotep Zagdur as from this point onwards many kings names show clear links to the kings of Napata and Kush 84 Truhart also stated that the kings from Safelya Sabakon to Apras were likely related to or possibly identifiable with the Pharaohs of the Twenty fifth and Twenty sixth dynasties c 730 525 BC 84 He additionally noted that an Era of Meroen Influence began with the reign of Kashta Walda Ahuhu 84 No 226 Name 226 Length of reign 226 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 226 Year of the World 226 Reason for inclusion Notes99 Menelik I bm 25 years 982 957 BC 4518 4543 Son of Solomon and Makeda in Ethiopian Abyssinian tradition and named on all regnal lists as an ancestor of the Axumite kings Some previous regnal lists called this king Ibn Hakim or Ebna El Hakim meaning son of the wise man 227 228 229 The Kebra Nagast states he ruled in the 10th century BC which matches the dates listed here Some Ethiopian traditions state Menelik founded Aksum 230 while some chronicles claim this was done by Solomon 231 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia a group of Israelites came to Ethiopia with Menelik I and later became the ancestors of the Beta Israel tribe 232 Some previous regnal lists state Menelik s reign lasted either 24 25 or 29 years 227 229 228 100 Hanyon I bn 1 year 957 956 BC 4543 4544 Successor of Menelik I according to some older regnal lists 228 229 Previous regnal lists claim this king s reign lasted between 1 and 8 years 229 228 101 Sera I Tomai bo 26 years 956 930 BC 4544 4570 Tomai was the successor of Menelik I on some previous regnal lists 229 Successor of Ro ke Amen Menelik in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie with the name Zerakh 233 Zerah the Cushite is figure from the Bible who attempted to conquer the Kingdom of Judah but failed Son of Menelik I 234 At least one Ethiopian regnal list claims he ruled for 15 years 235 Sometimes known as Abd Rakid 235 Sera is also the name of a historical province which roughly corresponds to today s Warada Weqro in eastern Tigray 236 102 Amen Hotep Zagdur II bp 31 years 930 899 BC 4570 4601 Amenhotep was a son of and the successor of Zerakh in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie 237 Zagdur was the successor of Tomai on some earlier regnal lists 229 238 Both Heruy Wolde Selassie s list and Alaqa Taye s list state this king ruled for 41 years from 930 to 889 BC resulting in all of the following monarchs of this dynasty until Safelya Sabakon no 122 having their reign dates pushed forward by 10 years compared to Tafari s list 222 41 103 Aksumay Ramissu 20 years 899 879 BC 4601 4621 Aksumay was the successor of Zagdur on some earlier regnal lists 229 238 Ramissu was the son and successor of Amenhotep in Morie s Histoire de L Ethiopie 237 This king s name means The Aksumite 239 104 Awseyo Sera II bq 38 years 879 841 BC 4621 4659 Awseyo was the successor of Aksumay on some earlier regnal list 229 238 Sera II was the successor of Ramessou in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 240 Earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 3 years 229 238 Morie claimed this king launched a second invasion of Judah and carried off the family of Jehoram as related in the Bible 240 The reign dates for this king on this list roughly corresponds with the estimated reign dates for Jehoram c 849 842 BC 105 Tawasya II 21 years 841 820 BC 4659 4680 A king named Za Sawe or Sawe was the successor of Awseyo on some earlier regnal lists 241 228 A king named Tahawasya appears on different regnal lists but in a different chronological position 241 228 Peter Truhart theorised this king was the same ruler as Za Sawe 84 Earlier regnal lists state Za Sawe reigned for 31 or 34 years 241 227 106 Abralyus Piyankihi II br 32 years 820 788 BC 4680 4712 Abralyus was the successor of Tahawasya on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Piyankihi is a name for the Kushite Pharaoh of Nubia and Egypt Piye who was the founder of the Twenty fifth dynasty and was mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 242 107 Aksumay Warada Tsahay 23 years 788 765 BC 4712 4735 Warada Dahay was the successor of Abralyus on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Morie claimed this king reinstated the ancient cults after Aethiopia had been following Judaism since the reign of Menelik I 243 108 Kashta Hanyon II bs 13 years 765 752 BC 4735 4748 Kashta was a Kushite king who reigned before Piye but in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie was named as the successor of Piye 244 A king named Handadyu appears on earlier regnal lists as the second successor to Warada Dahay 245 238 109 Sabaka bt 12 years 752 740 BC 4748 4760 Shabaka was a Kushite Pharaoh of Nubia and Egypt r 705 690 BC who is named in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as the successor of Kashta though he actually succeeded his father Shebitku 244 Some historians have theorized that there may be some affinity between the word Saba and the name of the so called Aethiopian king Sabaka 246 110 Nicauta Kandake I bu Queen 10 years 740 730 BC 4760 4770 The inclusion of this queen on this regnal list may be inspired by Louis J Morie s claim that Amenirdis I was a Kantakeh queen who ruled as regent during the reigns of three Aethiopian kings 247 In reality Amenirdis was a God s Wife of Amun during the time of the Twenty fifth Dynasty of Egypt She was a daughter of Kashta The name Nicanta was used as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba by Morie 248 The first of 6 Queens on this list named Kandake the Meroitic term for the sister of the king of Kush who sometimes ruled over Kush and Nubia as regent or as a monarch in her own right 111 Tsawi Terhak Warada Nagash bv 49 years 730 681 BC 4770 4819 Terhak is a name for the Kushite Pharaoh Taharqa who ruled Nubia and Egypt from 690 to 664 BC and was mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as the successor of Shabaka 249 A king named Tahawasya was the successor of Handadyu on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Warada Nagash was the successor of Handadyu on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Mentioned in the Hebrew Bible 2 Kings 19 9 Isaiah 37 9 where he fought against Sennacherib of the Neo Assyrian Empire 250 The Hebrew Bible calls him the King of Ethiopia although this specifically refers to the Kingdom of Kush in Nubia 250 112 Erda Amen Awseya bw 6 years 681 675 BC 4819 4825 Ourd Amen was the successor and son in law of Tahraka in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 251 Awesya was the successor of Warada Nagash on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 113 Gasiyo Eskikatir bx 6 hours by 675 BC 4825 A king who reigned for half a day and succeeded Sawe to the throne according to some earlier regnal lists 229 Tafari s regnal list provides no dates or reign length for this king 211 Eskikatir means until Noon or until Midday 227 229 114 Nuatmeawn bz 4 years 675 671 BC 4825 4829 Historical Kushite Pharaoh Tantamani r 664 653 BC who was mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie under the name Nouat Meimoun 252 A king named Mawat or Mouta appeared on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists as the successor of Gasyo 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state that the reign of Mawat Maute lasted from 8 years and 4 months to 20 years and 1 month 227 228 115 Tomadyon Piyankihi III ca 12 years 671 659 BC 4829 4841 Toma Seyon was usually the successor of Elalyion on some older regnal lists but is named as the successor of Masyo on at least one recorded list 253 238 Piankhi III was the successor of Nouat Meimaoun in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 254 Husband of Amenirdis I in Morie s narrative 254 Toma Seyon means Twin of Zion 255 116 Amen Asro II cb 16 years 659 643 BC 4841 4857 Successor of Piankhi III in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 254 Historical Kushite king Amanislo 256 who actually reigned in the 3rd century BC 117 Piyankihi IV Awtet cc 34 years 643 609 BC 4857 4891 Piankhi IV was the successor of Amen as ro II in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 258 Awtet was named on some earlier Ethiopian regnal lists though usually as the successor of Basyo 241 238 Son of Piyankihi III and Amenirdis I in Morie s narrative 258 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia in the year 627 B C 4873 A M the tribe of Asmakih disputed with Pharaoh Psamtik I and an army of 240 000 deserted him and came to Ethiopia joining the Ethiopian king 259 The king was in Nawatan Napata at the time and gladly took them in allowing them to reconquer territory that had been lost to enemies 257 This tribe later settled where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet and built a city called Ezar where they lived for 300 years the territory was later the location of the Shilluk Kingdom 257 This narrative was directly lifted from Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie in which he included a very similar narrative but instead claimed this took place in the reign of Amenasro II 260 118 Zaware Nebret Aspurta cd 41 years 609 568 BC 4891 4932 Zaware Nebrat was the successor of Awtet on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Historical Kushite king Aspelta r c 600 580 BC who is mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as the successor of Piankhi IV 258 Zaware Nebrat means seed of the High Priest 255 119 Saifay Harsiataw ce 12 years 568 556 BC 4932 4944 Safay was the successor of Zaware Nebrat on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Historical Kushite king Harsiotef r c 404 369 BC who is mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as the successor of Aspourta 261 120 Ramhay Nastossanan 14 years 556 542 BC 4944 4958 Ramhay was the successor of Safay on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Historical Kushite king Nastasen r c 335 315 BC who is mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as the successor of Hor se atew I and the first of the Meroite kings 262 An unpublished chronicle from Aksum states that a king named Ramahay reigned at the time of Alexander the Great and asked for Greek technicians and engineers to build palaces monuments and stelae one of which was destroyed centuries later by Gudit 263 Alexander s rule of Egypt did not take place until 332 BC over two centuries after these dates and thus either the dating is wrong or this legend refers to the second king named Ramhay on this list no 145 Perhaps coincidentally the Nubian king Nastasen did in fact reign during the time of Alexander the Great It is unknown if this is the reason why the author of this regnal list associated Nastasen with Ramahay despite the Nubian king s absence on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists 121 Handu Wuha Abra cf 11 years 542 531 BC 4958 4969 Hande was the successor of Ramhay on some earlier regnal lists 241 Houd es ew was the successor of Nastosenen in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 264 E A Wallis Budge believed the name Wuha Abra is from the Egyptian name Wahibre used by kings such as Wahibre Ibiau 109 In Morie s narrative this monarch was king Hydaspes of Aethiopia a character from Aethiopica an ancient Greek book written by Heliodorus of Emesa in either the 220s or 370s AD 265 122 Safelya Sabakon cg 31 years 531 500 BC 4969 5000 Safelya was the successor of Hande on some earlier regnal lists 241 Sabakon was an alternate name for Kushite Pharaoh Shabaka 109 as used by Diodorus in his work Bibliothecia Historia 86 123 Agalbus Sepekos ch 22 years 500 478 BC 5000 5022 Aglebul was the successor of Safelya on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Sepekos Sebikhos is an alternate name for the Kushite Pharaoh Shebitku used in Manetho s Aegyptica 266 Both Taye Gabra Mariam s list and