Haile Selassie I was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (Enderase) for Empress Zewditu from 1916 until 1930. Haile Selassie is widely considered a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, and the major figure of Rastafari, a religious movement in Jamaica that emerged shortly after he became emperor in the 1930s. Before he rose to power he defeated Ras Gugsa Welle Bitul of Begemder at the Battle of Anchem in 1928. He was a member of the Solomonic dynasty, which claims to trace lineage to Emperor Menelik I, a legendary figure believed by the claimants to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who they name as Makeda.
The emperor of Ethiopia, also known as the Atse, was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country. A National Geographic article from 1965 called imperial Ethiopia "nominally a constitutional monarchy; in fact [it was] a benevolent autocracy".
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.
The prime minister of Ethiopia is the head of government and chief executive of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a parliamentary republic with a prime minister as head of the government and the commander-in-chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces. The prime minister is the most powerful political figure in Ethiopian politics. The official residence of the prime minister is the Menelik Palace in Addis Ababa. The prime minister is elected from the members of the House of Peoples' Representatives and presents a government platform. The prime minister must receive a vote of confidence in the House of Peoples' Representatives to exercise executive power as chief executive. Abiy Ahmed is the third prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, serving since April 2018.
Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint, the hereditary royal nobility, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class. The Mekwanint were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the aristocracy. Until the 20th century, the most powerful people at court were generally members of the Mekwanint appointed by the monarch, while regionally, the Mesafint enjoyed greater influence and power. Emperor Haile Selassie greatly curtailed the power of the Mesafint to the benefit of the Mekwanint, who by then were essentially coterminous with the Ethiopian government.
The Federal Parliamentary Assembly is the federal legislature of Ethiopia. It consists of two chambers:
The Ethiopian Empire, also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or simply known as Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that historically encompasses the geographical area of present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak approximately in 1270 until the 1974 coup d'etat by the Derg, which dethroned Emperor Haile Selassie. By 1896, the empire incorporated other regions such as Hararghe, Gurage and Wolayita, and saw its largest expansion with the federation of Eritrea in 1952. Throughout much of its existence, it was surrounded by hostile forces in the African Horn; however, it managed to develop and preserve a kingdom based on its ancient form of Christianity.
Prince (Abeto Lij)Girma Yohannes Iyasu is the Iyasuist claimant to the throne of Ethiopian Empire. He is also known by the name Girma Amente Ghebresillasie.
Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam was an Ethiopian politician, an Amhara aristocrat and intellectual of the Japanizer school of thought. He was the primary author of the 16 July 1931 constitution of Ethiopia, which was influenced by the Japanese Meiji Constitution.
Getachew Abate (1895–1952) was an army commander and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire.
General elections were held in Ethiopia between 23 June and 7 July 1973, to elect all 250 members of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Imperial Parliament. These were the last elections to be held under imperial rule in Ethiopia. The elections were called after the parliament elected in 1969 was dissolved. Prior to the dissolution of the old parliament, the Emperor Haile Selassie had put forward a proposal for land reform, including a new system of land taxation.
Emperor Haile Selassie proclaimed a revised constitution in November 1955 of the Ethiopian Empire. The new constitution was intended to improve Ethiopia's international image. While it consolidated the Emperor's absolutist powers it introduced concepts such as the separation of powers and expanded the role of the Ethiopian parliament. It was abrogated in 1974 with the Ethiopian revolution of that year which resulted in the abolition of the monarchy by the Derg.
The 1931 Constitution of Ethiopia was the first modern constitution of the Ethiopian Empire, intended to officially replace the Fetha Nagast, which had been the supreme law since the Middle Ages. It was promulgated in "an impressive ceremony" held 16 July 1931 in the presence of Emperor Haile Selassie, who had long desired to proclaim one for his country. In the preface to his translation of this constitution into English, William Stern writes, "this was the first instance in history where an absolute ruler had sought voluntarily to share sovereign power with the subjects of his realm." This statement, however, is not completely accurate, as the adoption of a constitution was somewhat pressed by international opinion.
The Menelik Palace, also known as the Imperial Palace or Great Ghebbi, is a palatial compound in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Previously for years was known as the Gebbi, it was the seat of the power of the Emperors of Ethiopia. Within its confines are several residences, halls, chapels, and working buildings. Today it contains the offices and residence of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
Many changes were made during the reign of Haile Selassie toward the modernization of Ethiopia upon his accession as Emperor on 2 November 1930, as well as before, beginning from the time he effectively controlled Ethiopia in 1916 as Regent Plenipotentiary, Ras Tafari.
Orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia are awards of the government of Ethiopia which are typically issued for sustained meritorious service, whether it be in a civilian capacity or in their capacity in the Ethiopian National Defense Force. They are governed by the laws of Ethiopia on awards.
The Imperial Parliament of Ethiopia was the bicameral legislature of the Ethiopian Empire from 1931 to 1974. It consisted of the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, and the upper house, Senate. The legislature was established in the 1931 Constitution, all members appointed, primarily by the Emperor of Ethiopia. The 1955 Constitution introduced elections to the lower chamber. The Ethiopian Parliament Building was the meeting place of the imperial parliament. The last elections took place in 1973. The legislature was abolished by Derg.
The economy of the Ethiopian Empire was dominated by the barter system, traditionally composed of Arab and Ethiopian Muslim caravans, and a strong trade culture nourished business within the feudal system. In medieval times, neighboring state Emirate of Harar became the center of commerce while imports and exports passed through the port of Zeila, operated by Muslim merchants, delivering commodities to the Abyssinians through Aliyu Amba a town in Ifat, which connected the Shewa.
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.
On 12 September 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a Soviet-backed military junta that consequently ruled Ethiopia as the Derg until 28 May 1991.
