History of Ethiopia |
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Gondarine period | |||
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1632–1769 | |||
![]() The Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar, an important royal fortress in that era | |||
Location | Gondar Amhara Province, Ethiopian Empire | ||
Monarch(s) | Fasilides Yohannes I Iyasu I Tekle Haymanot I Tewoflos Yostos Dawit III Bakaffa Iyasu II Iyoas I | ||
Key events |
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Chronology
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The Gondarine period (alt. Gondarian) was a period of Ethiopian history between the ascension of Emperor Fasilides in 1632 and a period of decentralization in 1769, known as the Zemene Mesafint ("Era of the Princes").
Gondar was founded by Emperor Fasilides in 1636 as a permanent capital, and became a highly stable, prosperous commercial center. This period saw profound achievements in Ethiopian art, architecture, and innovations such as the construction of the royal complex Fasil Ghebbi, and 44 churches [1] that were established around Lake Tana. In the arts, the Gondarine period saw the creation of diptychs and triptychs, murals and illuminated manuscripts, mostly with religious motifs.
The death of Iyasu I in 1706 began the slow decline in Gondar’s supremacy. Emperor Iyasu I's regent, Empress Mentewab, brought her brother Ras Wolde Leul to Gondar and made him Ras Bitwaded. After this and Iyasu II’s death in 1755, brief dynastic conflicts occurred between Mentewab's Quaregnoch and the Yejju groups led by Wubit.
The Gondarine period ended when Tigray governor Ras Mikael Sehul assassinated Iyoas I in 1769 which marked the beginning of the country's decentralized Zemene Mesafint period, which lasted until Emperor Tewodros II reunified the Ethiopian Empire in 1855 in its modern form.
Established in 1636 by Emperor Fasilides as the permanent capital of the Ethiopian Empire near Axum and Lalibela, Gondar became a commercial and religious center, with Ethiopian traders called Jeberti, and experienced a period of renewed stability in the Solomonic dynasty. The Gondarine period saw numerous innovations, including the development of Christian iconography. The earliest style of art lasted until the early 18th century and was noted for its warmth of color, careful finish and richness of design. [2] Gondar possessed favorable trade routes leading south of the Blue Nile and to northwestern regions like Massawa and Sudan. Gondar also became renowned for the architecture of the imperial palaces, collectively known as Fasil Ghebbi.
Fasilides sought to establish diplomatic relations with the Zaydi imam of Yemen Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il from 1642 to 1647, in order to establish trade routes that bypassed Ottoman-held Massawa, but was ultimately unsuccessful. [3] During this period, the Agaw rebellion in Lasta recurred, started by Susenyos.
In 1637, the leader Melka Kristos entered his palace to reclaim his throne, to which Fasilides quickly responded by dispatching Qegnazmach Dimmo, governor of Semien, and his brother Gelawdewos, governor of Begemder. Kristos was eventually defeated at Libo. In the following year, he marched to Lasta, where and retreated to the mountain stronghold there; "almost the whole army perished amidst the mountains, great part from famine, but a greater still from cold,” according to writer James Bruce. [4]
After Emperor Iyasu I’s death in 1706, Gondar began to decay as most Gondarine emperors preferred luxurious city life to spending time in politics. [5] [ unreliable source? ] Empress Regent of Emperor Iyasu I, Mentewab, brought her brother Ras Wolde Leul to Gondar and made him Ras Bitwaded. After Iyasu II’s death in 1755, brief dynastic conflicts occurred between Mentewab's Quaregnoch and Yejju Wollo groups led by Wubit. In 1757, Tigray governor Ras Mikael Sehul occupied Gondar. His wish was to not only become emperor but to consider himself the real leader of the Gondarine period. Emperor Iyoas I was an infant at that time who had no power. [6] In 1769, Ras Mikael Sehul successfully killed Iyoas and crowned 70-year-old Yohannes II, ushering in the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of Princes) era.[ citation needed ]
Gondarine art drew on the Byzantine world’s religious motifs, with elements including illuminated manuscripts, murals, and icons from diptych and triptychs. Diptych painting by the author Walda Mariam also contributed to the Egyptian Monastery of Saint Anthony murals. The diptych painting of the Passion of Christ in Qaha Iyasus exemplifies a desire of visual imagery in Ethiopian art. [7] Gondarine art was also influenced by Western Baroque and Renaissance paintings through prints brought by the Jesuits in the 16th or 17th century. [8]
