David III (Ethiopia)
David III ( Ethiop. ዳዊት, also called Dawit III. , throne name Adbad Seged አድባር ሰገድ, "before whom the mountains bow") (* 1695 ; † May 18, 1721 ) was Negus Negest from February 9, 1716 to May 18, 1721 ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia .
He was a son of the Ethiopian Emperor Iyasu I and came from the Solomon dynasty, which had ruled Ethiopia since 1270 . Little is known about his reign. David decided the arguments of various influential religious groups over the succession to the throne during the reign of Emperor Yostos for himself. In 1716 he is said to have strangled the emperor Yostos in order to ascend the throne himself. In March of the same year he had 3 missionaries of the Franciscan order from Gonder stone stoned when they refused to take part in the Ethiopian Eucharist . David himself belonged to the powerful Ethiopian Qibat religion. During his reign, Shewa Province declared its independence from the Empire. The clashes between the Qibat monk order and the Tewahedo monk order continued unabated during David's reign and culminated in 1720 in the massacre of the Tewahedo monks from Azezo ordered by the emperor . An assassination attempt by Dejazmach Leta against Emperor David III. failed.
About the place and circumstances of the mysterious death of David III. nothing has come down to us. His successor, after a short break from Walda Giyorgis , was his brother Bakaffa .
Due to the complicated transcription from Amharic, the spelling of Ethiopian proper names can be different in different publications.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Yostos |
Emperor of Ethiopia 1716–1721 |
Walda Giyorgis |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | David III |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Negus Negest (Emperor) of Ethiopia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1695 |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 18, 1721 |