Solomonid dynasty

The **Solomonic dynasty**, also known as the **House of Solomon**, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire from the thirteenth to twentieth centuries. The dynasty was restored by Yekuno Amlak, who overthrew the Zagwe dynasty in 1270. His successors claimed he was descended from the legendary king Menelik I, the son of the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, in order to legitimize the dynasty's assumption of power.  Based on a genome study published in the "American Journal of Human Genetics", there is genetic (DNA) evidence that there was gene flow from the Levant (today's Israel and Syria) into Ethiopia 3,000 years ago, during the times of Solomon and David. The origin and date of the admixture is in support of the dynasty's claims ("Ethiopian Genome and Queen of Sheba", Sergio Prostak, Sci.News). The Solomonic dynasty remained in power until 1974, when its last emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown by a coup d'état.

The emperors did not use their real name when they became Emperor of Ethiopia, but they made up a regnal name for their rule.  For example, the first Emperor of the Solomonids was Yekuno Amlak.  But he used the name _Tasfa Iyassus_ after he became ruler.

The dynasty began in 1270, when Yekuno Amlak killed the last king of the Zagwe dynasty, which had ruled Ethiopia.  Yekuno Amlak was made king, and European historians say was the first ruler of the dynasty.  But most Ethiopian books say that Menelik I, the son of King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba, was the first Emperor of this dynasty.

The leaders of Ethiopia from 1270 to 1975 (mostly Solomonids):

