Kingdom of Simien

The Kingdom of Simien (), also called the Kingdom of Beta Israel (), was a Jewish kingdom. It was also called the "Land of the Gideons" by Rabbi Abraham ben Eliezer Halevi in the 14th century. This name comes from the kingdom's first ruler. The Kingdom of Simien was part of northwestern Ethiopian Empire. The traveller Benjamin of Tudela first talked about this kingdom being somewhere in the Horn of Africa in the 12th century CE.

A Ethiopian-Jewish legend says the Kingdom of Simien started in the 4th century CE. It started after the Kingdom of Aksum converted to Christianity during Ezana's reign. Local history says that around 960, the Jewish Queen Gudit defeated the empire. She then burned its churches and literature. There is evidence of a similar invasion around this time. There is also evidence of churches being burned. However, some western authors think that she was not real. It is still not sure whether Aksum was still a kingdom at this time.  Tradition says that she reigned for forty years and her dynasty lasted until 1137 AD. Then, it was overthrown by Mara Takla Haymanot. This started the Zagwe dynasty.

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Category:Monarchies by continent
Category:1620s disestablishments
Category:History of Ethiopia