Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire, also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or simply known as Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that historically encompasses the geographical area of present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak approximately in 1270 until the 1974 coup d'etat by the Derg, which dethroned Emperor Haile Selassie. By 1896, the empire incorporated other regions such as Hararghe, Gurage and Wolayita, and saw its largest expansion with the federation of Eritrea in 1952. Throughout much of its existence, it was surrounded by hostile forces in the African Horn; however, it managed to develop and preserve a kingdom based on its ancient form of Christianity.
Ethiopian Empire | |||||||||
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| 1270–1974 1936–1941: Government-in-exile | |||||||||
| Motto: ኢትዮጵያ ታበፅዕ እደዊሃ ኀበ እግዚአብሔር Ityopia tabetsih edewiha ḫabe Igziabiher (English: "Ethiopia Stretches Her Hands unto God") (Psalm 68:31) | |||||||||
| Anthem: ኢትዮጵያ ሆይ ደስ ይበልሽ Ityoṗya hoy des ybelish (English: "Ethiopia, Be happy") | |||||||||
The Ethiopian Empire boundaries in 1952 | |||||||||
The location of the Ethiopian Empire during the reign of Yohannes IV (dark orange) compared with modern day Ethiopia (orange) | |||||||||
| Capital | None (1270–1635) Gondar (1635–1855) Debre Tabor (1855–1881) Mekelle (1881–1889) Addis Ababa (1889–1974) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Amharic (dynastic, official, court) Ge'ez (liturgical language, literature) many others | ||||||||
| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Endonym: Ethiopian Exonym: Abyssinian | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy (1270–1931) Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy (1931–1974) | ||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||
• 1270–1285 (first) | Yekuno Amlak | ||||||||
• 1930–1974 (last) | Haile Selassie | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1909–1927 (first) | Habte Giyorgis | ||||||||
• 1974 (last) | Mikael Imru | ||||||||
| Legislature | None (rule by decree) (until 1931) Parliament (1931–1974) | ||||||||
• Upper house | Senate (1931–1974) | ||||||||
• Lower house | Chamber of Deputies (1931–1974) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages to Cold War | ||||||||
• Ascension of Yekuno Amlak | 1270 | ||||||||
| 1314–1344 | |||||||||
| 1529–1543 | |||||||||
| 1632–1769 | |||||||||
• Zemene Mesafint | 1769–1855 | ||||||||
• Menelik's Expansions | 1878–1904 | ||||||||
| 1895–1896 | |||||||||
| 16 July 1931 | |||||||||
• Second Italo-Ethiopian War (annexed into Italian East Africa) | 3 October 1935 | ||||||||
| 5 May 1941 | |||||||||
| 11 September 1952 | |||||||||
| 12 September 1974 | |||||||||
| 21 March 1975 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1954 | 1,221,900 km2 (471,800 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Currency |
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Founded in 1270 by Yekuno Amlak, who claimed to descend from the last Aksumite king and ultimately King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, it replaced the Agaw kingdom of the Zagwe. While initially a rather small and politically unstable entity, the Empire managed to expand significantly under the crusades of Amda Seyon I (1314–1344) and Dawit I (1382–1413), temporarily becoming the dominant force in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian Empire would reach its peak during the long reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob (1434–1468). He consolidated the conquests of his predecessors, built numerous churches and monasteries, encouraged literature and art, centralized imperial authority by substituting regional warlords with administrative officials, and significantly expanded his hegemony over adjacent Islamic territories.
The neighboring Muslim Adal Sultanate began to threaten the empire by repeatedly attempting to invade it, finally succeeding under Imam Mahfuz. Mahfuz's ambush and defeat by Emperor Lebna Dengel brought about the early 16th-century Jihad of the Ottoman Supported Adalite Imam Ahmed Gran, who was defeated in 1543 with the help of the Portuguese. Greatly weakened, much of the Empire's southern territory and vassals were lost due to the Oromo migrations. In the north, in what is now Eritrea, Ethiopia managed to repulse Ottoman invasion attempts, although losing its access to the Red Sea to them. Reacting to these challenges, in the 1630s Emperor Fasilides founded the new capital of Gondar, marking the start of a new golden age known as the Gondarine period. It saw relative peace, the successful integration of the Oromo and a flourishing of culture. With the deaths of Emperor Iyasu II (1755) and Iyoas I (1769) the realm eventually entered a period of decentralization, known as the Zemene Mesafint where regional warlords fought for power, with the emperor being a mere puppet.
Emperor Tewodros II (r. 1855–1868) put an end to the Zemene Mesafint, reunified the Empire and led it into the modern period before dying during the British Expedition to Abyssinia. His successor Yohannes IV engaged primarily in war and successfully fought the Egyptians and Mahdists before dying against the latter in 1889. Emperor Menelik II, now residing in Addis Ababa, subjugated many peoples and kingdoms in what is now western, southern, and eastern Ethiopia, like Kaffa, Welayta, Harar, and other kingdoms. Thus, by 1898 Ethiopia expanded into its modern territorial boundaries. In the northern region, he confronted Italy's expansion. Through a resounding victory over the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, utilizing modern imported weaponry, Menelik ensured Ethiopia's independence and confined Italy to Eritrea.
Later, after the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Benito Mussolini's Italian Empire occupied Ethiopia and established Italian East Africa, merging it with neighboring Eritrea and the Italian Somaliland colonies to the south-east. During World War II, the Italians were driven out of Ethiopia with the help of the British army. The Emperor returned from exile and the country became one of the founding members of the United Nations. However, the 1973 Wollo famine and domestic discontent led to the fall of the Empire in 1974 and the rise of the Derg.