Heruy Wolde Selassie s list stated this king reigned for 21 years from 490 to 469 BC 41 222 This combined with the addition of 10 years to Amen Hotep Zagdur s reign earlier results in all monarchs of this dynasty up to Feliya Hernekhit on Selassie s list and Nicotnis Kandake V on Taye s list having their reign dates pushed forward by 11 years compared to Tafari s list 124 Psmenit Warada Nagash ci 21 years 478 457 BC 5022 5043 Warada Nagash appears on earlier regnal lists though usually as the successor of Handadyu 241 238 Possibly based on one of the pharaohs of the Twenty sixth dynasty named Psamtik 109 Psamtik II invaded Kush in 592 BC and sacked Napata 267 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia the Amharic language was spoken at least as far back as the year 478 BC 5022 AM 268 125 Awseya Tarakos cj 12 years 457 445 BC 5043 5055 Awesya was the successor of Warada Nagash on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Possibly an alternate name for Taharqa 84 126 Kanaz Psmis ck 13 years 445 432 BC 5055 5068 Kanaz appears on some earlier regnal lists though usually as the successor of Kawida 241 228 Son of Awseya Tarakos according to Tafari s list 269 Earlier regnal lists state this king s reign lasted 10 years 241 228 127 Apras cl 10 years 432 422 BC 5068 5078 Historical Egyptian pharaoh Apries r 589 570 BC 109 This pharaoh is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Jeremiah 44 30 128 Kashta Walda Ahuhu cm 20 years 422 402 BC 5078 5098 Walda Mehrat is named on at least one earlier regnal list as the successor of Tahawasya 235 Walda Ekhuhu is an Ethiopian form of son of his brother similar to the titles used by the Ptolemies 224 129 Elalion Taake cn 10 years 402 392 BC 5098 5108 Elaliyon was the successor of Awseya on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Taaaken is mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as a king who ruled about half a century after Houd as ew and over a century before Kantakeh II 270 Restored Judaism as the official religion of Aethiopia according to Morie 239 130 Atserk Amen III co 10 years 392 382 BC 5108 5118 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as a king who ruled in the 4th century BC 272 Peter Truhart re numbered this king as Atserk Amen I likely because no king of this name appears earlier on the 1922 regnal list 273 The confusion over the numbering of the kings named Atserk Amen stems from the numbering used by Morie who named this king the third to use this name 274 However the first two kings named Atserk Amen in his narrative were renamed to Sera I Tomai no 101 and Awseyo Sera II no 104 on the 1922 Ethiopian regnal list Truhart also believed that the four kings named Atserk Amen were based on the name of a Merotic king 275 though does not specify who 131 Atserk Amen IV cp 10 years 382 372 BC 5118 5128 Mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as a king who ruled in the 3rd century BC and was the successor of Erk Amen I 276 Peter Truhart re numbered this king as Atserk Amen II 273 132 Hadina Queen 10 years 372 362 BC 5128 5138 Successor of Kanaz on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists 241 228 Earlier regnal lists claim this monarch ruled for 9 years and did not specify the ruler s gender 241 228 133 Atserk Amen V cq 10 years 362 352 BC 5138 5148 Peter Truhart re numbered this king as Atserk Amen III 273 134 Atserk Amen VI cr 10 years 352 342 BC 5148 5158 Peter Truhart re numbered this king as Atserk Amen IV 273 135 Nikawla Kandake II cs Queen 10 years 342 332 BC 5158 5168 Kantakeh II was a queen who ruled in the 4th century BC during the time of Alexander the Great in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie which also identified her as the queen from the Alexander Romance 277 Nicaula was a name that was sometimes used to refer to the Queen of Sheba 278 Morie listed this as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba 248 Giovanni Boccaccio in his work De Mulieribus Claris 1361 1362 claimed that queen Nicaula was queen of Aethiopia Egypt and Arabia and had a large palace on the island of Meroe 279 The Queen of Sheba was also called Nicaula in The Book of the City of Ladies 1405 by Christine de Pizan and A New History of Ethiopia 1684 by Hiob Ludolf the latter doubting Giovanni Boccaccio s claim that Nicaula was also queen of Egypt 280 Portuguese missionary Jeronimo Lobo noted that contemporary Abyssinians Ethiopians in the 17th century sometimes used the name Nicaula for the Queen of Sheba alongside the names Makeda and Nagista Azeb 281 136 Bassyo ct 7 years 332 325 BC 5168 5175 Basyo appears on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists as the successor of Toma Seyon 241 238 137 Akawsis Kandake III cu Queen 10 years 325 315 BC 5175 5185 Kantakeh III was a queen who ruled in the 1st century BC as the first of the Blemmyes dynasty in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 282 Nicausis was listed by Morie as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba 248 138 Arkamen I cv 10 years 315 305 BC 5185 5195 Erk Amen I was mentioned in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie as a king who ruled in the 3rd century BC and succeeded Atserk Amen III 283 Louis J Morie s original narrative identified this king with Ergamenes a Kushite king mentioned in the writings of Diodorus Siculus 284 Modern day archaeologists consider Arqamani to be the most likely king of Kush that the story of Ergamenes is based on Alaqa Taye swapped this king s position with Awtet Arawura below 41 139 Awtet Arawura cw 10 years 305 295 BC 5195 5205 Awtet was named on some earlier Ethiopian regnal lists as the successor of Basyo 241 238 Arou Amen was the successor of Atserk Amen IV in Louis J Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 285 Taye Gabra Mariam swapped this king s position with Arkamen I above 41 140 Kolas Koletro cx 10 years 295 285 BC 5205 5215 Kalaz appeared on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Hadir 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 6 or 7 years 241 228 141 Zaware Nebrat II cy 16 years 285 269 BC 5215 5231 Named on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Awtet 241 238 142 Stiyo cz 14 years 269 255 BC 5231 5245 Satiyo appears on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Kalaz 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 16 or 17 years 241 228 143 Safay II da 13 years 255 242 BC 5245 5258 Named on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Zaware Nebrat 241 238 144 Nikosis Kandake IV db Queen 10 years 242 232 BC 5258 5268 Nicausis was listed by Morie as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba 248 Kantakeh IV was a queen who ruled in the 1st century BC and succeeded Kantakeh III in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 286 145 Ramhay Arkamen II dc 10 years 232 222 BC 5268 5278 Ramhay was the successor of Safay on some earlier regnal lists 241 238 Erk Amen II was the son and successor of Kantakeh IV in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 286 Likely a Kushite king 273 either Arakamani or Arqamani who ruled Kush in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC However it is more likely this king is intended to be Arakamani often equated with Ergamenes a Nubian king reported by Greek historian Agatharchides to have reigned during the time of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV of Egypt r 221 204 BC An unpublished chronicle from Axum states that a king named Ramahay reigned at the time of Alexander the Great and asked for Greek technicians and engineers to build palaces monuments and stelae one of which was destroyed centuries later by Gudit 263 Alexander s rule of Egypt took place during 332 323 BC and thus this king s reign on this regnal list is a century too late to be a contemporary of Alexander However this story of king Ramahay bears notable similarities with the story of Ergamenes who was said to have been instructed in Greek philosophy interested in Greek art and the general Greek way of life 287 It is therefore possible that naming this king Ramhay Arkamen is intended to reflect that Ramahay is to be identified with Ergamenes 146 Feliya Hernekhit dd 15 years 222 207 BC 5278 5293 Filiya was the successor of Satiyo on some earlier regnal lists 241 228 Hor nekht atew was a king who succeeded Erk Amen III in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 288 Earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 26 years 241 228 147 Hende Awkerara de 20 years 207 187 BC 5293 5313 Handu was the successor of Ramhay or Bawawel on some earlier regnal lists 241 228 Ouikera was the successor of Hor nekht atew in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 289 Son of Feliya Hernekhit 288 Heruy Wolde Selassie s regnal list states this king reigned for 22 years 271 This along with the addition of 10 years to the reign of Amen Hotep Zagdur no 102 and the removal of 1 year from the reign of Agalbus Sepekos no 123 results in all monarchs up to Queen Nicotnis Kandake V no 162 having their reign dates pushed forward by 11 years compared to Tafari s list 148 Agabu Baseheran df 10 years 187 177 BC 5313 5323 Aglebu Aglebul was the successor of Feliya or Safelya on some earlier regnal lists 241 228 Psheraan was the successor of Ouikera in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 290 Son of Hende Awkerara 290 Some earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 3 years 228 149 Sulay Kawawmenun dg 20 years 177 157 BC 5323 5343 Khouwoumenou was successor of Psheraan in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 290 Kawida was the successor of Bahas on some earlier regnal lists 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 2 years 241 228 150 Messelme Kerarmer dh 8 years 157 149 BC 5343 5351 Tereremen was the next known king after Psheraan in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 291 Mesalamieh Messalanieh was a city in Sudan named in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 292 151 Nagey Bsente di 10 years 149 139 BC 5351 5361 Psentes was the next known king after Tereremen in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 293 152 Etbenukawer 10 years 139 129 BC 5361 5371 Berou Kanower was the next known king after Psentes in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 293 153 Safeliya Abramen dj 20 years 129 109 BC 5371 5391 Ab ra amen was a king who reigned at some point after Berou Kanower in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 288 Safelya appears on some earlier Ethiopian regnal lists though usually as the successor of Gotoba Hande or Ramhay 253 241 238 E A Wallis Budge and Peter Truhart both suggested that this king could be the Axumite king Aphilas 294 although the reign dates on this list are far too early 154 Sanay dk 10 years 109 99 BC 5391 5401 155 Awsena dl Queen 11 years 99 88 BC 5401 5412 Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Aglebu 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state this monarch ruled for only 1 year and did not specify the gender 241 228 156 Dawit II 10 years 88 78 BC 5412 5422 The reason why Tafari called this king Dawit II may be because Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam numbered the king this way and referred to Menelik I as Dawit in his regnal list 41 157 Aglbul dm 8 years 78 70 BC 5422 5430 Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Feliya 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 3 years 241 228 158 Bawawl dn 10 years 70 60 BC 5430 5440 Appears on earlier regnal lists usually as the successor of Aglebul 241 238 159 Barawas do 10 years 60 50 BC 5440 5450 Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Bawawel or Awsina 241 80 Some earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 29 years 241 228 Name means esteemed defender 255 160 Dinedad dp 10 years 50 40 BC 5450 5460 161 Amoy Mahasse 