Newaya Krestos

Newaya Krestos ( Ethiop. ንዋየ ክርስቶስ , throne name Sayfa Ar'ed , ሰይፈ አርድ ) († 1372 ) was Negus Negest ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia from 1344 to 1372 and a member of the Solomonic dynasty . He was the eldest son of Amda Seyon I.

After the death of his father, he yielded to Abuna Jacob's supplication and brought back the monks who had been exiled by Amda Seyon and, in contrast to his predecessors, began to lead a monogamous life. However, he later broke his word and married three women. When the Abuna Jacob and the monastery rulers protested, the Emperor sent the Abuna back to Egypt and the monks into exile in the southern part of the kingdom.

During his reign of the rebel Walashma Dynasty entstammende Ali ibn Sabr ad-Din . In return, Newaya Krestos undertook campaigns along the Ethiopian border in the east, in the areas of Adal and Ifat . In the absence of support from his subjects, the uprising of Ali ad-Din, who was captured along with all his sons, failed. This ended the independence of the Ifat Sultanate. Newaya Krestos had Ali ad-Din and all but one of his sons, Ahmad ibn Ali , thrown into dungeon. He made Ahmad governor of Ifat. After eight years, Ali was released from prison and returned to power. Ahmad and his sons were ousted and only through the direct intervention of the emperor did Ahmad gain sovereignty over a single district.

Regardless of his earlier actions against the Ethiopian Church , he vehemently helped the Patriarch of Alexandria Marcos IV to the end of his rule . He had previously been captured by the Sultan of Egypt , Al-Salih .

One of the steps Newaya Krestos took was to capture the Egyptian traders in his kingdom. In addition, at the head of a large army, he advanced against Egypt. According to tradition, the patriarch Marcos was released and sent a delegation to persuade the emperor to return to his kingdom. Newaya Krestos returned but reluctantly kept the delegation with him.

The reconstruction of the old church Debre Igziabher above the Hayksee is another achievement of Newaya Kresto. This church was looted and burned down in 1531 by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghasi .

literature

^ Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State in Ethiopia . Clarendon Press (Oxford 1972), pp. 117f.
^ Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State . Pages 146-8; EA Wallis Budge: A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia . 1928 Anthropological Publications (Oosterhout, The Netherlands 1970), p. 299.
^ Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State . Pages 253f; Paul E. Henze: Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia . Palgrave (New York 2000), p. 67.
↑ Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader: Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia . Translated into English by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst, Tsehai (Hollywood 2003), p. 265.

predecessor	Office	successor
Amda Seyon I.	Emperor of Ethiopia 1344–1372	Newaya Mariam

personal data
SURNAME	Krestos, Newaya
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Sayfa Ar`ed (throne name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Negus (Emperor) of Ethiopia
DATE OF BIRTH	14th Century
DATE OF DEATH	1372

[1] Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State in Ethiopia . Clarendon Press (Oxford 1972), pp. 117f.

[2] Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State . Pages 146-8; EA Wallis Budge: A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia . 1928 Anthropological Publications (Oosterhout, The Netherlands 1970), p. 299.

[3] Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State . Pages 253f; Paul E. Henze: Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia . Palgrave (New York 2000), p. 67.

[4] Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader: Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia . Translated into English by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst, Tsehai (Hollywood 2003), p. 265.