Degna Djan was an

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

of the

Kingdom of Aksum The Kingdom of Aksum, or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom in East Africa and South Arabia from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, based in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, and spanning present-day Djibouti and Sudan. Emerging ...

(9th or 10th centuries). Paul B. Henze states that his throne name was " 'Anbasa Wedem", which tradition states was his oldest son's name. His younger son was

Dil Na'od Dil Na'od was the last King of Aksum before the Zagwe dynasty. He lived in either the 9th or 10th century. Dil Na'od was the younger son of Ged'a Jan (or Degna Djan), and succeeded his older brother 'Anbasa Wedem as ''negus''. According to E. ...

E. A. Wallis Budge Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (27 July 185723 November 1934) was an English Egyptology, Egyptologist, Orientalism, Orientalist, and Philology, philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient ...

provides an account of the most familiar tradition about Degna Djan on his deathbed, that he asked

Abuna Abuna (or Abune, which is the status constructus form used when a name follows: Ge'ez አቡነ ''abuna''/''abune'', 'our father'; Amharic and Tigrinya) is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as w ...

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

to decide which of his two sons should succeed him. Abuna Peter selected Dil Na'od. Upset with the decision, 'Abasa Wedem is said to have bribed an Egyptian monk Mennas to go to Alexandria and convince the

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epi ...

to remove Abuna Peter so 'Anbasa Wedem could claim the throne. Mennas returned with forged papers that made him Abuna, and he consecrated 'Anbasa Wedem as king. Dil Na'od's supporters thereupon collected troops and deposed 'Anasa Wedem upon learning the truth. Patriarch Cosmas excommunicated Mennas, but Mennas had died by that time. Taddesse Tamrat repeats traditions that Degna Djan both led military expeditions as far south as

Ennarea Ennarea, also known as E(n)narya or In(n)arya ( Gonga: Hinnario), was a kingdom in the Gibe region in what is now western Ethiopia. It became independent from the kingdom of Damot in the 14th century and would be the most powerful kingdom in t ...

, and commanded missionary activities in the highlands of

Angot Angot (Amharic: አንጎት, translated as "Neck," possibly referring to the province geography) was a historical region in northern Ethiopia. It was bordered on the west by Bugna and the Afar lowlands to the east and southeast, Ambassel to the so ...

and the later province of Amhara. Because the ''Gadla'' of

Tekle Haymanot Abune Tekle Haymanot ( Ge'ez: አቡነ ተክለ ሃይማኖት; known in the Coptic Church as Saint Takla Haymanot of Ethiopia; 1215–1313) was an Ethiopian saint and monk mostly venerated as a hermit. He was the Abuna of Ethiopia who fou ...

states that Degna Djan lived 18 generations, or 400–600 years, before the saint (), "this brings Digna-Jan to the first half of the ninth century." Taddesse Tamrat also mentions a tradition that makes him, not his son Dil Na'od, the last king of Axum.Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State'', p. 66n One tradition states Degnan Djan perished in one of his southern campaigns.

References

Kings of Axum 10th-century monarchs in Africa 9th-century monarchs in Africa {{Ethiopia-royal-stub