5 years 40 35 BC 5460 5465 Mahasi appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Birwas 241 228 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 1 year 241 228 Name means Pious man 255 162 Nicotnis Kandake V dq Queen 10 years 35 25 BC 5465 5475 Nitocris was listed by Morie as one of the alternate names for the Queen of Sheba 248 Nitocris was the name of a woman who was Divine Adoratrice of Amun and God s Wife of Amun and succeeded two different Kushite women in both offices Kushite queen Amanirenas reigned during this period but her rule did not extend to modern day Ethiopia 163 Nalke dr 5 years 25 20 BC 5475 5480 Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of Mahasse 241 228 One version of Heruy Wolde Selassie s regnal list and Alaqa Taye s regnal list both state that this king reigned for 4 years from 14 to 10 BC 271 41 Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa stated that this king reigned for 2 years 295 164 Luzay 12 years 20 8 BC 5480 5492 Appears on at least one earlier regnal list under the name Laka as the successor of Nalke 228 One version of Heruy Wolde Selassie s regnal list and Taye Gabra Mariam s regnal list both state that this king reigned for 2 years from 10 to 8 BC 271 41 In the case of Selassie s list this was done due to the Christianisation of Ethiopia being moved forward ten years from 317 to 327 296 Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa stated that this king reigned for 8 years 295 165 Bazen 17 years 8 BC 9 AD 5492 5509 Appears on most earlier regnal lists as a king who reigned 8 years before the birth of Christ 241 80 Successor of Laka Luzay on at least one list 228 Other lists place Bazen after Mahasse or Nalke 241 80 Some earlier regnal lists claim this king ruled for 16 years 80 Ethiopian historian Fisseha Yaze Kassa stated that this king reigned for 6 years 295 A tomb is known to exist for this king and some local Ethiopian traditions claim he was Bathlazar 297 Egyptologist Henry Salt claimed that he saw an ancient inscription on a stone in a church in Axum stating This is the sepulchral stone of Bazen 298 He did however claim that this was the name of several Abyssinian kings so he may not have been referring to this specific king 298 Before Christ 165 sovereigns reigned 269 Monarchs who reigned after the birth of Christ 297 years edit nbsp Rembrandt The Baptism of the Eunuch c 1626Text accompanying this section These thirty five sovereigns at the time of Akapta Tsenfa Arad had been Christianized by the Apostle Saint Matthew There were few men who did not believe for they had heard the words of the gospel After this Jen Daraba favourite of the Queen of Ethiopia Garsemat Kandake crowned by Gabre Hawariat Kandake had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem according to the law of Orit the ancient law ds and on his return Philip the Apostle sic taught him the gospel and after he had made him believe the truth he sent him back baptising him in the name of the trinity The latter the Queen s favourite on his return to his country taught by word of mouth the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ and baptised them Those who were baptised not having found an Apostle to teach them the Gospel had been living offering sacrifices to God according to the ancient prescription and the Jewish Law 300 Despite the text above claiming that Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia during this line of monarchs Charles Rey pointed out that this retelling of events contradicts both the known information around the Christianisation of Ethiopia and the story of Queen Ahwya Sofya and Abreha and Atsbeha in the next section 301 The claim that Matthew the Apostle had Christianized king Akaptah Tsenfa Arad no 167 is inspired by Louis J Morie s narrative in Historie de l Ethiopie in which he claimed that a king named Hakaptah ruled Aethiopia beginning in c 40 AD and it was during his reign that Matthew converted the king s daughter Ephigenia 302 This narrative was inspired by the older Church story of Matthew which involved a king named Egippus 303 The story of Garsemot Kandake VI and Jen Daraba is based on the Biblical story of the Ethiopian eunuch who was the treasurer of Kandake queen of the Ethiopians and was baptized after travelling to Jerusalem However the eunuch was actually baptised by Philip the Evangelist not Philip the Apostle as Tafari mistakenly states Louis J Morie s narrative did not accept that this Kandake queen whom he numbered fifth rather than sixth was the one who is mentioned in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch 304 The apparent contradiction in story of the Christianisation of Ethiopia according to Tafari s regnal list is due to an attempt to accommodate both the native Abyssinian tradition around Abreha and Atsbeha and the Biblical traditions of Ethiopia i e Nubia Taye Gabra Mariam s version of this list does not refer to the traditions of the Baptism by Matthew the Apostle and the Biblical Kandake choosing not to include the name Akaptah for the 167th monarch and not including the name Kandake for the 169th monarch 305 This section is the last part of the regnal list that directly refers to ancient Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush which came to an end in the 4th century AD following its conquest by Ezana Peter Truhart believed that the line of Axumite kings begins with Gaza Agdur no 188 and dated the beginning of his reign to c 150 306 Note All monarchs numbered 166 to 200 with the exception of 168 and 169 appear on earlier Ethiopian regnal lists see Regnal lists of Ethiopia The other lists suggest there are multiple distinct traditions regarding the order of succession from Bazen to Abreha and Atsbeha which this regnal list attempts to combine into a longer line of succession Numerous monarchs also have their names expanded or altered specially for the 1922 regnal list No 307 Name 307 Length of reign 307 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 307 Year of the World 307 Reason for inclusion Notes166 Sartu Tsenfa Asagad dt 21 years 9 30 5509 5530 Sartu succeeded Bazen on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Senfa Asgad succeeded Bazen on some earlier regnal lists 310 311 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 26 or 27 years 308 309 This king was remembered as a bad ruler 312 167 Akaptah Tsenfa Arad du 8 years 30 38 5530 5538 An Aethiopian king named Egippus who in Church tradition was the father of saint Ephigenia of Ethiopia who was consecrated by Matthew 303 This king appeared in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie under the name Hakaptah and was dated to the 1st century AD 286 Senfa Arad succeeded Bazen on some earlier regnal lists 314 315 Both Heruy Wolde Selassie s regnal list and Taye Gabra Mariam s regnal list state this king ruled for only 2 years from 30 to 32 AD 313 41 Settah An additional king named on Taye Gabra Mariam s version of this list who reigned for 8 years from 32 to 40 41 168 Horemtaku dv 2 years 38 40 5538 5540 King Hirtacus who in Church tradition asked Matthew the Apostle to persuade Ephigenia to marry him but instead Matthew rebuked the king for lusting after her and the king promptly had Matthew killed while he stood at the altar 316 This king appeared in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie under the name Hor em tekhou and succeeded Hakaptah 317 Brother of Akaptah Tsenfa Arad 317 Taye Gabra Mariam s list stated this king reigned from 40 to 42 41 Heruy Wolde Selassie s regnal list stated this king reigned from 32 to 34 313 169 Garsemot Kandake VI dw Queen 10 years 40 50 5540 5550 Kandake or Candace the Biblical queen of the Aethiopians whose eunuch travelled to Jerusalem and was converted by Philip the Evangelist A queen named Kandake succeeded Hor em tekhou in Morie s Histoire de l Ethiopie 318 The historical Kandake whose period of rule may align with this monarch could be Amanitore who ruled in the 1st century AD According to some Ethiopian traditions the first church of Ethiopia the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion was built during this queen s reign by eunuch after her converstion to Christianity 319 However it is more likely the church was built by Ezana in the 4th century after his conversion to Christianity 320 Heruy Wolde Selassie s regnal list stated this queen ruled for 8 years from 34 to 42 313 Taye Gabra Mariam s list likewise claimed this queen ruled for 8 years but dated her reign to 42 50 41 Manfred Kropp theorised the name Garsemot was an altered form of the names Germa Sor or Germa Asfare that appear on some earlier regnal lists 313 170 Hatoza Bahr Asagad dx 28 years 50 78 5550 5578 Bahar Asgad succeeded Senfa Asgad or Senfa Arad on some earlier regnal lists 321 322 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia a group of Jews fled to Ethiopia after the Seige of Jerusalem and became part of the Beta Israel 232 171 Mesenh Germasir dy 7 years 78 85 5578 5585 Masenh appears on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Les who followed Sartu 308 309 Germa Sor succeeded Bahar Asgad on some earlier regnal lists 314 Earlier regnal lists state Masenh ruled for 6 or 7 years 308 309 172 Metwa Germa Asfar dz 9 years 85 94 5585 5594 Sutuwa succeeded Masenh on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Germa Asfare succeeded Germa Sor on some earlier regnal lists 314 Earlier regnal lists state Sutuwa reigned for 9 or 12 years 308 309 323 173 Adgala II ea 10 years and 6 months 94 104 5594 5604 Successor of Sutuwa on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Earlier regnal lists state a variety of different reign lengths for this king ranging from 10 years and 2 months to 16 years and 6 months 323 308 309 174 Agba 6 months eb 104 105 5604 5605 Successor of Adgala on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 At least one regnal lists stated this king ruled for 7 months instead 323 175 Serada 16 years 105 121 5605 5621 Appears on some earlier regnal lists usually as the successor of Germa Asfare 308 176 Malis Alameda I 4 years 121 125 5621 5625 Malik appears on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Agba 308 309 Earlier regnal lists state Malik reigned either 4 6 or 7 years 308 324 309 Malik is a Semitic word for king 177 Hakabe Nasohi Tseyon ec 6 years 125 131 5625 5631 Kulu Seyon succeeded either Serada or Germa Asfare on some earlier regnal lists 308 325 Only known as Tsyion on pre 20th century regnal lists 322 This king was a scholar and fluent in the Greek language but was also greedy and debauched 326 178 Hakli Sergway ed 12 years 131 143 5631 5643 Hakali succeeded Malik on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Sharguay succeeded Kulu Seyon on some earlier regnal lists 310 Hakli could be the Aksumite king Zoskales the earliest known king of Axum who ruled in c 100 Egyptologist Henry Salt and Ethiopian scholar Sergew Hable Sellassie both theorised that Zoskales was the king known as Za Haqala or Za Hakale that appears on some Ethiopian regnal lists 327 328 However G W B Huntingford felt that there is not enough evidence to support this identification 329 Earlier regnal lists state Hakli reigned for 13 years 309 308 179 Dedme Zaray ee 10 years 143 153 5643 5653 Demahe succeeded Hakli on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Zaray succeeded Sharguay on some earlier regnal lists 310 322 180 Awtet ef 2 years 153 155 5653 5655 Successor of Demahe on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 181 Alaly Bagamay 7 years 155 162 5655 5662 Bagamay succeeded Zaray on some earlier regnal lists 310 Brother of Dedme Zaray 330 The names Bagamai and Arka Herka are often listed independently on other Ethiopian regnal lists which could mean that they are two different kings 331 However no regnal list apart from Tafari s includes both names so it is possible they