Solomonic Dynasty

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Coat of arms of the emperors of Ethiopia

The Solomonic Dynasty is an Ethiopian princely family ; from 1270 to 1974 she was the emperor of Ethiopia.

The dynasty goes back to Menelik I , the illegitimate son of the Israelite King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba . The mythical progenitor of the dynasty is said to have been born after the queen's visit to Solomon in Jerusalem.

history

Solomon meets the Queen of Sheba, "door of paradise" at the Baptistery of Florence

The Negest dynasty , which is primarily based on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Ethiopia, came to power on the 10th Dogs Lie 1262 according to the Ethiopian calendar (10 August 1270). Yekuno Amlak overthrew the last ruler of the Zagwe dynasty . He claimed his claim to the throne as the alleged successor to an old royal family from Aksum , who were replaced on the throne by the Zagwes.

The core area of ​​the Solomon dynasty was in the highlands of Abyssinia . At the time of its greatest expansion it reached into the area of ​​today's Sudan , to the coasts of the Red Sea , the Gulf of Aden and in the south to today's Kenya . The southern and eastern areas had been annexed by Emperor Menelik II and Haile Selassie over the past two centuries . Much of the central and eastern areas were annexed to the empire under Emperor Amdy Sejona I and Zara Jacob. Some peripheral areas were lost after an invasion by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghaziho.

Haile Selassie , the last of the Abyssinian emperors, is considered to be the 225th generation of the descendants of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba . He was overthrown in 1974. Several members of the imperial family were arrested, others were able to flee into exile. Under the Derg regime, the female family members were released in 1989, followed by the men the following year; the majority then went abroad. Several members of the imperial family later returned home.

Coats of arms, flags and emblems

The coat of arms of the former emperor Haile Selassie is still used today by the direct male descendants of the emperor. The coat of arms shows the imperial throne, a lion throne based on the mythical throne of King Solomon. It is flanked by two angels with swords and scales, symbols of the imperial judiciary and legislature , and a scepter as a symbol of power. The coat of arms is clad in the red imperial coat, decorated with olive branches and crowned with the Ethiopian imperial crown. In front of the throne stands the Lion of Judah , a symbol of the honorary title that the Ethiopian emperors held. The dynasty's motto uses a quote from the Psalms :

"Ityopia tabetsih edewiha have Igziabiher."

"Ethiopia should stretch out its hands to God."

The Lion of Judah was on the flag of the Abyssinian Empire .

See also

literature

  • Musa Mohammad Omar: Ethnic groups and nation states in the Horn of Africa. Somalia and Eritrea (= cultural identity and political self-determination in world society. Vol. 9). Lit, Münster et al. 2002, ISBN 3-8258-5905-3 , p. 60, (at the same time: Münster, Universität, Dissertation, 2001).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Baur: Christ Comes to Africa: 2000 Years of Christianity on the Black Continent . P. 42 ( look inside the book )
  2. ↑ Ps 68,32  ELB : “There will come bronze things out of Egypt; Ethiopia should stretch out its hands to God. "