Picture of zara yaqob solomonid

Imperial Ethiopian dynasty (1270–1974)

This article is about the Ethiopian dynasty. For the biblical lineage including Solomon, see Davidic line.

The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire from the thirteenth to twentieth centuries.

The dynasty was founded by Yekuno Amlak, who overthrew the Zagwe dynasty in 1270. His successors claimed he was descended from the legendary king Menelik I, the supposed son of the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, in order to legitimize the dynasty's assumption of power.

Picture of zara yaqob solomonid khan

Although this claimed ancestry gave the dynasty its name, there is no credible evidence that the dynasty was descended from Solomon or the Davidic line. The Solomonic dynasty remained in power until 1974, when its last emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown by a coup d'état.

History

Main articles: History of Ethiopia and Ethiopian historiography

Foundation and origin myth

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