are meant to be two names for the same person 182 Awadu Jan Asagad eg 30 years 162 192 5662 5692 Aweda succeeded Awtet on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Jan Asgad succeeded Bagamay on some earlier regnal lists 310 Brother of Dedme Zaray 330 Morie believed this was the king whose conquests was recorded on the Monumentum Adulitanum inscription 332 183 Zagun Tseyon Hegez eh 5 years 192 197 5692 5697 Zigen appears on some earlier regnal lists as a co ruler with Rema and successor of Aweda 308 309 Seyon Hegez succeeded Jan Asgad on some earlier regnal lists 310 Zigen and Rema co ruled for either 8 20 or 40 years on earlier regnal lists 308 309 324 184 Rema Tseyon Geza 3 years 197 200 5697 5700 Rema appears on some earlier regnal lists as a co ruler with Zigen and successor of Aweda 308 309 Seyon Geza succeeded Saba Asgad on some earlier regnal lists 314 322 185 Azegan Malbagad ei 7 years 200 207 5700 5707 Moal Genha succeeded Seyon Hegez on some earlier regnal lists 310 Taye Gabra Mariam s list stated this king reigned either 5 or 7 years 41 186 Gafale Seb Asagad ej 1 year 207 208 5707 5708 Gafale succeeded Zigen and Rema on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Saba Asgad succeeded Zaray on some earlier regnal lists 314 322 187 Tsegay Beze Wark ek 4 years 208 212 5708 5712 Besi Sark succeeded Gafale on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 188 Gaza Agdur 9 years 212 221 5712 5721 Agdur succeeded Ṣenfa Arad or Saifa Arad on earlier regnal lists 310 322 Known as Graza Agdour in a list attached at the end of the Acta of Abreha and Atsbeha found in the Axum Zion Church which also states he reigned for 8 years from 212 to 221 333 This king may be identifiable with the Aksumite king GDRT who appears in some regnal lists under the name Gedur Zegdur or Zegduru Ze meaning of in Ge ez A similarly named king Amen Hotep Zagdur appears earlier in Tafari s list as no 102 However archaeologists believe that king GDRT reigned at some point in the early third century AD which more closely matches the date of the 188th king on this list The name of this king could be a reference to Gaza in Palestine which was promised by king Solomon to Makeda according to the Kebra Nagast 334 189 Agduba Asgwegwe el 8 years 221 229 5721 5729 Asgwagwa succeeded Besi Sark on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Known as Agdour Asguagua in a list attached at the end of the Acta of Abreha and Atsbeha found in the Axum Zion Church which also states that he reigned for 8 years from 221 to 229 333 Some chronicles claim that a king named Azguagua was the son of a king named Alada and was converted to Christianity by Frumentius and his brother Edesius 230 The 1922 regnal list rejects this tradition and instead dates the conversion of Ethiopia to Christianity in the reign of Ahywa Sofya The reign dates for Asgwegwe on this list are also far too early to be in line with the lifetime of Frumentius Earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 76 or 77 years 308 309 Peter Truhart identified this king with the Axumite king ʽDBH or Adhebah 306 190 Dawiza em 1 year 229 230 5729 5730 Besi Sawesa appears on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Herka who is not included on this list 308 309 Brother of Agduba Asgwegwe 335 191 Wakana Queen 2 days en 230 5730 Successor of Besi Sawesa on some earlier regnal lists which do not state Wakana s gender 308 309 192 Hadawz 4 months 230 5730 Hadus succeeded Wakana on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Some regnal lists state this king ruled for 2 months 309 193 Ailassan Sagal eo 3 years 230 233 5730 5733 Sagal succeeded Hadus on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Some regnal lists state this king ruled for 2 years 324 Peter Truhart identified this king as the Axumite king Zoskales and dated the beginning of his reign to c 210 or 220 306 194 Asfehi Asfeha ep 14 years 233 247 5733 5747 Asfeha succeeded Sagal on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 Some regnal lists state this king ruled for 10 years 309 195 Atsgaba Seifa Arad eq 6 years 247 253 5747 5753 Saifa Arad appeared on some earlier regnal lists but usually as the successor of Moal Genha or Seyon Geza 310 322 According to the Tarika Nagast History of Kings the father of Abreha and Atsbeha was king Sayfa Ar ed 336 E A Wallis Budge referred to the king from the Tarika Nagast account as Senfa Arad II 337 This identification however still raises questions over the 1922 regnal list as this king is followed by four further kings before the mother of Abreha and Atsbeha becomes ruler of Ethiopia One regnal list quoted by Carlo Conti Rossini claimed that Seifa Arad was the throne name of king Tazer 315 who numbered 199 on this list is plausibly the father of Abreha and Atsbeha 196 Ayba 17 years 253 270 5753 5770 Named on earlier regnal lists but usually as the successor of Samera 308 309 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 16 or 17 years 308 309 197 Tsaham Lakniduga er 9 years 270 279 5770 5779 Saham is named on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Eskendi 308 309 Son of Ayba 306 198 Tsegab 10 years 279 289 5779 5789 Named on some earlier regnal lists as the successor of Asfeha 308 309 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 23 years 308 309 Peter Truhart tentatively identified this king as the Axumite king Wazeba 306 This identification allows for Tafari s list to match with archaeological evidence that shows that Wazeba was succeeded by Ousanas who Truhart identifies with the next king Tazer Truhart dated the beginning of this king s reign to c 300 and stated his reign lasted for either 10 or 13 years 306 199 Tazer es 10 years 289 299 5789 5799 Appears on at least one earlier regnal list as the successor of Ahendir 338 This king s throne name was Sayfa Arad 338 336 Father of Abreha and Atsbeha according to a book titled Gedle Abreha and Asbeha from the Church of Abreha wa Atsbeha 339 Peter Truhart identified this king with Ela Ameda or Ousanas 306 This identification allows for Tafari s list to match with archaeological evidence that shows Ousanas was succeeded by his wife Sofya as regent before their son became king of Axum A king named Ameda reigned before Ahywa on some earlier regnal lists and was in power for at least 30 years 308 309 200 Ahywa Sofya et Queen 7 years 299 306 5799 5806 Ahywa was the immediate predecessor of Abreha and Atsbeha on some earlier regnal lists 308 309 According to an unpublished history of the kings of Axum a queen named Ahiyewa was the mother of Abreha and Atsbeha and she ruled for three years during the minority of her sons 340 Wife of Tazer according to Gedle Abreha and Asbeha 339 Tafari s regnal list notes that her regnal name was Sofya and she was the mother of Abreha Atsbeha 341 An Aksumite queen named Sofya ruled Axum as regent following the death of her husband Ousanas otherwise known as Ella Allada in c 330 Her son was king Ezana Some earlier regnal lists state that Ahywa reigned for 3 years 308 309 Peter Truhart de dated the beginning of this queen s reign to c 325 306 Manfred Kropp de theorised that the story of Queen Ahywa Sofya and her sons Abreha and Atsbeha was modeled on Roman Empress Helena and her son Constantine I and that the traditional date of the conversion of Ethiopia to Christianity 317 is deliberately placed before the time of the First Council of Nicaea 342 Christian Sovereigns 187 years edit Chronological table of the Christian sovereigns who received baptism and followed completely the law of the Gospel 341 nbsp Church of Abreha and AtsbehaBrothers Abreha and Atsbeha are often cited in Ethiopian tradition as the first Christian kings of Ethiopia According to Tyrannius Rufinus Christianity was introduced to this region by Frumentius and his brother Edesius They were sailing down the Red Sea with a Syrian merchant named Meropius when they landed on the coast and were seized by the native people who spared the two brothers and took them to the king Frumentius was made the king s chancellor and Edesius was made cupbearer or butler After the king s death the widowed queen asked both men to stay until her son was grown up and Frumentius assisted her in ruling the kingdom During his time in power Frumentius had many churches built and obtained facilities to allow more trade with Christians and years later asked Athanasius the Pope of Alexandria to send a bishop to Abyssinia to teach the Christians there who had no leader E A Wallis Budge believed that the brothers had initially arrived at Adulis 343 Tafari s regnal list reflects the above tradition by specifically crediting Frumentius under the name of Aba Salama with introducing Christianity during the rule of queen Ahywa Sofya who is the widowed queen of the story According to Tyrannius Rufinus the Axumites converted to Christianity during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine I 306 337 344 The dating of Tafari s list aligns with this narrative Heruy Wolde Selassie s book Wazema provided a somewhat different explanation for the Christinisation of Ethiopia According to him Frumentius known as Kasate Berhan Revealer of the Light of Faith went from Ethiopia to Alexandria in 309 E C and was appointed by Athanasius as Metropolitan of Ethiopia where he returned in 330 and baptized the Ethiopians 313 Selassie also stated that according to the Synaxarium Frumentius was sent to Egypt by Queen Sofya with letters for the Patriarch arriving there before the Council of Nicaea 317 E C but only returning to Ethiopia in 330 313 Peter Truhart believed that a period of disintegration began with the reign of Queen Adhana I during which there may have been multiple reigning monarchs at the same time 345 Truhart dated this period to c 375 450 345 E A Wallis Budge previously stated that he believed there were kinglets who ruled parts of Ethiopia between 360 and 480 separate from other lines of kings This theory was used to explain why there was so much variation between different Ethiopian regnal lists Budge identified most of the monarchs from Adhana I to Lewi as kinglets 346 while the later kings were those who appear more frequently on regnal lists John Stewart s book African States and Rulers provides alternate reign dates and succession order for the monarchs from Abreha I to Del Na od 347 No 341 Name 341 Length of reign 341 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 341 Year of the World 341 Reason for inclusion Notes In the year 327 sic after Jesus Christ 11 years after the reign of these two sovereigns mother and son the gospel was introduced to Ethiopia by Abba Salama and the Queen Sofya who was baptised became a good Christian 341 eu 201 Abreha and Atsbeha ev Joint rule 26 years 306 332 5806 5832 Regarded traditionally as the first Christian monarchs of Ethiopia in the early 4th century 350 They appear on all Regnal lists of Ethiopia that cover the Christian period The names Abreha and Atsbeha may be corruptions of the names of Ezana and his brother Shiazana 351 352 Egyptologist Henry Salt equated Abreha with Ezana and Atsbeha with Saizana 353 However E A Wallis Budge was skeptical of this and suggested that the chroniclers deliberately avoided mentioning Ezana and Shizana and instead preferred to claim conversion took place through members of the so called Solomonic line which Ezana and Shizana may not have been part of 354 It is known that it was Ezana who was the first king to convert to Christianity due to the teachings of Aba Salama Despite this Ezana is largely absent from many Ethiopian regnal lists 355 Stuart Munro Hay theorized that the story of Abreha and Atsbeha resulted from a confusion over two historical figures The Aksumite king Kaleb whose throne name was Ella Atsbeha and Aksumite general Abraha who promoted Christianity in Yemen 356 The dates on this list roughly correspond with the