The International Prester John Project: How A Global Legend Was Created Across Six Centuries

Solomonic Line

One major selling point for Ethiopia's Christian legitimacy was the way the country tied itself to the genealogy of the biblical King Solomon, successor of King David. Yekuno Amlak (r. 1270-1285), who oeverthrew the Zagwe dynasty in 1270 is credited with aligning Ethiopian history and Biblical History. This rhetorical shift was then bolstered by a 14th-century national epic called the Kebra Negast that fleshed out the genealogical details. It argued that Menelik I—founder of the Kingdom of Aksum, recognized first Ethiopian king, and an ancestor of Yekuno Amlak—was in fact the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. 



 

Contents of this tag:

This page references: