Yagbe'u Seyon

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Yagbe'u Seyon ( Ethiop . ይግባ ጽዮን , throne name Solomon I , ቀዳማዊ ሰለሞን ) († 1294 ) was Negus Negest ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia from 1285 to 1294 and a member of the Solomon dynasty . He succeeded his father Yekuno Amlak to the throne.

Having co-ruled his father's rule over the last few years, his assumption of office was relieved. He tried to improve the relations between his kingdom and its Muslim neighbors. Like his father, however, he did not succeed in convincing the rulers in Egypt to appoint an Abuna or a metropolitan for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church .

Emperor Yagbe'u Seyon (left) fighting the Sultan of Adal. "Le Livre des Merveilles", 15th century

At the same time he waged war against the Sultanate of Ifat in the south.

Marco Polo reports that one of the "princes" of Ethiopia planned a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1288 to follow the example of some of his subjects. However, he was advised against this project and so he sent his "bishop" instead. On the way back, this bishop was taken into custody by the "Sultan of Aden". He tried to convert the clergyman to Islam . When he failed, he had the bishop circumcised before he was released . The “Prince” then advanced against Aden and the Sultan was defeated, despite the support of two other Muslim allies. The capital fell into the hands of the prince. Some historians, including Trimingham and Pankhurst, identify the ruler with Yagbe'u Seyon and correct Polo's information. So it was Adal and not the Arab port. The Sultan's capital would therefore be Zeila .

Historians disagree on the situation after the death of Yagbe'u Seyon. According to Paul B. Henze, the emperor could not decide to which of his sons he would bequeath the kingdom and ordered that each of them should take turns to rule for a year. On the other hand, Taddesse Tamrat notes that in the turmoil after his reign each of his sons occupied the throne for some time.

Individual evidence

  1. Marco Polo: Travels . Book 3, chapter 35.
  2. ^ J. Spencer Trimingham: Islam in Ethiopia . Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press (Oxford 1952), pp. 69f.
  3. ^ Richard PK Pankhurst: History of Ethiopian Towns . Franz Steiner Verlag (Wiesbaden 1982), p. 55.
  4. ^ Paul B. Henze: Layers of Time, A History of Ethiopia . Palgrave (New York 2000), p. 60.
  5. ^ Taddesse Tamrat: Church and State in Ethiopia (1270-1527) . Clarendon Press (Oxford 1972), p. 72.
predecessor Office successor
Yekuno Amlak Emperor of Ethiopia
1285–1294
Senfa Ared IV.