Scholars classify Gondarine art into two phases: the first used bright colors and an absence of shading, while the second used darker shades of color that developed during the reign of Iyasu II.[ citation needed ]
Upon the abdication of his father Susenyos I, who permitted the Catholic Church in Ethiopia as state religion from 1622, Fasilides sought to expel all Jesuits from Ethiopia and restore the state primacy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in his empire. In 1622 Jesuit Afonso Mendes and Jerónimo Lobo, were forcefully expelled under death penalty by Fasilides, to Fremona.[ citation needed ] During the early 18th century, a few Franciscan and Capuchin friars sponsored by the Roman missionary agency Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda lived there for some years. Among them were Franciscan Giuseppe Maria di Gerusalemme, Remedius Prutky (who left a valuable report on the city), and the Jesuits Grenier and Paulet. [9]
One of the most iconic works of Gondarine architecture was a royal complex known as Fasil Ghebbi and 44 churches[ citation needed ] that were built around Lake Tana including Adababay Iyasus, Adababay Tekle Haymanot, Atatami Mikael, Gemjabet Mariyam, Fit Mikael and Qeddus Abbo. [10] Fasilides was also credited with building seven stone bridges including the Sebrara Dildiy bridge over the Blue Nile. Fasilides contributed a new church at the Cathedral of Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion at Axum, named "Old Cathedral" which stands next to the newer cathedral built by Emperor Haile Selassie. [11] According to legend, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church would be constructed by the name of letter "G".[ clarification needed ] As a result, the Emperor behind Fasilides often built stone castles in Gorgora, Gomange, Guzara and Gannata Iyasus. After becoming aware of the fact, the scenario of urban life in Ethiopia was conceptualized by building more royal camps with replacement of semi-itinerants royal tents to stone and mortar. [12]
The arrival of the Portuguese in the mid-16th century also influenced the architecture style in the Gondarine era, primarily through the building of fortresses and castles. During Roman Catholic state administration under Susenyos, he employed Arab, Gujarati (brought by the Jesuits) and their masonic style with local masons, such as Beta Israel. Turkish architecture also influenced Gondarine architecture through Ottoman incursions, which further increased the prevalence of defense buildings and castles in the area. The style continued to prevail in Fasilides' reign through the Gondarine period and the 17th and 18th century, and went on to influence 19th century design.
Ethiopian philosophers like Zera Yacob, known for his treatise on religion, morality, and reason, known as Hatata and Walda Heywat became prominent at this time. [13]
Taytu Betul was Empress of Ethiopia from 1889 to 1913 and the third wife of Emperor Menelik II. An influential figure in the anti-colonial resistance during the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, she, along with her husband, founded the modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in 1886.
Gondar, also spelled Gonder, is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on the Lesser Angereb River and southwest of the Simien Mountains. As of 2021, Gondar has an estimated population of 443,156.
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. 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.
Fasilides, also known as Fasil, Basilide, or Basilides, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1632 to his death on 18 October 1667, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was Alam Sagad.
Iyasu II , throne name Alem Sagad, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1730 to 1755, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Bakaffa and Empress Mentewab.
Tekle Giyorgis II was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1868 to 1871. After being crowned, he linked himself to the last independent emperors of the Gondar line through his mother and sought support from the Ethiopian Church to strengthen his right to rule. He was wounded when fighting during the 1871 Battle of Adwa, leading to the demoralization of his troops and capture of him and his generals and later on his death in captivity.
Iyoas I, throne name Adyam Sagad was Emperor of Ethiopia from 27 June 1755 to 7 May 1769, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the infant son of Iyasu II and Wubit, the daughter of an Oromo chieftain of the Karrayyu.
