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Gelawdewos (17th Century Prince Of Ethiopia)
Galawdewos (, 1521/1522 – 23 March 1559), also known as Claudius in European sources, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 3 September 1540 until his death in 1559, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was Atsnaph Sagad I (Ge'ez: አጽናፍ ሰገድ). A male line descendant of medieval Amhara kings, he was a younger son of Dawit II and Seble Wongel. Early reign The son of Dawit II by his wife, Seble Wongel, after the death of his father Gelawdewos succeeded to the throne on 2 September 1540 at the age of 18. During Ahmed Gragn's occupation of Abyssinia, Galawdewos initially took refuge in the province of Gafat. Despite his youth, over the next few months he made several successful attacks on the Adalite garrisons in northern Ethiopia. At the time of the Portuguese arrival in Ethiopia, Gelawdewos was in northern Shewa leading a small guerrilla movement against the Muslim occupation. When he heard of the Portuguese arrival he marched northward to join them but the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethiopian Aristocratic And Court Titles
Until the end of the Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( , modern transcription , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary royal nobility, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class. The Mekwanint ( , modern , singular መኰንን , modern or , "officer") were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the aristocracy. Until the 20th century, the most powerful people at court were generally members of the ''Mekwanint'' appointed by the monarch, while regionally, the ''Mesafint'' enjoyed greater influence and power. Emperor Haile Selassie greatly curtailed the power of the ''Mesafint'' to the benefit of the ''Mekwanint'', who by then were essentially coterminous with the Ethiopian government. The ''Mekwanint'' were officials who had been granted specific offices in the Abyssinian government or court. Higher ranks from the title of ''Ras'' descendi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
