Ethiopian Empire

The **Ethiopian Empire**, or simply **Ethiopia**, also known as **Abyssinia** by foreigners, was an empire in East 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. The official state religion of the empire was Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.

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

Ethiopian Empire:
- Ge'ez Script: የኢትዮጵያ ንጉሠ ነገሥት መንግሥተ, Mängəstä Ityop'p'ya
Ethiopia:
- ,  , , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, , Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ

## Infobox (country)

- **native name**:

- **conventional long name**: Ethiopian Empire
- **era**: Middle Ages to Cold War
- **government type**: Absolute monarchy
Unitary state, Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- **life span**: 1270–1974

- **event start**: Yekuno Amlak#Reign, Ascension of Yekuno Amlak
- **year start**: 1270
- **event1**: Amda Seyon I's Expansions, Conquests of Amda Seyon I
- **date event1**: 1314–1344
- **event2**: Ethiopian–Adal War
- **date event2**: 1529–1543
- **event3**: Gondarine period
- **date event3**: 1632–1769
- **event4**: Zemene Mesafint
- **date event4**: 1769–1855
- **event5**: Menelik's Expansions
- **date event5**: 1878–1904
- **event6**: First Italo-Ethiopian War
- **date event6**: 1895–1896
- **event7**: 1931 Constitution of Ethiopia, Constitution adopted
- **date event7**: 16 July 1931
- **event8**: Second Italo-Ethiopian War (annexed into Italian East Africa)
- **date event8**: 3 October 1935
- **event9**: East African campaign (World War II), Sovereignty restored
- **date event9**: 5 May 1941
- **event end**: by the Derg
- **date end**: 12 September
- **year end**: 1974
- **event post**: #Fall of monarchy, Monarchy abolished
- **stat year1**: 1344
- **stat area1**: 1,500,000
- **stat year2**: 1954
- **stat area2**: 1,221,900
- **p1**: Zagwe dynasty
- **s1**: Derg
- **flag s1**: Flag of Ethiopia (1975–1987).svg
- **image flag**: Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1936; 1941-1974).svg
- **image coat**: Imperial Coat of Arms of Ethiopia (Haile Selassie).svg
- **symbol**: Emblem of Ethiopia#History
- **symbol type**: Coat of arms
- **flag**: Flag of Ethiopia#Historical flags
- **flag type**: Flag
- **flag caption**: Flag
(–1974)
- **image map**: Ethiopian Empire in 1952.svg
- **map caption**: The Ethiopian Empire boundaries in 1952
- **image map2**: Menelik II conquests map on world sphere.svg
- **map caption2**: The location of the Ethiopian Empire during the reign of Yohannes IV (dark orange) compared with modern day Ethiopia (orange)
- **map caption3**: Ethiopia after Amda Seyon's Expansions (dark orange) compared with modern day Ethiopia (orange)
- **capital**:
Gondar
Amba Mariam, Magdala
Mekelle
Addis Ababa
- **national motto**:

()

- **national anthem**:
"ኢትዮጵያ ሆይ ደስ ይበልሽ"
()
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- **common languages**: Amharic (dynastic, official, court)
Ge’ez (liturgical language, literature)
Languages of Ethiopia, many others
- **religion**: State religions: Christianity (_Eastern Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church_)
- **currency**: * Aksumite currency
* Gold tax
* Salt, Salt blocks (Amoleh)
* Dinar
* Maria Theresa thaler
* Ethiopian birr, Ethiopian birr, thaler, or dollar
- **leader2**: Haile Selassie
- **year leader1**: 1270–1285
- **year leader2**: 1930–1974
- **title leader**: Emperor of Ethiopia, Emperor
- **deputy1**: Habte Giyorgis
- **deputy2**: Mikael Imru
- **year deputy1**: 1909–1927
- **year deputy2**: 1974
- **title deputy**: Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Prime Minister
- **legislature**: None (rule by decree)

Imperial Parliament of Ethiopia, Parliament

- **house1**: Senate (Ethiopia), Senate

- **house2**: Chamber of Deputies (Ethiopia), Chamber of Deputies

- **demonym**: Endonym: Ethiopian
Exonym: Abyssinian
- **patron saint**: Saint George, St. George (Patronages of Saint George)