Yohannes II was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Iyasu I, and brother of Emperors Tekle Haymanot I, Dawit III, and Bakaffa. During his brief reign of a little longer than five months, little of note happened. There are conflicting accounts of his death.
Tekle Haymanot II, throne name: Admas Sagad III was Emperor of Ethiopia from 18 October 1769 to 13 April 1777, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Yohannes II by Woizero Sancheviyar, at the Imperial prison of Mount Wehni.
Susenyos II was Emperor of Ethiopia from August 1770 to December 1770. His name at birth was Wolde Giyorgis; he was the son of a noble woman who had lost her fortune and made her living by carrying jars of water, while it was rumored that he was the illegitimate son of the deceased ruler Iyasu II. The Scottish traveller James Bruce, who was living in the capital city of Gondar at the time, described him as "a drunkard, a ruffian, and a profligate".
Mikael Sehul was a nobleman who ruled Ethiopia for a period of 25 years as regent of a series of emperors. He was also a Ras or governor of Tigray 1748–71 and again from 1772 until his death. He was a major political figure during the reign of Emperor Iyasu II and his successors until almost the time of his death.
Mentewab was Empress of Ethiopia, consort of Emperor Bakaffa, mother of Iyasu II and grandmother of Iyoas I. She was also known officially by her baptismal name of Walatta Giyorgis. Mentewab was a major political figure during the reigns of her son the Emperor Iyasu and grandson Iyoas. Empress Mentewab was also known by the honorific of Berhan Mogassa. This was to complement the honorific of her son Iyasu II, who was Berhan Seged.
The Fasil Ghebbi is a fortress located in Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. It was founded in the 17th century by Emperor Fasilides and was the home of Ethiopian emperors. Its unique architecture shows diverse influences including Portuguese, Hindu, and Arab characteristics. Because of its historical importance and architecture, the fortress was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Ghebbi is an Amharic word for a compound or enclosure.
The Zemene Mesafint was a period in Ethiopian history between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries when the country was ruled by a class of Oromo elite noblemen who replaced Habesha nobility in their courts, making the emperor merely a figurehead. For the most part, the regional lords were tightly related by marriage and constituted a stable ruling elite that prevailed until the mid-20th century. In short, during the Zemene Mesafint, the emperors from the Solomonic dynasty were reduced to little more than figureheads confined to the capital city of Gondar.
The architecture of Ethiopia varies greatly from region to region. Over the years, it has incorporated various architectural styles and techniques.
The three battles of Sarbakusa were three military engagements in Ethiopia during the Zemene Mesafint that took place in May 1771. They pitted Wand Bewossen and Fasil of Damot against the forces of Emperor Tekle Haymanot II and Ras Mikael Sehul, with the former prevailing. This led to the end of Mikael Sehul's hegemony in imperial politics and the marginalization of Tekle Haymanot. According to James Bruce, the Meridazmach Amha Iyasus led 1,000 horsemen in support of Emperor Tekle Haymanot at Sarbakusa.
Haile Maryam Gebre of Semien, Horse name: Abba Dammana was an early 19th century governor of Semien, Welkait and Wogera. Haile Maryam tried to hold his hereditary possessions in the face of continuous pressure from rival lords during Ethiopia's Zemene Mesafint era. He is remembered as the guardian of Waldeba monastery.
Gebre Tasfa better known as Gebre of Semien was the governor of Semien, Tsegede, Welkait and Wogera during the late 18th and early 19th century in Ethiopia. He held the title of Ras, and had an unusually long reign spanning 44 years during the tumultuous Zemene Mesafint when lords of each province and district continuously fought each other for supremacy. Ras Gebre was the primary backer of his son-in-law Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I claims to the throne.
This is chronological list about the Ethiopian Empire, an empire dominated the present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea from the beginning of establishment of Solomonic dynasty by Emperor Yekuno Amlak in 1270 to fall of monarchy on 21 March 1975 under Haile Selassie.
This article is about the history of Gondar, a city in Amhara Region of Ethiopia, and previously served as the capital of the Ethiopian Empire from 1632 (at the beginning of Gondarine period to 1855 era.
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