CHAPTER FOUR

Chapter Four: Politics, Economy and Society from the late 13 th to the
beginning of the 16th Centuries.
4.1. The “Restoration” of the Solomonic Dynasty
 The period from the late 13th to the beginning of the 16th centuries
experienced dynamic political, economic, and socio-cultural
developments that lay the foundation for the formation of modern
Ethiopia in the 19th and 20th centuries.
 One of such developments was associated with the Solomonic Dynasty.
 The rulers of the Solomonic Dynasty claimed that they were legitimate to
take over state power from the ‘illegitimate’ rulers of the Zagwe dynasty.
 They also claimed that they were descended from King Solomon of Israel
and such a claim is found in Kibre Negest (Glory of Kings). The legend
associated Ethiopia with the Judeo-Christian tradition.
 The Kibre Negest states that Ethiopian ruling class descended from the
line of Menilek I, son of Queen Sheba and King Solomon of Israel. As a
result, Ethiopian monarchs from Yikuno-Amlak to Emperor Haile Silassie 1
I claimed descent from Menilek I.
4.2. POWER STRUGGLE, CONSOLIDATION, TERRITORIAL
EXPANSION AND RELIGIOUS PROCESSES

4.2.1. Succession Problem and the Establishment of a Royal Prison at

Amba Gishen
 After Yikuno-Amlak’s power came to an end in 1285, political
instability caused by constant power struggles among his sons and
grandsons for succession occurred. This was called succession problem.
 King Yegba-Tsion’s (r.1285-1294) letter addressed to the Sultan of Egypt
and the Patriarch of Alexandria in 1290 reflected the existence of those
struggles.
Resolving the succession problem: An Attempt was made to resolve this
problem by establishing a royal prison at Amba-Gishen located in present
day southern Wollo in 1300 A.D during the reign of Widim-Ra’ad (r.1299-
1314).
 In this prison all male members of the royal family were confined at the
Amba until 1540, until Amba Gishen was destroyed by the forces of
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Imam Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Ghazi.
4.2.2. CONSOLIDATION AND TERRITORIAL EXPANSION OF
THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOM
 Rulers of the Christian Highland Kingdom such as Yikuno-Amlak
(r.1270-1285), Amde-Tsion (r.1314-1344) and their successors
consolidated/strengthened their authority.
 But these medieval rulers and their successors had no permanent
capital until the establishment of Gondar in 1636.
 They changed their centers from medieval Amhara (today’s South
Wollo) around Lake Haiq, to districts of Menz, Tegulet, Bulga, Yerer,
Entoto, Menagesha, Wachacha, Furi and Zequalla mountains and
finally to A.A. Their capitals/centers were called roving capitals
(moving capitals).
 The movement was also accompanied by territorial expansion of kings
like Amde-Tsion and his successors.
 Amde-Tsion was the first Solomonic dynasty king, who embarked on a
policy of a wider and rapid territorial expansion. Why he started 3
territorial expansion? Because of:
CONT…
 economic and political reasons i.e. to control the trade routes and
territories.
 If so, in which areas did Amde-Tsion direct his expansion? The
regions/areas were:
1. Bizamo and Damot in 1316/7
2. Agaw (Awi) around 1323/4
3.Bete-Israel areas (located between Dambiya and Tekeze River) around
1332
4. The Red Sea Coast
5. Enderta (in today’s northeastern Tigray) given to his wife Bilen-Saba
by him.
6. The present day Eritrea region. In this region he appointed a governor
with a title of Ma'ekale-Bahir, which later on changed to Bahire-Negash.
7. Gurage areas, Wolayta and Gamo
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CONT…
 Indeed, his army faced strong resistance in Ifat, Shewa and Enderta.
 Finally, Amde-Tsion was in full control of all the trade routes and
sources of trade of the Ethiopian region in the early 1330s.
 Evangelization and Religious Movements
Evangelization:
 It is an attempt of converting people into Christianity.

 It supported the spread of Christianity in several areas. Similarly,

territorial expansion supported the spread of Christianity in Ethiopia.
 Evangelizer like Iyesus-Mo'a played great role for the spread of
Christianity in Ethiopia during the medieval period.
 Abune Tekle-Haymanot played a key role in reviving Christianity in
Shewa, evangelizing medieval Damot as well as baptizing and
converting Motalami into Christianity.

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CONT…
 Between 15th to 16th centuries, there were religious movements such as
the Ewostatewos and the Estifanosites which went against the teaching
and traditions Orthodox church.
 Following these religious movements, however, Emperor Zara-Yaqob
(r.1434-1468) took measures in order to stabilize and consolidate the
Orthodox Church.
 After taking measures against the Estifanosites , Zara-Yaqob
solved the disagreement among clergy, worked on the creation of church-
state union, he also created agreement with the Ewostatian and revived the
Sabbath.

