Ethiopian Empire

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethiopian Empire
የኢትዮጵያ ንጉሠ ነገሥት መንግሥተ (Amharic)
Mängəstä Ityop'p'ya
1270–1974
1936–1941: Government-in-exile
Motto: ኢትዮጵያ ታበፅዕ እደዊሃ ሃበ እግዚአብሐር
Ityopia tabetsih edewiha habe Igziabiher (English: "Ethiopia Stretches Her Hands unto God")
("Ethiopia Stretches Her Hands unto God") (Psalm 68:31)
Anthem: 
"ኢትዮጵያ ሆይ ደስ ይበልሽ"
(English: "Ethiopia, be happy")
The Ethiopian Empire boundaries in 1952
The Ethiopian Empire boundaries in 1952
The location of the Ethiopian Empire during the reign of Yohannes IV (dark orange) compared with modern day Ethiopia (orange)
The location of the Ethiopian Empire during the reign of Yohannes IV (dark orange) compared with modern day Ethiopia (orange)
CapitalUnspecified (1270–1635)
Gondar (1635–1855)
Magdala (1855–1868)
Mekelle (1871–1885)
Addis Ababa (1886–1974)
Common languagesGe’ez
Amharic
Oromo

Tigrinya

Religion
Demonym(s)Endonym: Ethiopian Exonym: Abyssinian (in non-native sources, derived from the Arabic name for the general region "Al-Habash" and the most widely prominent pan-ethnic group the Habesha)
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy[1]
Emperor 
• 1270 (first)
Yekuno Amlak[2]
• 1930–1974 (last)
Haile Selassie
Prime Minister 
• 1909–1927 (first)
Habte Giyorgis
• 1974 (last)
Mikael Imru
LegislatureParliament[3]
Senate
Chamber of Deputies
Historical eraMiddle Ages to Cold War
• Empire established
1270
1529–1543
1890
16 July 1931
3 October 1935
5 May 1941
• Admitted to the UN
13 November 1945
12 September 1974
21 March 1975[4][5][6][7]
Area
19501,221,900 km2 (471,800 sq mi)
19741,221,900 km2 (471,800 sq mi)
Population
• 1950
19,575,000
• 1974
35,074,000
Currency
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Zagwe dynasty
Kingdom of Semien
Emirate of Harar
Kingdom of Kaffa
Kingdom of Jimma
Derg
Imperial Government-in-Exile
Today part of Ethiopia
 Eritrea

The Ethiopian Empire, or simply Ethiopia, also known as "Abyssinia" by foreigners, was an empire in Africa. It used to include modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea. When it was biggest, it controlled some parts of Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.

Abyssinia was mentioned in Egyptian records in 980 BC. Its king made the country Christian in the 4th century. The Solomonid dynasty ruled from 1270 to 1974 A.D., when it was overthrown by communists. At the time of its overthrow, it was the longest-lasting government in the world and one of the only two nations that did not get colonized in Africa.

In other languages[change | change source]

Ethiopian Empire:

  • Ge'ez Script: የኢትዮጵያ ንጉሠ ነገሥት መንግሥተ, Mängəstä Ityop'p'ya

Ethiopia:

References[change | change source]

  1. Nathaniel T. Kenney (1965). "Ethiopian Adventure". National Geographic. 127: 555.
  2. Negash, Tekeste (2006). "The Zagwe Period and the Zenith of Urban Culture in Ethiopia, Ca. 930-1270 Ad". Africa: Rivista Trimestrale di Studi e Documentazione dell'istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente. 61 (1): 120–137. JSTOR 40761842.
  3. Constitution of Ethiopia, 4 November 1955, Article 76 (source: Constitutions of Nations: Volume I, Africa by Amos Jenkins Peaslee)
  4. "Ethiopia Ends 3,000 Year Monarchy". Milwaukee Sentinel. 22 March 1975. p. 3.
  5. "Ethiopia ends old monarchy". The Day. 22 March 1975. p. 7.
  6. Henc van Maarseveen; Ger van der Tang (1978). Written Constitutions: A Computerized Comparative Study. Brill. p. 47.
  7. "Ethiopia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 1987.
  8. Markessini, Joan (2012). Around the World of Orthodox Christianity - Five Hundred Million Strong: The Unifying Aesthetic Beauty. Dorrance Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4349-1486-6.
  9. Morgan, Giles (2017). St George: Knight, Martyr, Patron Saint and Dragonslayer. Oldacastle Books. ISBN 978-1-84344-967-6.


Abyssinia in 1896
Map