Isaac (Ethiopia)
Isaak or Yeshaq I. ( Ethiop . ይሥሓቅ, throne name Gabra Masqal II. ገብረ መስቀል, "Servant of the Cross") († 1429 ) was Negus Negest ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia and a member of the Solomon dynasty from 1414 until his death . He was the second son of David I and thus the younger brother of Tewodros I (also called Theodor I).
Isaac continued the campaigns against the Falashes , which had already begun before his reign , and penetrated the Shanqella area beyond Agawmeder . In the southern part of Ethiopia he fought against the sons of Sa'ad ad-Din II, who had returned from their exile in Arabia .
As the first Ethiopian ruler since the Aksum Empire , Isaac sought contact with a European ruler. Through two dignitaries he brought a letter to Alfonso V of Aragon , which reached the king in 1428. In it he proposed an alliance against the Muslims , which should be sealed by a double marriage. This requires that the Infante Don Pedro come to Ethiopia with a group of artisans to marry Isaac's daughter there.
It is not known whether and how Alfonso reacted to this letter. In a letter that reached Isaac's successor, Zara Yaqob , in 1450, Alfonso wrote that he would be happy to send craftsmen to Ethiopia, provided that their safe journey could be guaranteed, since a group of thirteen of his subjects were en route to Ethiopia at an earlier point in time had perished.
Taddesse Tamrat believes that the main sources cover up Isaac's death fighting against the Muslims. In contrast, EA Wallis Budge states that he was murdered and is buried in Tadbaba Mariam .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Osbert Crawford (ed.): Ethiopian Itineraries, circa 1400 - 1524 . the Hakluyt Society (Cambridge 1958), pp.12f.
- ^ Budge: A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia . 1928 Anthropological Publications (Oosterhout, The Netherlands 1970), p. 303.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Theodor I. |
Emperor of Ethiopia 1414 - 1429 |
Andreas |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Isaac |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Yeshaq I .; Gabra Masqal II (throne name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Negus Negest ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 14th Century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1429 |