| Menelik I ምኒልክ | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Emperor of Ethiopia (traditional) | |
| Reign | 982–957 B.C.(E.C.)[1] 975–950 B.C.(G.C.)[nb 1](according toTafari Makannon'sKing List)[2] 954–930 B.C.(Alternate dates fromE. A. Wallis Budge)[3] |
| Predecessor | Makeda |
| Successor | Hanyon or Tomai (depending on theking list) |
| Born | c. 1000 B.C. |
| Dynasty | House of Solomon |
| Father | King Solomon |
| Mother | Queen of Sheba |
Menelik I (Ge'ez: ምኒልክ,Mənilək) was the legendary firstEmperor of Ethiopia's Solomonic dynasty. According toKebra Nagast, a 14th-century national epic, in the10th century BC he is said to have inaugurated theSolomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, so named because Menelik I was the son of thebiblicalKing Solomon ofancient Israel and ofMakeda, theQueen of Sheba.[4][5]
According to the medieval Ethiopian book, theKebra Nagast, written inGeʽez in1321 CE,[6][7][8] his name wasBäynä Ləḥkəm (fromArabic:ابن الحكيم,Ibn Al-Hakim, "son of the wise"[9]). He was conceived when his father Solomon tricked his visiting mother, the Queen of Sheba, into sleeping with him. His mother raised him as Jewish in her homeland, and he only traveled toJerusalem to meet his father for the first time when he was in his twenties. While his father begged Menelik to stay and rule over Israel, Menelik told him that he wanted to return home. Thus, Solomon sent many Israelites with him, to aid him in ruling according to biblical standards; which were aggrieved at being exiled forever. One recount is that King Solomon gave theArk of the Covenant to his son, while another states that Menelik and his Israelite companions took the Ark with them; and Solomon attempted to regain the ark but was unable to, due to its supernatural properties aiding Menelik. Upon the death of his mother, or upon her abdication in his favor, Menelik was crowned King of Ethiopia.
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According to one Ethiopian tradition, Menelik was born at Mai-Bela near the village of Addi-Shmagle, located north west ofAsmara,[10] inEritrea.
According to legend, Menelik I founded theSolomonic dynasty that ruled Ethiopia with few interruptions for close to three thousand years. This dynasty ended after 225 generations, with the deposition of EmperorHaile Selassie in 1974. The Solomonic dynasty began (or was restored, based on the traditional narrative) in 1270, whenYekuno Amlak, who claimed descent from biblical Solomon and Sheba, overthrew the last ruler of theZagwe dynasty, dismissing them as not of "the house of Israel" (i.e., of Solomon).[11] and re-established the Solomonic Dynasty in 1270 AD.[12] The term MadrāAg'azi appears in the Gädlä Marqorewos (Conti Rossini 1904, 27 (text); 38, tr.) as the realm of King Mənəlik.[13]
Much Ethiopian art depicts the narrative about Menelik I in a series ofpanels, 44 scenes, eleven for each of four lines.[14][15] The story depicted on these panels is the oral version (beginning with a backstory on Sheba and including an Ethiopian maid who also becomes pregnant by Solomon), not the medieval text version.
A short film,Menelik I, was produced in 2004. Filmed in Ethiopia, it tells the story of the son of the Queen of Sheba through tableau images and music.[16]
A site known as the tomb of Menelik I is located two kilometres west ofAxum.[17] A German archaeological expedition discovered walls and a room at the site in 1906.[17] Bones that were alleged to belong to Menelik I were collected and deposited in theChurch of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.[17]
According to Ethiopian tradition, theArk of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia by first-born sons ofIsraelites who accompanied Menelik on his return from Jerusalem.[17] The Ark is believed by some people to be held in a shrine in Axum that no one is allowed to enter, except for one monk who is assigned to guard it for life and is not allowed to leave the courtyard of the church.[17] During the persecution ofGudit in the 10th century and theEthiopian-Adal war in the 16th century, the Ark was moved south toLake Ziway and later brought back to Axum.[17]
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