Ella Asbeha
Ella Asbeha (also called Kaleb , Sabaean ʾlʾṣbḥh , Greek El (l) esbaas ; † around 540) was Negus of Aksum (in today's Ethiopia ) from around 517/20 until his death. He is considered one of the most important rulers of Aksum. In the Ethiopian Church he is venerated as a saint.
Ella Asbeha was the throne name of the ruler Kaleb, whose father was called Tazena. Ella Asbeha was obviously a Christian. Several western authors from late antiquity report on him, for example Prokopios of Caesarea ( who calls him Hellestheaios ) and Johannes Malalas . He himself also had coins minted (including gold coins), and he is also mentioned on inscriptions. Compared to other rulers of Aksum, the sources for him are relatively good. However, the exact duration of his reign is not known, the length of which is dated differently in research.
Ella Asbeha was in relatively close contact with the Eastern Roman Empire , which explains the reports about him in late ancient sources. He asked Emperor Justin I for support in the fight against the Himyarites (in today's Yemen ). Its king Yusuf Asʾar Yathʾar , who had converted to the Jewish faith, was responsible for a massacre of Christians in the city of Najran . Roman traders were also murdered by Himyarites. So, after an Aksumite invasion ordered by Ella Asbeha had failed previously (probably 518), Aksum intervened again in southern Arabia in 525, but now with Roman support. Last but not least, trade interests played a role: in the South Arabian region there were important trade routes that were important for both Eastern Current and the Persian Sassanid Empire as part of the Indian trade .
This time the Aksumites had more success, the Himyarites were defeated and had to recognize the Aksumite sovereignty for the time being. Ella Asbeha stayed in Himyar for some time. He left troops behind and installed a puppet ruler among the Himyarites. However, this was overthrown a few years later (531 or only 535) by Abraha , who made himself the new king in Yemen. Attempts to subjugate him failed (see Prokopios, Historien , 1, 20).
He appears as the only Aksumite ruler in the Ethiopian national epic Kebra Negest . Legendary reports circulate about the end of his life; so he is said to have sent his crown to Jerusalem and become a monk.
See also
literature
- Caleb . In: Encyclopaedia Aethiopica . Volume 3. Wiesbaden 2005, pp. 329-332.
- Glen Bowersock : The Throne of Adulis: Red Sea Wars on the Eve of Islam. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2013.
- Heinzgerd Brakmann: Το παρα τοις βαρβαροις εργον θειον. The roots of the church in the late ancient empire of Aksum. Borengässer, Bonn 1994, ISBN 3-923946-24-4 (At the same time: Bonn, Universität, Dissertation, 1993: The roots of the church in the late antique empire of Aksum. ).
- Wolfgang Hahn : The Holy Caleb Ella Asbeha. King of the Abyssinian Country and his coins . In: Money Trend 32, 2000, pp. 60-67.
- Robert G. Hoyland : Arabia and the Arabs. From the Bronze Age to the coming of Islam. Routledge, London et al. 2001, ISBN 0-415-19534-9 , pp. 49ff.
- Arnold HM Jones , John R. Martindale, John Morris : The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire . Volume 2: AD 395-527. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1980, ISBN 0-521-20159-4 , p. 388.
- Stuart Munro-Hay: Ethiopia, the unknown land. A cultural and historical guide. Tauris, London et al. 2002, ISBN 1-86064-744-8 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ella Asbeha |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Caleb; Elesbaas (Greek); Ellesbaas (Greek) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Negus from Aksum (in today's Ethiopia) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 500 |
| DATE OF DEATH | at 540 |