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CONT…

4.3. Political and Socio-Economic Dynamics in Muslim Sultanates

 Some strong sultanates emerged since the 14 th century.

 Major factor for their emergence was: trade

 Adal was one of the examples of these sultanates.
 It was established as branch of the Walasma family of Ifat around
Harar in 1367.
 Its primary center was Dakar, a place located on the southeast of
Harar.
 But Adal changed its center to the city of Harar in 1520 and after the
defeat of Imam Ahmed threat from a new force-the Oromo compelled
the sultanate to change its capital to Awsa in 1576/7, to the present
day Afar region.
 Islam spread into the central and southwestern parts of the Ethiopian
region through preachers and Muslim merchants also contributed for
its spread. 7
CONT…
 Trade was also the base of the economy of Muslim sultanates and the
most known Muslim sultanates during this period were Ifat (1285-
1415) and Adal (1415-1577).
 Major trade routes b/n the end of 13th-16th centuries were:
1) Zeila and the old city-states of Mogadishu, Brava, and Merca were
used as ports
2) Massawa.
 Market centers/towns also emerged and they were: Weez-Gebeya in
western Shewa/famous market on the Fatagar-Dawaro-Harar route,
Suq-Wayzaro in old Damot, Suq-Amaja and the very famous market
center Ganda-balo on the Ifat-Awsa route, Wasel near what is today
Ware-Illu, Qorqora/Qoreta (north of Waldiya) and Mandalay in
southern Tigray, Dabarwa and Asmara.

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CONT…

4.4. Rivalry between the Christian Kingdom and the Muslim

Sultanate(14th-16th centuries)
 There was rivalry or conflict b/n the Christian Kingdom and the
Muslim Sultanates during the medieval period.
Reason for the conflict:
 The ambition to control trade route and commodities that passed
through the Zeila trad route and other.
Instances of such conflicts (Courses and Consequences)
 The first recorded conflict between the Christian Kingdom and Ifat
took place in 1328. At that time, the Sultan of Ifat, Haqaddin I stopped
merchants belonging to the Emperor of the Christian Highland
Kingdom, Amde-Tsion, confiscated the goods, captured and
imprisoned the king's agent.
 Enraged by the action, Amde-Tsion waged a war against Haqaddin I,
defeated him and took him as hostage/prisoner and eventually 9
replaced him by his brother Sabraddin.
CONT…
 Eventually, Ifat declined, following its decline, other Muslim
Sultanates like Sharkha, Harar, Bali, Dara, and Arbabani were also
seriously weakened.
 The conflict continued and in 1376, Haqaddin II came to power and
refused to pay tribute and rebelled against Neway-Maryam (1371-
1380), the son of Amde-Tsion.
 Similarly, the successor of Haqaddin II, Sa’d ad-Din II (c. 1386-1402)
gained initial success until the coming of king Dawit I (r. 1380-1412).
 Adal continued to challenge the Christian state and killed its rulers.
 In 1445, Zara Yaqob defeated Sultan Ahmed Badlay at the battle of
Yeguba to access to the Red Sea.
 Attempts were made to harmonize relations b/n the Muslim sultanates
and the Christian Kingdom.

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CONT…
 Emir Mahfuz fought the highland kingdom and he died in 1517 while
fighting Emperor Lebne-Dengel's (r. 1508-40) force and his son-in-
law, Imam Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, popularly known as Ahmed
“Gragn” or the "left-handed" took over the leadership.
 Apart from the hostile relations, there were wider socio-economic and
cultural interactions between the Christian Kingdom and Muslim
principalities. In that case trade continued to be the major channel of
social integration. Also, it had long been the source of friendship,
interaction, interdependence, and conflict among the states of the
region.
 Geez literature also flourished during medieval period.

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CONT…

4.5. External Relations

1.There was relation with Egypt. E.g. Securing abun (church head) from
Egyptian Coptic church.
2. Relations with Christian Europe was also maintained and further strengthened
by the legend of Prester John .
E.gs. Earliest message exchanged b/n Ethiopia and European monarch-the letter
of King Henry IV of England dated 1400 A.D. and addressed to Prester John, the
purported king of the Christian Kingdom. Alphonso de Paiva V of Aragon
(Spain) received a delegation from Yishaq in the city of Valentia, in 1427.
Maps drawn by European citizens in 15 th century also indicated the existence of
relation b/n the Christian High land kingdom and Europe.
Therefore, the conflict between the Christian Kingdom and Muslim Sultanates in
the 15th century strengthened the relation between the Christian Kingdom and
Christian Europe. Queen Elleni, the daughter of Hadiya Garad who married
King Zara Yacob, played an important role in strengthening these relations.
Eleni also attempted to secure relation and support from Portugal anticipating
that a real threat could come from the Turkish Empire. 12