estimated period of Ezana s reign by historians c 320s 360 According to Tafari it was during this joint reign that Aba Salama introduced the Gospel to Ethiopia in 327 and the Queen Ahwya Sofya was baptised 341 Manfred Kropp de argued that this date was wrong and it should be 317 349 Some Ethiopian traditions state that it was in the year 333 that the people converted to Christianity 337 On the version of this regnal list included in Heruy Wolde Selassie s Wazema the date of Christianization is brought forward by ten years to 327 296 Some earlier regnal lists state these kings ruled for 27 years 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian for Abreha and Atsbeha from John Stewart 356 370 347 Peter Truhart dated Ezana s reign to c 339 365 26 years 345 Peter Truhart dated the beginning of Saizana s reign to c 365 and believed he reigned 17 years 345 202 ew Abreha or Atsbeha alone ex 12 years 332 344 5832 5844 Earlier regnal lists specify that one of the brother ruled by himself after the joint reign but differ on whether this was Abreha or Atsbeha 358 359 203 Asfeh Dalz ey 7 years 344 351 5844 5851 Successor of Abreha and Atsbeha on some earlier regnal lists 357 One regnal list quoted by Pedro Paez stated this king co ruled with Arfed and Amsi who were all brothers and divided each day into three parts so each could rule during a different part of the day 360 204 Sahel I ez 14 years 351 365 5851 5865 Successor of Asfeh on some earlier regnal lists 357 One tradition states that this king was a co ruler with Abreha and Atsbeha from 356 to 370 and that each day of their joint reign was divided into three parts so that each king was absolute during a specific part of the day 346 Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king s reign to c 365 and theorized that he may be the same king as Saizana 345 205 Arfed Gebra Maskal 4 years 365 369 5865 5869 Successor of Asfeh on some earlier regnal lists 361 359 One regnal list quoted by Pedro Paez stated this king co ruled with Asfeh and Amsi who were all brothers and divided each day into three parts so each could rule during a different part of the day 360 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 370 374 347 206 Adhana I fa Queen 5 years 369 374 5869 5874 Successor of Sahel I on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal list state this monarch ruled for 14 years and did not specify the gender 357 362 Name means God renews him 363 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 374 379 347 207 Riti 1 year 374 375 5874 5875 Successor of Adhana I on some earlier regnal lists 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 379 380 347 208 Asfeh II fb 1 year 375 376 5875 5876 Successor of Riti on some earlier regnal lists 357 Son of Asfeh Dalz or Arfed Gebra Maskal 363 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 380 381 347 209 Atsbeha II 5 years 376 381 5876 5881 Successor of Asfeh II on some earlier regnal lists 357 Son of Asfeh II 363 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 381 386 347 210 Ameda I fc 15 years 381 396 5881 5896 Successor of Atsbeha II on some earlier regnal lists 357 Second son of Asfeh II 363 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 386 401 347 211 Abreha II 7 months 396 5896 Successor of Ameda on some earlier regnal lists 357 Some earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 6 months 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 401 347 212 Sahel II fd 2 months 396 5896 Successor of Abreha II on some earlier regnal lists 357 According to one tradition this king was murdered by his successor Elagabaz 346 345 The king was known to be vain and proud and refused to allow his daughter Admas to be married to Elagabaz when he asked for her hand in marriage The king died shortly after being imprisoned 364 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 401 402 347 213 Elagabaz I fe 2 years 396 398 5896 5898 Successor of Sahel II on some earlier regnal lists 357 One Ethiopian tradition claims that Elagabaz killed his predecessor and married a princess named Admas before proclaiming himself king 346 He had been ordered to be executed by the king but rose up against him with an army 365 Elagabaz later married a pagan queen named Lab who was from a neighbouring district This resulted in a brother of Admas named Shahel or Suhal to rise up and kill both Elagabaz and Lab and proclaim himself king 346 Possibly the Axumite king WʽZB who reigned during the mid 6th century also known as Ella Gabaz on an inscription where he states that he is the son of Ella Atsbeha or king Kaleb who is placed much further down Tafari s list 366 Alternatively WʽZB may be the second king named Elagabaz on this list no 222 Name means Hero of God 365 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 402 404 347 214 Sahel III ff 4 years 398 402 5898 5902 Successor of Gobaz on some earlier regnal lists 357 According to one tradition this king was the brother in law of Elagabaz and slew him to become king E A Wallis Budge dated the beginning of his reign to 394 346 345 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 404 408 347 Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king s reign to c 395 345 215 Abreha III 10 years 402 412 5902 5912 Co rulers on some earlier regnal lists which usually state they ruled together for 16 years and do not specify Adhana s gender 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 408 418 347 Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king s reign to c 400 345 216 Adhana II fg Queen 6 years 412 418 5912 5918 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 418 424 347 With the exception of the usurper Gudit Adhana II is the last queen named on this regnal list and it appears that no legitimate female monarch reigned over Ethiopia until Empress Zewditu in 1913 Mentewab had herself crowned co ruler on the accession of her son Iyasu II in 1730 but this is not noted in the regnal list 217 Yoab fh 10 years 418 428 5918 5928 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 424 434 347 218 Tsaham II fi 2 years 428 430 5928 5930 Successor of Abreha III and Adhana II on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 28 years 357 362 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 434 436 347 219 Ameda II fj 1 year 430 431 5930 5931 Successor of Saham on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 12 years 357 362 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 436 446 347 Peter Truhart identified this king with the Axumite king Sembrouthes 345 Truhart dated the beginning of this king s reign to c 430 and believed he may have reigned for between 1 and 12 years 345 220 Sahle Ahzob fk 2 years 431 433 5931 5933 Successor of Ameda on some earlier regnal lists 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 446 448 347 221 Tsebah Mahana Kristos 3 years 433 436 5933 5936 Successor of Sahel IV on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 2 years 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 448 451 347 222 Tsaham III fl 2 years 436 438 5936 5938 Successor of Sebah on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 15 years 357 362 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 451 466 347 Stewart lists the next king Elagabaz II as his co ruler from 463 to 466 347 223 Elagabaz II fm 6 years 438 444 5938 5944 Successor of Saham on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal lists state this king ruled for 21 years 357 362 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 463 474 347 Stewart lists the previous king as his co ruler from 463 to 466 347 This king may be the Aksumite king WʽZB who reigned during the sixth century see note for Elagabaz I no 212 224 Agabi 1 year 444 445 5944 5945 Co rulers and successors of Gobaz II on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier lists state these two kings co ruled for 2 or 4 years 357 346 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from E A Wallis Budge and John Stewart 474 475 346 347 225 Lewi fn 3 years 445 448 5945 5948226 Ameda III Yacob I fo 2 years 448 450 5948 5950 Ameda was the successor of Agabi and Lewi on some earlier regnal lists 357 Yakob was usually a different king who co ruled with Dawit as successors of Ameda 357 Earlier regnal lists state that Ameda ruled for 11 years 357 Yakob and Dawit co ruled for 3 years according to earlier regnal lists 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 475 486 347 John Stewart believes this king was Alla Amidas 347 who other historians believe reigned in the mid 6th century Alternatively this king may be Ousanas also known as Ella Allada or Ella Amida who reigned in the 4th century Stewart lists joint kings Jacob and David who do not appear on Tafari s list as ruling between Alla Amidas and Armah from 486 to 489 347 E A Wallis Budge also confirmed one Ethiopian tradition that states that Yakob Jacob and Dawit David ruled jointly for three years following Alla Amidas 368 Alaqa Taye called this king Ameda III Yacob seemingly combining Yakob with Alla Amidas and Dawit being combined with Armah 41 227 Armah I Dawit III fp 14 years 450 464 5950 5964 Armah succeeded Yakob and Dawit on some earlier regnal lists 357 However this regnal list combines Yakob with Ameda and Dawit with Armah Dawit was a co ruler with Yakob who succeeded Ameda and preceded Armah on some earlier regnal lists 357 Earlier regnal lists state that Armah ruled for 14 years 357 362 Yakob and Dawit co ruled for 3 years according to earlier regnal lists 357 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from E A Wallis Budge and John Stewart 489 504 362 347 John Stewart lists two kings after Armah who do not appear on Tafari s list Zitana 504 505 and Jacob II 505 514 347 Budge also gives the same kings names and dates adding that one Ethiopian tradition claimed Jacob II Yakob II was called Arwe because of his cruelties and was defeated by Ella Asbeha otherwise known as Kaleb 362 Peter Truhart stated this king ruled for between 6 and 14 years 345 228 Amsi 5 years 464 469 5964 5969 Appears on some earlier regnal lists but usually as the successor of Arfed 361 359 The kings from Sahel I to Armah I usually appear in separate line of succession from Abreha and Atsbeha but have been inserted between Arfed and Amsi on this list to provide a longer and more realistic line of succession up to the reign of Kaleb Descendant of Adhana I 345 One regnal list quoted by Pedro Paez stated this king co ruled with Asfeh I and Arfed who were all brothers and divided each day into three parts so each could rule during a different part of the day 360 This regnal list however rejects the tradition by moving Amsi s reign much further down in chronological order 229 Saladoba fq 9 years 469 478 5969 5978 Successor of Amsi on some earlier regnal lists 361 359 Son of Amsi 345 369 According to the Tarika Nagast History of Kings it was during the reign of this king that the Nine Saints arrived in Ethiopia 336 230 Alameda II fr 8 years 478 486 5978 5986 Successor of Saladoba on some earlier regnal lists 361 359 Son of Salayba 336 Possibly either the Aksumite king Ousanas also known as Ella Allada or Ella Amida or Alla Amidas who reigned in the mid 6th century and during whose reign the Nine Saints came to Ethiopia Peter Truhart stated this king ruled for between 8 and 30 years 345 231 Pazena Ezana fs 7 years 486 493 5986 5993 Tazena was a king who succeeded Al Ameda on some earlier regnal lists and directly preceded Kaleb 361 359 Zitana was a king who succeeded Armah on some earlier regnal lists and is explicitly named as the father of Kaleb in some sources 336 357 Son of Alameda II Ellamida 336 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 325 356 347 Despite sharing the same name as the Axumite king Ezana he reigned much earlier than these dates and it is more likely this king is meant to be Tazena father