David I. (Ethiopia)

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David I. ( Ethiop. ዳዊት, also called Dawit I or "Dawit II", with the nickname Konstantinos (ቆስጠንጢኖስ, Qwastantinos); * probably around 1350 ; † October 6, 1413 , fatally injured) was from 1381 to 1411 Neguse Negest ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia .

He was the son of the Neguse Negest (emperor) Newaya Krestos and a direct descendant of the first Negus Yekuno Amlak from the Solomonids dynasty .

He asserted his claim to the throne in a revolt against his brother in 1381 and then had his emperor legitimized by the Coptic patriarch Matthew I. During his reign, Emperor David I was strongly influenced by monks from various Ethiopian monastic orders. The internal conflicts in the Coptic Church acquired serious political significance for Ethiopia during this period.

At the beginning of his reign, David I led a victorious campaign against the Mamluk rulers in neighboring Egypt and was able to push back their influence on Ethiopia. David I waged a long war against the Muslim sultanate of Adal in the southeast of the country, which was only briefly interrupted by the death of Sultan Haqadin II . The new sultan of Adal, Saad ad-Din , continued the war against Christian Ethiopia. During the war, David I was able to conquer numerous Muslim territories by 1397. A campaign against Zeila in the north of the empire secured Ethiopia further access to the Indian Ocean . A Jewish uprising against Emperor David I was also suppressed.

In 1387, in preparation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem , the emperor sent an embassy to Egypt to the court of the Mameluke sultan Barkuk . This embassy was supposed to negotiate the security of the Coptic pilgrims in Egypt and the access to Jerusalem. With negotiating skills and the threat of expulsion of Egyptian merchants from Ethiopia, the Negus achieved free transit for his pilgrimage, which then brought a relic of the Christ Cross to Ethiopia.

In 1395 an ambassador from David I had probably reached Milan . King Henry IV of England wrote a letter to the Ethiopian Emperor in 1400. As a result, he managed to establish numerous contacts in Europe . Finally, in 1402, the first Ethiopian embassy reached European soil in Venice under the Florentine Antonio Bartoli , who was in the service of the emperor .

Before 1411 the Italian Pietro Rombulo came to Ethiopia and entered the service of Emperor David I. Rombulo only returned to Europe after 37 years. The close contacts Ethiopia with Christian Europe during the reign of David I had a strong influence on the country's cultural development. Thus came a new heyday of Ethiopian literature .

After 1400 the emperor came under the influence of various monastic orders who wanted to consolidate their position at the imperial court through intrigues and who actively worked to disempower the emperor, who was uncomfortable for them. Around 1410, Emperor David I is said to have asked the monks and hermits from the "Islands of Grottoes" about his fate. These monks advised the emperor to renounce the throne in favor of his son Tewodros . After this prophecy was confirmed by the monks of an influential monastery, Emperor David I renounced the crown and resigned in 1411 in favor of his son, because failure to follow the prophecy would have sparked an open conflict.

In 1413, David was fatally injured by a horse's hoof beat. He was buried in Daga Monastery on an island in Lake Tana .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Dawit II." refers to King David of Israel, known as "Dawit I." applies.
  2. ↑ Due to the complicated transcription from Amharic, the spelling of Ethiopian proper names can be different in different publications.
predecessor Office successor
Newaya Mariam Emperor of Ethiopia
1381 - 1411 		Theodor I.
personal data
SURNAME David I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dawit I .; Dawit II .; ዳዊት; David Qwastantinos
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Neguse Negest (Emperor) of Ethiopia (1381–1411)
DATE OF BIRTH around 1350
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 1413