Taddesse Tamrat (; 4 August 1935 – 23 May 2013) was an Ethiopian historian and scholar of Ethiopian studies. He is best known as the author of ''Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1520'' (1972, Oxford University Press ), a book which has dominated the field of Ethiopian studies.

Biography

Taddesse Tamrat was born in Addis Ababa from a family belonged to

Ethiopian Orthodox Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

clerks. He received an education through the traditional system of the

, where he was ordained as a deacon. As a young man he studied at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, but his father insisted that he study at a more traditional church school to properly learn the Ge’ez language. He returned to Addis Ababa and graduated from Haile Selassie I University with a Bachelor of Arts at History in 1962. Following that, he received a scholarship to the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

in London where he earned his doctorate in history. As a student there, he presented a seminar paper of some notes on the fifteenth century Stefanite heresy in the Ethiopian Church, which on the advice of his mentors

Roland Oliver Roland Anthony Oliver Fellow of the British Academy, FBA (30 March 1923 – 9 February 2014) was an Indian-born English academic and Emeritus Professor of African history at the University of London. Throughout a long career he was an eminent ...

and Edward Ullendorf was submitted to and published in '' Rassegna di Studi Etiopici'', his first article published outside of Ethiopia. It demonstrated his rich grounding in traditional Ethiopian Orthodox sources and his interaction with the broader academic world. He taught history at Haile Selassie I University, which became

Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (; AAU) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, and one is located in Bishoftu, about away. ...

after the 1974 revolution. He became the director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at the university and was active in the organizing the meetings of the International Conference of Ethiopian Studies.Bahru Zeude. 2012. "Taddese Tamrat. Personal memories", ''Rassegna di Studi Etiopici'' Nuova Serie, Vol. 4 (47) pp. 285-287. He received the Medal of Honor at the Colège de France and was named an Honorary Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies. The Manuscript Department of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies was named in his honor. He and his wife of 45 years, Almaz, had a marriage that was admired by others. During the later years, Taddesse was treating his illness in hospital at

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. His wife of 45 years died in July 2012. He died on 23 May 2013, and survived by his three daughters.

References

{{authority control 1935 births 2013 deaths Alumni of SOAS University of London Academic staff of Addis Ababa University Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Ethiopianists Ethiopian historians Addis Ababa University alumni