of Kaleb the next king on this list The king is also known by the name Zitana 370 336 Peter Truhart called this king Ezana II having previously acknowledged Abreha I as the same person as Ezana of Axum 345 Of the posterity of Sofya and Abreha Atsbeha until the reign of Pazena Ezana 31 sic sovereigns reigned over Ethiopia from Ori until the reign of Pazena Ezana 230 sic sovereigns 341 Dynasty of Atse Emperor Kaleb until Gedajan 427 years edit Other Ethiopian regnal lists do not acknowledge a dynastic break between Kaleb and earlier kings It is possible that this list marks a break here only because it considers Kaleb to be the first emperor of Ethiopia Louis J Morie stated that Saint Elesbaan another name for Kaleb was the first to claim the title of Emperor 371 However Henry Salt believed that Menelik I was the first to use this title 371 Taye Gabra Mariam s list did not make a break between Tazena and Kaleb 372 Taye s list also inserted the heading Of the reign of Gudit and her descendants between Gedajan and Gudit though the two kings Anbase Wedem and Dil Na od are not usually considered descendants of Gudit in other sources 373 Despite this section s heading three further rulers are named after Gedajan with Dil Na od being the actual last king of this line of Axumite kings The choice of title for this section may be due the interruption of the Axumite line by queen Gudit although some Ethiopian traditions state that she usurped the throne after Dil Na od and thus her reign is sometimes dated later compared to this regnal list According to a text named Tarika Nagast the kings from Kaleb to Dil Na od were each the son of the previous king omitting Za Israel Gedajan and Gudit from its list of kings 336 The text quotes the list of kings from a manuscript held in the church of Debre Damo 336 No 374 Name 374 Length of reign 374 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 374 Year of the World 374 Reason for inclusion Notes232 Kaleb 30 years 493 523 5993 6023 Appears on most regnal lists as the successor of either Tazena or Yakob II 358 359 Son of Pazena Ezana Zitana 336 370 Known as Constantinos on some earlier regnal lists 357 Abdicated and entered a monastery 375 Some earlier regnal lists state Kaleb ruled for 28 or 40 years 357 376 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from E A Wallis Budge and John Stewart 514 542 370 347 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to c 493 533 345 James Bruce on the other hand stated that this king came to power in 522 377 233 Za Israel 1 month ft 523 6023 Successor of Constantinos Kaleb on some earlier regnal lists 357 Israel however is frequently omitted from many regnal lists Son of Kaleb 378 Earlier regnal lists state this king reigned for 8 months 357 Previously governor of Adwa 379 or Himyar 380 Various sources suggest that there was a struggle for the throne between Israel and his brother Gabra Maskal after the death of abdication of their father 378 One source claims that Israel usurped the throne but dropped dead when the priests announced that Kaleb had chosen Gabra Maskal as his successor 381 Another source claims that Israel became leader of the Zar cult after failing the usurp the throne after his father s abdication 381 However a different source claims that it was his brother who usurped the throne and Israel returned to Ethiopia to try to regain it resulting in a long lasting conflict 381 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 542 550 347 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to either 533 or 534 345 One regnal list quoted by Carlo Conti Rossini gave this king a reign of 8 months 382 Gebru 1 month 523 6023 A king named on Taye Gabra Mariam s version of this list but not on Tafari s list or Heruy Wolde Selassie s list 41 Could be Gebre Krestos a son of Kaleb who is only recorded on one known regnal list and a Ge ez inscription 380 Alternatively this could simply be a throne name of Gebre Meskel 380 This king s name could be an error 372 234 Gabra Maskal 14 years 523 537 6023 6037 Successor of Israel on some regnal lists 357 However the majority of lists place this king after Kaleb 361 359 Son of Kaleb 378 This king s name means Servant of the Cross 383 Some earlier regnal lists state Gabra Maskal ruled for 14 or 40 years 357 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 550 564 347 E A Wallis Budge also believed that this king s reign begun around 550 383 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to 534 548 345 235 Kostantinos fu 28 years 537 565 6037 6065 Successor of Gabra Maskal on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Son of Gabra Maskal 345 Also known as Yeshak 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 564 578 347 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to 548 576 345 236 Wasan Sagad fv 15 years 565 580 6065 6080 Successor of Kostantinos on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Son of Gabra Maskal 361 345 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 578 591 347 Exiled to Arabia 384 Wasan Sagad could be the king named Saifu in Chinese sources based on dating and a possible similarity in the names Stuart Munro Hay identified Saifu as a grandson of Kaleb 385 237 Fere Sanay fw 23 years 580 603 6080 6103 Successor of Wasan Sagad on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 591 601 347 238 Advenz fx 20 years 603 623 6103 6123 Successor of Fere Sanay on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 601 623 347 According to Taye Gabra Mariam this king s reign coincided with the ascendance of Muhammad and the Muslim Migration to Abyssinia 41 239 Akala Wedem fy 8 years 623 631 6123 6131 Successor of Advenz on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king reigned for 10 years from 623 to 633 Ethiopian dates 41 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 623 633 347 345 This king became blind 386 240 Germa Asafar 15 years 631 646 6131 6146 Successor of Akala Wedem on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king reigned from 633 to 648 Ethiopian dates 41 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 633 648 347 345 Could be Aksumite king Gersem who ruled at the beginning of the 7th century 241 Zergaz 10 years 646 656 6146 6156 Successor of Germa Asafar on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 648 656 347 345 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 8 years from 648 to 656 Ethiopian dates 41 August Dillmann suggested this king s name was an alternate version of Cyriacus 361 242 Dagena Mikael fz 26 years 656 682 6156 6182 Successor of Zergaz on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Name means Minister of Saint Michael 387 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 21 years from 656 to 677 Ethiopian dates 41 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 656 677 347 388 243 Bahr Ekla 19 years 682 701 6182 6201 Successor Dagena Mikael on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 14 years from 677 to 691 Ethiopian dates 41 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 677 696 347 388 244 Gum 24 years 701 725 6201 6225 Successor of Bahr Ekla on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 696 720 347 388 Also known as Hezba Seyon 347 388 245 Asguagum ga 5 years 725 730 6225 6230 Successor of Gum on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 720 725 347 388 246 Latem 16 years 730 746 6230 6246 Successor of Asguagum on earlier regnal lists 361 359 According to Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia it was in the tenth year of this king s reign that a second group of the Weyto tribe who had split from from the earlier group 3 100 years before and settled in Egypt and Sudan arrived in Ethiopia 128 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 725 741 347 388 247 Talatam 21 years 746 767 6246 6267 Successor of Latem on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 741 762 347 388 248 Gadagosh gb 13 years 767 780 6267 6280 Successor of Talatam on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 762 775 347 388 Also known as Lul Sagad 388 249 Aizar Eskikatir gc Half a day gd 780 6280 Successor of Gadagosh on earlier regnal lists 361 359 This king died due to suffocation by a crowd on the same day he was crowned which is why it became illegal afterwards to approach the emperor 389 A barrier was thereafter placed before the emperor to prevent this from happening again 387 Eskakatir means until Noon Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 775 347 388 One manuscript from Gojjam claims that this king was the father of Gudit and had a wife named Makia Maryam who was Gudit s mother 390 Like Tafari s list this manuscript states that Aizar only reigned for half a day and reigned two decades before Wudme Asfare who is claimed to be Gudit s grandfather in other sources 390 250 Dedem 5 years 780 785 6280 6285 Successor of Aizar on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Name means new blood 387 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 775 780 347 388 Also known as Almaz Sagad 388 251 Wededem 10 years 785 795 6285 6295 Successor of Dedem on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 780 790 347 388 252 Wudme Asfare 30 years 795 825 6295 6325 Successor of Wededem on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Some chronicles claim this king ruled for 150 years 390 An unpublished chronicle from Axum states that this king was the grandfather of Gudit through his daughter 390 388 Ethiopian historian Sergew Hable Selassie estimated that Wudme Asfare s 30 year reign to have taken place from 792 to 822 AD 390 Selassie felt that the actual reign dates could differ by as much as 100 years compared to written sources 390 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 790 820 347 388 253 Armah II ge 5 years 825 830 6325 6330 Successor of Wudme Asfare on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Also known as Remha or Rema 388 347 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 820 825 347 388 254 Degennajan 19 years gf 830 849 6330 6349 Successor of Armah II on earlier regnal lists 361 359 Knud Tage Anderson estimated this king s reign lasted from c 925 to c 945 One tradition claims this king died of thirst while visiting an Arab country 391 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart and Peter Truhart 825 845 347 388 255 Gedajan 1 year gg 849 850 6349 6350 Successor of Degennajan on some earlier regnal lists 361 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 845 846 347 This name has been suggested as an alternate name for Degnnajan 392 though this list considers them to be separate kings and other regnal lists name Gedajan as a separate king 393 361 One tradition claims that Gedajan or Gidajan was the name of Anbase Wedem before he became king 394 The 10 month reign length is also found on one regnal list 394 256 Gudit Queen 40 years 850 890 6350 6390 A queen from Ethiopian tradition who sacked Axum and brought an end to the Axumite line 395 Some earlier regnal lists place this queen before Anbase Wedem 396 397 while others place her reign after Del Naad 398 Also known as Yodit which may have been her real name 399 The name Gudit is likely a nickname as it means the freak the monster the unnatural or unusual or surprising or strange one 399 Also known as Esato which means Fire 390 A regnal list quoted by Pedro Paez stated that Esato was a Jewish queen who reigned in Amhara while Gudit was a different queen who reigned in Tigray for 40 years and destroyed Churches in the region 400 However a different list quoted by August Dillmann instead claimed that Esato and Gudit were the same woman and that the names were what they were known as in Amhara and Tigray respectively 396 Sometimes known as Terdai Gobaz 26 388 However a list quoted by August Dillmann named her separately from Gudit Esato and lists her