In Christian Ethiopia, a new dynasty came to power in 1270. The “Solomonid” dynasty was founded by Yekuno Amlak and was so named because its rulers were purportedly descended from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In order to separate this new dynasty from the previous Zagwe dynasty, which was alleged to be illegitimate, and to link it to the illustrious monarchs of the ancient kingdom of Aksum, the emergence of this new dynasty is often sometimes referred to as a “restoration.” The new dynasty’s early years were not particularly fortunate.
Yekuno Amlak’s ascension to power was not well regarded, and following his passing, the kingdom had a string of contentious successions. Only when his grandson Amda Tsiyon (1312-1342) succeeded him as king was his dynasty able to solidify its supremacy inside the Christian kingdom’s heartlands and expand its dominance over adjacent territories. In fact, the Christian state at this time had expanded to the point that it might legitimately be called an empire.
Because of the wars he fought against the Muslim nations that flanked his territory’s southern and eastern boundaries as a result of Amda Tsiyon’s expansionist tactics, his reign is mostly noted for those conflicts. The fact that the two parties’ interactions were not always adversarial must be emphasized. They were distinguished by a significant degree of beneficial business collaboration as well.
Additionally, despite the fact that Amda Tsiyon’s military wins helped the Christian state obtain and keep the upper hand over its Muslim neighbors, these triumphs did not stand alone as a deciding factor. The Muslim republics shown a remarkable potential for recovery thanks to their connections to the larger Islamic world, and Amda Tsiyon’s successors encountered many of the same issues. The fight for dominance between the two didn’t really intensify until the Muslims, under Ahmad ibn Ibrahim’s leadership, proclaimed a full-fledged jihad (holy war) in the sixteenth century.
Muslims invaded practically the whole Christian realm between 1529 and 1543. The struggling monarch Galawdewos (1540–1559) was ultimately able to turn the tide because of the expanding ties between Christian Ethiopia and European Christendom, particularly the Portuguese, who had sent an ambassador to Ethiopia in 1520. The Christian soldiers pushed the Muslims out of the central highlands with the aid of a small but well-armed Portuguese detachment. Christians and Muslims did not engage in a major battle again after this catastrophic struggle.
The resurgence of the Ethiopian church, which spread Christianity throughout the previously conquered regions of the empire, was another significant issue. However, the process of Christianization was sometimes just cosmetic in these places, and the local populace kept up with their previous religious customs. Due to inadequate organizational skills, the Ethiopian Church was unable to combat the resulting religious syncretism or “mixed Christianity,” which was in conflict with the laws of the Alexandrian patriarchate in Egypt.
Religious life in the central areas was characterized by escalating doctrinal disagreements, notably those involving Sabbath observance. The monastic movement, which had its roots in the north and was formed by Ewostatewos (c.1273–1352), promoted keeping the two Sabbaths (Saturday and Sunday), which the Egyptian church had forbade. Strong anti-Sabbath forces within the Ethiopian church, particularly the Takla Haymanot-founded monastic order with its headquarters at Debra Libanos in Shoa, resisted them.
The persecution that followed forced the disciples of Ewostatewos to live almost wholly apart from the Alexandrian patriarchate and the Ethiopian church, whose authority and reputation they persistently disregarded in a blatant and exceedingly humiliating manner.
By the time Zara Yaqob (r. 1434–1468) came to power, the Ethiopian church was in danger of disintegrating due to the Sabbath conflict. So, in an effort to end the schism, the monarch called the Council of Debra Mitmaq in 1450. The dispute was resolved in favor of keeping the two Sabbaths, and the disputing parties reached an understanding. Zara Yaqob also started a campaign of religious reforms, although it was only partially successful in eradicating the “mixed Christianity” of the outlying areas.
Ethiopian literature grew in popularity along with the Ethiopian church’s resurgence. Many of the writings created, like the Senkessar, a collection of saints’ biographies, were translated from Arabic. Others, like the Metshafa Berhan (Book of Light), which is credited to Zara Yaqob, were unique. This specifically addresses the Sabbath debate and explains the king’s religious reforms, guiding the Christian community, dispelling heresies, and criticizing non-Christian customs.
The royal chronicles were a significant literary subgenre that first appeared during the reign of Amda Tsiyon with an account of his anti-Muslim efforts. These offer an incredibly comprehensive source for researching Ethiopian history.
The Kebra Nagast (Glory of the Kings), which was adapted to represent Ethiopian concepts of royal legitimacy by linking it not only to an Old Testament heritage through descent from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, but also to a New Testament heritage through relationship with Christ, was the most significant work of this era, despite not being an original Ethiopian composition.
The foundational traits of the Christian Ethiopian state were therefore created under Yekuno Amlak’s successors. In the political domain, the adoption of conceptions of royal legitimacy, given expression in the Kebra Nagast, and the tighter linkage of church and state had substantially boosted the prestige and authority of the king. It had also established the particular nature of Ethiopian Christianity. However, the Solomonid empire was to show shockingly fragile on the eve of the Muslim conquest, to the point that it was nearly totally annihilated.