|width="15%"|Term|width="30%"|Birth Name|width="25%"|Throne Name|width="30%"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|colspan="4"|***'Solomonid dynasty***'|||||||
|1270 to 1285|**Yekuno Amlak**|Tasfa Iyasus||||||
|1285 to 1294|**Yagbe'u Seyon**|**Salomon I**||||||
|1294 to 1295|**Senfa Ared IV**|||||||
|1295 to 1296|**Hezba Asgad**|||||||
|1296 to 1297|**Qedma Asgad**|||||||
|1297 to 1298|**Jin Asgad**|||||||
|1298 to 1299|**Saba Asgad**|||||||
|1299 to 1314|**Wedem Arad**|||||||
|1314 to 1344|**Amda Seyon I**|Gabra Masqal I||||||
|1344 to 1372|**Newaya Krestos**|Sayfa Ar`ed||||||
|1372 to 1382|**Newaya Maryam**|Wedem Asfare; _or_ Gemma Asfare ||||||||
|1382 to 1413|**Dawit I** (David)|||||||
|1413 to 1414|**Tewodros I** (Theodore)|Walda Ambasa|Ruled 9 months|||||
|1414 to 1429|**Yeshaq I** (Isaac)|| Gabra Masqal II |||||||||
|1429 to 1430|**Andreyas** (Andrew) || |||||||||
|1430 to 1433|**Takla Maryam**|Hezba Nan||||||
|1433|**Sarwe Iyasus**|Mehreka Nan||||||
|1433 to 1434|**Amda Iyasus**|Badel Nan||||||
|1434 to 1468|**Zara Yaqob**|Kuestantinos I (Constantine I) || Dating becomes certain here||||||
|1468 to 1478|**Baeda Maryam I**|||||||
|1478 to 1494|**Eskender** (Alexander)|**Constantine II**||||||
|1494|**Amda Seyon II**|||||||
|1494 to 1508|**Na'od**|||||||
|1508 to 1540|**Dawit II** (David II)|| **Lebna Dengel** |||||||||
|1540 to 1559|**Gelawdewos** (Claudius)|| Asnaf Sagad I |||||||||
|1559 to 1563|**Menas**|Admas Sagad I||||||
|1563 to 1597|**Sarsa Dengel**|Malak Sagad I||||||
|1597 to 1603|**Yaqob** (Jacob)|| Malak Sagad II |||||||||
|1603 to 1604|**Za Dengel**|Asnaf Sagad II||||||
|1604 to 1607|**Yaqob** (Jacob)|| Malak Sagad II ||Restored|||||||
|1607 to 1632|**Sissinios**|Malak Sagad III|Crowned March 18, 1608|||||
|1632 to 1667|**Fasilidos** (Basilides)|| `Alam Sagad |||||||||
|1667 to 1682|**Yohannes I** (John I)|| |||||||||
|19 July 1682 to 13 October 1706|| **Iyasus I** (Iyasus the Great)|| Adyam Sagad II ||||||||||
|1685|_Yeshaq Iyasu ?_||In opposition|||||
|27 March 1706 to 30 June 1708 || **Tekle Haymanot I** || Le`al Sagad ||||||||||
|September 1707|_Amda Seyon_||A usurper|||||
|1 July 1708 to 14 October 1711|| **Tewoflos** (Theophilus) || Walda Ambasa ||||||||||
|1709 to July 1710|_Nebahne Yohannes_||In opposition|||||
|14 October 1711 to 19 February 1716|**Yostos** (Justus)|| Sahay Sagad || A usurper|||||||
|8 February 1716 to 18 May 1721|**Dawit III** (David)|Adabar Sagad||||||
|18 May 1721 to 1730|**Bakaffa**|Asma Sagad _or_ Masih Sagad ||||||||
|19 September 1730 to 26 June 1755|**Iyasus II** (Jesus II)|| Adyam Sagad |||||||||
|1736 to 1737|_Hezqeyas_||In opposition|||||
|colspan="4"|**Era of the Princes**|||||||
|26 June 1755 to 7 May 1769|| **Iyoas** (Joas)|| ||||||||||
|7 May to 18 October 1769||**Yohannes II** (John II)|| ||||||||||
|18 October 1769 to June 1770|**Tekle Haymanot II**|||||||
|June to December 1770|**Sissinios II**|||||||
|18 October 1769 to 13 April 1777|**Tekle Haymanot II**||Restored|||||
|13 April 1777 to 20 July 1779|**Salomon II** (Solomon II)|| |||||||||
|20 July 1779 to 8 February 1784|**Tekle Giyorgis**|||||||
|16 February 1784 to 24 April 1788|**Iyasus III** (Jesus III)|| |||||||||
|1787 to 1788|_Iyasus_||In opposition|||||
|1787 to 1788|_Baeda Maryam_||In opposition|||||
|February 1788 to 1789|_Tekle Haymanot_||In opposition|||||
|24 April 1788 to 26 July 1789|**Tekle Giyorgis**||Restored|||||
|26 July 1789 to January 1794|**Hezqeyas** (Hezekiah)|| |||||||||
|January 1794 to 15 April 1795|**Tekle Giyorgis**||Restored|||||
|15 April to December 1795|**Baeda Maryam II**|||||||
|December 1795 to 20 May 1796|**Tekle Giyorgis**||Restored|||||
|20 May 1796 to 15 July 1797|**Salomon III** (Solomon III)|| |||||||||
|18 August 1797 to 4 January 1798|**Yonas** (Jonah)|| |||||||||
|4 January 1798 to 20 May 1799|**Tekle Giyorgis**||Restored|||||
|20 May 1799 to 1799|**Salomon III** (Solomon III)|| ||Restored|||||||
|1799 to 24 March 1800|**Demetros** (Demetrius)|| |||||||||
|24 March to June 1800|**Tekle Giyorgis**||Restored|||||
|June 1800 to June 1801|**Demetros**|||||||
|June 1801 to June 3, 1818|**Egwale Seyon**|||||||
|June 19, 1818 to June 3, 1821|**Iyoas II** (Joas II)|| |||||||||
|June 3, 1821 to April 1826|**Gigar**|||||||
|April 1826|**Baeda Maryam III**|||||||
|April 1826 to June 18, 1830|**Gigar**||Restored|||||
|18 June 1830 to 18 March 1832|**Iyasus IV** (Jesus IV)|| |||||||||
|18 March 1832 to 1832|**Gebre Krestos**|||||||
|1832|**Sahla Dengel**|||||||
|1832 to 8 June 1832|**Gebre Krestos**||Restored|||||
|October 1832 to 29 August 1840|**Sahla Dengel**||Restored|||||
|1832|_Egwale Anbesa_||In rebellion|||||
|30 August 1840 to October 1841|**Yohannes III** (John III)|| |||||||||
|October 1841 to 1845|**Sahle Dengel**||Restored|||||
|1845|**Yohannes III** (John III)|| ||Restored|||||||
|1845 to 1850|**Sahle Dengel**||Restored|||||
|1850 to 1851|**Yohannes III** (John III)|| ||Restored|||||||
|1851 to 11 February 1855|**Sahle Dengel**||Restored|||||
|colspan="4"|**Tewodros Dynasty**|||||||
|9 February 1855 to 13 April 1868|Kasse Hailu|**Tewodros II** (Theodore II)||||||||
|colspan="4"|**Zagwe Dynasty**|||||||
|11 June 1868 to 11 July 1871|**Wagshum Gobeze**|**Tekle Giyorgis II**||||||
|colspan="4"|**Tigray Dynasty**|||||||
|11 July 1871 to 9 March 1889|Kassa Mercha|**Yohannes IV** (John IV)||||||||
|colspan="4"|**Solomonid Dynasty**|||||||
|9 March 1889 to 12 December 1913|Sahle Maryam (dejazmach)|**Menelik II**||||||
|12 December 1913 to 27 September 1916|Lij Kifle Yaqub|**Iyasu V**|Deposed by nobles with the sanction of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church|||||
|27 September 1916 to 2 April 1930|Askala Maryam|**Zauditu**, Empress|♀|||||
|2 April 1930 to 2 May 1936|Tafari Makonnen|His Imperial Majesty, Emperor **Haile Selassie**, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah|Crowned 2 November 1930|||||
|colspan="4"|**Italian occupation**|||||||
|May 9, 1936 to May 5, 1941|**Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, **Claimed title "Emperor of Ethiopia"||Not recognised everywhere.  Gave up the name in 1943.|||||
|colspan="3"|**Solomonid Dynasty**|||||||
|May 5, 1941 to 12 September 1974|Tafari Mekonnen|His Imperial Majesty, Emperor **Haile Selassie**, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah|Restored; deposed|||||
|12 September 1974 to 12 March 1975|Asfa Wossen|**Amha Selassie**|Emperor-designate, did not take office|||||