after Del Naad and directly before the Zagwe dynasty 401 This suggests that Terdai Gobaz is the same person as Masoba Warq Moved the capital of Ethiopia to Lasta after sacking Axum 398 One version of the legend places Gudit after Del Naad who she supposedly had overthrown 402 Knud Tage Anderson argued that Gudit was the same woman as Masoba Warq a daughter of Del Naad who married Mara Takla Haymanot the founder of the Zagwe dynasty 403 However he notes that a crucial difference is that Gudit is considered to be the predecessor of Anbase Wedem while Masoba Warq followed Dil Na od the last Axumite king 394 Some Ethiopian traditions state that Gudit was a granddaughter of Wudme Asfare 388 Scottish traveler James Bruce noted a version of the story of Gudit in which she was a cousin of Mara Takla Haymanot who took over rule of Ethiopia following the reigns of Gudit s successors and founded the Zagwe dynasty 404 Bruce also recorded one legend that stated that Gudit was a princess and a wife of a governor of the district of Bugna who wanted to overthrow the Christian religion and place her infant son on the throne According to this version of the story Gudit had 400 royal princes killed and Del Naad who was an infant was taken to Shewa as the last survivor of his line 405 Paez and de Almeida mentioned a different version of the legend where Gudit was a woman who ruled the kingdom of Tigre for 40 years destroying all the churches there and was followed by Anbase Wedem as also shown on Tafari s list 406 A different Queen named Esato was said to have ruled in Amhara and was part of a generation of traitors 406 Queen Esato however does not appear on Tafari s list Yet another legend claims that Gudit was a poor girl who came to Axum and became a prostitute A priest who slept with her stole a piece of golden curtain from the treasury of the Siyon church made it into golden shoes and gave them to her The priest was declared innocent of this theft because Gudit was blamed for tempting him and she was then punished to have her right breast removed and be exiled She met a Jewish Syrian prince named Zanobis who pitied her and married her and she converted to Judaism Together the destroyed the city of Axum and were able to do so because the king Degnajan had perished of thirst while visiting an Arab country 407 Gudit s historicity appears to be confirmed in the writings of traveller Ibn Hawqal who mentions that Ethiopia called the country of the Habasha had been ruled by a woman for many years by the time of his visit and that she assumed power after killing the previous king 408 Ibn Hawqal s travels took place between 943 and 977 which would mean that Gudit s reign is dated later than what is suggested on this list Ibn Hawqal stated that the queen had ruled for around 30 years by the time of his travels meaning her reign began by 947 at the latest 409 A chronicle called History of the Patriarchs of the Egyptian Church also confirms Gudit s historicity The chronicle quotes a letter written in c 980 to the patriarch of Alexandria which makes reference to a Queen of the Bani al Hamwiah who imprisoned many Ethiopians and destroyed churches The Ethiopian king had also been driven out The queen s reign came to an end when the patriarch Philotheos sent a new Metropolitan bishop to Ethiopia 410 Knud Tage Anderson argued that the negative portrayal of Gudit was a creation of later times He believed that Gudit Yodit had been a member of the royal family and took power after the disappearance of king Degnajan s army and his death by thirst in Arabia He also argued that she may have saved the country from political disaster just as the biblical Judith had saved her people from disaster He noted that Ibn Haqwal s description of Gudit Yodit was positive and even in admiration of this queen 391 E A Wallis Budge dated Gudit s accession to roughly 300 years before the beginning of Yekuno Amlak s reign c 970 59 Taddesse Tamrat dated the beginning of Gudit s reign to c 945 409 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 846 885 347 Sometimes known as Ga wa but this is likely a conflation with the much later Tigray queen Ga ewa from the sixteenth century 390 257 Anbase Wedem 20 years 890 910 6390 6410 Appears on earlier regnal lists as the successor of either Degennajan 359 Gedajan 361 or Gudit 396 One tradition states he succeeded his father Degnajan but roamed from mountain to mountain to escape Gudit 394 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 885 905 347 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia this king took revenge against the Ethiopian Jews after they had helped Gudit burn churches in Aksum and overthrow the kingdom gh A group of Jews had entered Ethiopia from Egypt before Gudit s reign 232 The placement of Anbase Wedem s reign as following that of Gudit s is corroborated by an unpublished chronicle from Aksum 411 Paez and de Almeida also read of one version of the Gudit legend which named Anbase Wedem as her successor 406 However this is not supported by all sources A version of the Gudit legend recounted by James Bruce places Gudit after Dil Na od 402 regnal lists seen by Paez and de Almeida 393 Salt and Budge 359 all state that Anbase Wedem succeeded Degna Djan not Gudit Peter Truhart stated this king had been a pretender to the throne from 875 until his accession in 885 388 258 Del Naad gi 10 years 910 920 6410 6420 Successor of Anbase Wedem on some earlier regnal lists 361 359 Last king of Axum according to some earlier regnal lists 361 359 However some lists name further kings after him 396 Maiday is a name that appears on some regnal lists usually those which name further Axumite kings after Del Naad 396 Son of Anbase Wedem according to the Tarika Nagast 336 Some traditions however state he was a son of Degennajan and younger brother of Anbase Wedem Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 905 c 950 347 James Bruce stated that this king s reign ended in 960 377 Henry Salt dated the end of this king s reign to c 925 398 Last king of Axum Sovereigns issued from Zagwe 333 years edit See also Zagwe dynasty nbsp The Zagwe kingdom in c 1200The following monarchs are historically verified though exact dates remain unclear among historians Some historians such as Carlo Conti Rossini believe that this dynasty did not come to power until the 12th century 412 disagreeing with the much earlier dates suggested by Tafari s list Some Ethiopian regnal lists omit the Zagwe dynasty altogether considering it illegitimate Many regnal lists state that after the reign of Dil Na od the kingdom was ruled by another people who were not of the tribe of Israel i e not descended from king Solomon 413 Dr Ghelawdewos Araia disagreed with the idea that the Zagwe kings were usurpers and instead argued that they continued the material and spiritual culture of Axum 41 He also stated that the Zagwe line was founded by the Agaw people 41 Multiple traditions around the Zagwe dynasty exist most commonly stating that the dynasty was in power for 133 or 333 years Tafari follows the longer tradition for his regnal list Carlo Conti Rossini suggested that the Zagwe dynasty was actually founded shortly before 1150 414 16th century missionary Pedro Paez stated that the Zagwe dynasty had ruled for 143 years 415 E A Wallis Budge noted another version of the Zagwe tradition states that 11 kings ruled for 354 years meaning that each king reigned for an average of 32 years which Budge felt was unrealistic James Bruce theorized that five kings of this dynasty were Jewish and descendants of Gudit while the other six kings were Christians and originated from Lasta 26 Bruce specifically named Tatadim Jan Seyum Germa Seyum Harbai and Mairari as the Pagan or Jewish kings while Mara Takla Haymanot Kedus Harbe Yetbarak Lalibela Yemrehana Krestos and Na akueto La ab in these chronological orders were Christians 11 E A Wallis Budge noted another tradition that claimed that Na akueto La ab abdicated the throne in favour of Yekuno Amlak If this was the case then according to Budge the dynasty may have continued to claim the title of Negus until c 1330 with their descendants governing Lasta for centuries after this 416 The following list includes seven consecutive kings ruling for 40 years each This is also reported in other regnal lists although there is no confirmed proof that these seven kings ruled for these exact number of years The suspiciously round numbers given for their reign lengths suggest certain gaps in Ethiopia s history that were filled in by extending the reigns of the Zagwe kings The existence of multiple traditions for this dynasty ranging from 133 to 333 years in power further suggest great uncertainty over this period in Ethiopian history See regnal lists of Ethiopia for more information on the alternate lines of succession for this dynasty No 135 Name 135 Length of reign 135 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 135 Year of the World 135 Notes259 Mara Takla Haymanot Zagwe gj 13 years 920 933 6420 6433 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 1117 1133 347 A text from Dabra Libanos stated this king reigned for 40 years like most kings of this dynasty 417 Ethiopian traditions differ on the exact circumstances around the rise of the Zagwe dynasty One tradition states that Mara married Masoba Wark a daughter of Dil Na od and overthrew him to become king According to this tradition Mara Takla Haymanot was a high ranking official before taking the throne 412 403 Another tradition states that Dil Na od was instead overthrown by Gudit who was succeeded to the throne by several of her own family before her cousin Mara ascended to the throne 418 Knud Tage Anderson argued that Masoba Wark and Gudit were the same woman 403 According to Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia the Oromo people arrived in Ethiopia in the tenth year of this king s reign 419 260 Tatawdem gk 40 years 933 973 6433 6473 Elder son of Mara Takla Haymanot 420 E A Wallis Budge dated the reigns of the first two kings of this dynasty to c 992 1030 based on the reign lengths of 3 and 40 years that are given for these kings on some regnal lists 421 Name means Sun of the Blood or Blood of the Sun 422 261 Jan Seyum 40 years 973 1013 6473 6513 Son of Mara Takla Haymanot 420 Name means Fear of the Divie majesty 423 262 Germa Seyum 40 years 1013 1053 6513 6553 Son of Mara Takla Haymanot 420 Name means Fear of the Divine name 424 263 Yemrhana Kristos 40 years 1053 1093 6553 6593 Son of Germa Seyum Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 1133 1172 347 Name means May Christ forgive us 424 264 Kedus Arbe Samt gl 40 years 1093 1133 6593 6633 Son of Jan Seyum Name means Holy Warrior 265 Lalibala 40 years 1133 1173 6633 6673 Son of Jan Seyum Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 1172 1212 347 Another set of accepted Gregorian reign dates by some historians for this king are 1181 to 1221 425 420 266 Nacuto Laab 40 years 1173 1213 6673 6713 Son of Kedus Harbe Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 1212 1260 347 This king s name means Let us give thanks to the Father 426 267 Yatbarak 17 years 1213 1230 6713 6730 Son of Lalibala 420 41 Alternate reign dates Gregorian from John Stewart 1260 1268 347 Heruy Wolde Selassie believed that this king was the last of the Zagwe line 41 E A Wallis Budge theorized that this king died in c 1290 after a reign of 22 years if the tradition of Na akueto La ab abdicating in favour of Yekuno Amlak is to be believed 416 268 Mayrari 15 years 1230 1245 6730 6745 Son of Yetbarak 427 E A Wallis Budge theorized that this king died in c 1308 after a reign of 15 or 18 years if the tradition of Na akueto La ab abdicating in favour of Yekuno Amlak is to be believed 416 269 Harbay 8 years 1245 1253 6745 6753 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 10 years from 1245 to 1255 41 E A Wallis Budge theorized that this king died in c 1330 after a reign of 20 or 23 years if the tradition of Na akueto La ab abdicating in favour of Yekuno Amlak is to be believed 416 Possibly the same king as Kedus Harbe 423 Of the posterity of Mara Takla Haymanot whose regnal name was Zagwe until the reign of Harbay 11 sovereigns reigned over Ethiopia 268 sic sovereigns in all 428 Claimants during the Zagwe period edit nbsp The Shewa province in Ethiopia Chronological table of the 8 generations of an Israelitish dynasty who were not raised to the throne during the period of the reign of the posterity of the Zagwe 428 Tafari provides no background information reign dates or lengths for this line of kings but E A Wallis Budge explained these kings reigned at Shewa and were descendants of Dil Na od 11 Henry Salt likewise stated that the Axumite royal family fled to Shewa after Axum was destroyed by Gudit and reigned there for 330 years until the accession of Yekuno Amlak 398 The names and order of kings on Tafari s list matches that found in Rene Basset s 1882 book Etudes sur l histoire d Ethiopie 11 A manuscript from Dabra Libanos included a list which numbered a total of 44 kings and a woman named Masoba Wark 429 In some traditions Masoba Wark whose name means golden basket 391 is claimed to be a daughter of Dil Na od who married Mara Takla Haymanot 412 She supposedly married him against her father s will and together they took the throne 403 A different regnal list from Debre Damo lists all of these kings as rulers of the Zagwe dynasty 336 This list begins the dynasty with a king named Zagwe followed by king named Del Na ad apparently different from the Axumite king of the same name and then provides the following eight kings as his successors 336 The description of this dynasty as an Israelitish dynasty is a reference to the Ethiopian monarchy s claimed descent from Solomon Yekuno Amlak would claim his descent from king Solomon through this line of kings see Emperors of Ethiopia Family Tree These kings were not mentioned in Taye Gabra Mariam s History of the People of Ethiopia Name 428 NotesMahbara Wedem Son of Dil Na od 430 The Debre Damo regnal list instead claims this king s father was called Del Na ad but was a different man to the Axumite king 336 Peter Truhart dated the beginning of this king s reign to c 920 388 while Louis J Morie believed his reign did not begin until after 980 430 Name means blood abundant in riches 430 Agbea Tseyon Son of Mahbara Wedem 430 Name means Restore Zion 430 Tsenfa Arad Son of Agbea Tsyon 430 Morie dated this king s reign to c 1110 430 Nagash Zare Son of Tsinfa Arad 430 Name means Royal seed 430 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to after 1000 431 Morie dated this king s reign to c 1150 1190 and claimed he sent an embassy to Pope Alexander III in 1177 430 Asfeh Son of Nagash Zare 430 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to after 1000 431 Morie dated this king s reign to c 1200 430 Yakob Son of Asfeh 430 Bahr Asagad Son of Yakob 430 Name means Venerable as the sea or Who guards the sea 430 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to after 1100 431 Henry Salt listed an additional king named Asgud between Bahr Asagad and Edem Asagad 432 Morie also mentioned a king named Asged who on some regnal lists was confused with his predecessor under the name Birasgud Asgud 430 Edem Asagad Son of Bahr Asagad 430 Reigned directly before Yekuno Amlak 11 431 430 Peter Truhart dated this king s reign to c 1210 1255 431 Morie believed this king died in either 1255 or 1258 430 These eight did not mount the throne 428 Solomonic dynasty before the Ethiopian Adal war 247 years edit See also Solomonic dynasty Chronological table of the sovereigns from Yekuno Amlak Emperor and of his posterity all issued from the ancient dynasties which were raised to the throne 433 Note The following emperors are historically verified However some of the reign dates listed below are not used by Ethiopian historians and are inaccurate For the correct reign dates see List of emperors of Ethiopia The Solomonic dynasty is historically verified but the dates included on Tafari s regnal list do not always match with the generally accepted dates used by historians even when taking into account the 7 or 8 year gap between the Ethiopian calendar and the Gregorian calendar Taye Gabra Maryam titled this section Reign of As e Yekuno Amlak and his descendants 373 Historian Manfred Kropp de was skeptical of the way this dynasty is often referred to as the Solomonic or Solomonid dynasty which he believes was a creation of European Renaissance scholars He noted that Ethiopian chronicles refer to the throne of the monarchy as the Throne of David not Solomon 434 Tafari s regnal list certainly makes no direct reference to this dynasty being called the Solomonic line only that they were descended from the earlier ancient dynasties No 433 Name 433 Length of reign 433 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 433 Year of the World 433 Notes270 Yekuno Amlak 15 years 1253 1268 6753 6768 Son of Edem Asagad Yekuno Amlak means There shall be to him sovereignty 435 While many historians accept that Yekuno Amlak became ruler of Ethiopia after defeating the last Zagwe king at the Battle of Ansata James Bruce related a different tradition where the monk Tekle Haymanot persuaded Na akueto La ab to abdicate in favour of Yekuno Amlak who was reigning at Shewa where a line of princes from Dil Na od had continued to rule after the original Solomonic line was deposed by Gudit 436 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 13 years from 1255 to 1268 41 271 Yasbeo Tseyon gm 9 years 1268 1277 6768 6777 Son of Yekuno Amlak Yagbe a Seyon means He God shall bring back Zion 437 272 Tsenfa Arad gn 1 year 1277 1278 6777 6778 Son of Yagbe u Seyon E A Wallis Budge called this king Senfa Ar ed IV acknowledging the reigns of Akaptah Tsenfa Ared no 167 Atsgaba Seifa Arad no 195 and the unnumbered Tsinfa Arad from the Israelite dynasty on Tafari s list 437 273 Hesba Asagad 1 year 1278 1279 6778 6779 Son of Yagbe u Seyon 274 Kedme Asagad 1 year 1279 1280 6779 6780 Son of Yagbe u Seyon 275 Jan Asagad go 1 year 1280 1281 6780 6781 Son of Yagbe u Seyon Name means venerable majesty 438 276 Sabea Asagad 1 year 1281 1282 6781 6782 Son of Yagbe u Seyon E A Wallis Budge called this king Sab a Asgad II 437 277 Wedma Arad gp 15 years 1282 1297 6782 6797 Son of Yekuno Amlak 278 Amda Tseyon I gq 30 years 1297 1327 6797 6827 Son of Wedem Arad Amda Seyon means Pillar of Zion 437 279 Saifa Ared gr 28 years 1327 1355 6827 6855 Son of Amda Seyon I More commonly known as Newaya Krestos Saifa Ared was his throne name Newaya Krestos means Vessel of Christ 439 280 Wedma Asfare 10 years 1355 1365 6855 6865 Son of Newaya Krestos More commonly known as Newaya Maryam Wedma Asfare was his throne name 281 Dawit IV gs 30 years 1365 1395 6865 6895 Son of Newaya Krestos 282 Tewodros I gt 4 years 1395 1399 6895 6899 Son of Dawit I 283 Yeshak 15 years 1399 1414 6899 6914 Son of Dawit I 284 Andreyas gu 6 months 1414 6914 Son of Yeshaq I 285 Hesba Nan gv 4 years and 6 months 1414 1418 6914 6918 Son of Dawit I More commonly known as Takla Maryam Hezbe Nan was his throne name Takla Maryam means Plant of Mary 440 286 Badl Nan gw 6 months 1418 1419 6918 6919 Son of Takla Maryam This emperor s actual name was Sarwe Iyasus and his throne name is usually known to be Mehreka Nan The name Badl Nan or Badel Nan is however used in some sources such as a manuscript held in the Debre Damo monastery 336 Sarwe Iyasus means Prop of Jesus 441 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 1 year and 6 months from 1418 to 1419 41 287 Amde Eyasu gx 7 years 1419 1426 6919 6926 Son of Takla Maryam This emperor is usually known as Amda Iyasus however some sources such as a manuscript held in Debre Damo give the name Amda Seyon 336 The same manuscript is possibly a source for the 7 year reign given on this regnal list even though Amda Iyasus likely only reigned for less than a year 336 288 Zara Yakob 34 years 1426 1460 6926 6960 Son of Dawit I 289 Boeda Maryam gy 10 years 1460 1470 6960 6970 Son of Zara Yaqob Baeda Maryam means he who is in the hand of Mary 442 290 Iskender 16 years gz 1470 1486 6970 6986 Son of Baeda Maryam I 291 Amda Tseyon II ha 1 year hb 1486 1487 6986 6987 Son of Eskender 292 Naod 13 years 1487 1500 6987 7000 Son of Baeda Maryam I Of the posterity of Yekuno Amlak up to the reign of Naod 23 sovereigns ruled over Ethiopia in all 291 sic sovereigns 433 Solomonic dynasty during the Ethiopian Adal war 55 years edit nbsp The Horn of Africa at the peak of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al Ghazi s expansion c 1540 See also Ethiopian Adal war Note The following emperors are historically verified However some of the reign dates listed below are not used by Ethiopian historians and are inaccurate For the correct reign dates see List of emperors of Ethiopia Text accompanying this section Elevation to the throne of Atse Emperor Lebna Dengel and the invasion of Ethiopia by Gran 433 Fifteen years after Atse Emperor Lebna Dengel came to the throne Gran devastated Ethiopia for fifteen years 433 The following three kings are usually considered part of the Solomonic dynasty but are separated by Tafari into a different group likely because the conquest of three quarters of Ethiopia by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al Ghazi took place during this time No 433 Name 433 Length of reign 433 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 433 Year of the World 433 Notes293 Lebna Dengel 32 years 1500 1532 7000 7032 Son of Na od Tafari states that 15 years after Lebna Dengel ascended to the throne Gran devastated Ethiopia for fifteen years 433 Taye Gabra Mariam used the same dating 443 Historians accept the Gregorian dates for the Ethiopian Adal war as 1529 1543 beginning 22 years after the beginning of Lebna Dengel s reign instead Lebna Dengel means incense of the virgin 444 Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 30 years from 1500 to 1530 41 This results in all kings until Sarsa Dengel having their reign dates pushed back by 2 years compared to Tafari s list 294 Galawdewos 19 years 1532 1551 7032 7051 Son of Lebna Dengel 295 Minas 4 years 1551 1555 7051 7055 Son of Lebna Dengel Grand total 294 sic sovereigns 433 The House of Gondar 224 years edit nbsp Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar founded by Emperor FasilidesNote The following emperors are historically verified However some of the regnal dates listed below are not used by Ethiopian historians and are inaccurate For the correct dates see List of emperors of Ethiopia The Gondarian Line of the Solomonic dynasty is usually defined as beginning with the reign of Susenyos however Tafari includes the 3 prior kings to Susenyos as part of this line as well This is likely because Sarsa Dengel moved the centre of the Ethiopian empire away from Shewa to the Begemder province where Gondar is located 445 The regnal list omitted Susenyos II who reigned briefly in 1770 Susenyos II was said to be an illegitimate son of Iyasu II but his claims were dubious and this is the most likely reason for his omission Taye Gabra Mariam s list did not place these emperors into a separate dynasty 446 No 447 Name 447 Length of reign 447 Reign dates Ethiopian Calendar 447 Year of the World 447 Notes296 Sartsa Dengel hc 34 years 1555 1589 7055 7089 Son of Menas Sarsa Dengel means sprout of the virgin 448 297 Yakob II hd 9 years 1589 1598 7089 7098 Son of Sarsa Dengel Yakob s reign was divided into 2 parts interrupted by the brief reign of Za Dengel However this regnal list places Za Dengel as a direct successor at the end of Yakob s uninterrupted 9 year reign Taye Gabra Mariam stated this king ruled for 7 years from 1587 to 1594 sup, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
