Regnal lists of Ethiopia are recorded lists of monarchs who are claimed by tradition to have ruledEthiopia. These lists are often recorded onmanuscripts ororally bymonasteries and have been passed down over the centuries.

Many surviving physical regnal lists, as well as recorded oral lists, chronicle the line of kings beginning withMenelik I to theSolomonic dynasty. In Ethiopian tradition, Menelik is believed to be the son of queen Makeda (theBiblicalQueen of Sheba) and kingSolomon. The rulers that followed Menelik were thekings of Axum, theZagwe dynasty and the Solomonic dynasty. Some monarchs who ruled before Menelik are recorded in different Ethiopian traditions. These regnal lists were used to prove the longevity of the Ethiopian monarchy and to provide legitimacy for theSolomonic dynasty until itsfall from power in 1974.^[1]

Ethiopian traditions record a range of different monarchs from earlier times whose existence has not been verified by modern-day archeology. Their stories and legends may have elements of truth but it is unclear to what extent this is the case. Numerous king lists have been recorded either onmanuscripts or viaoral tradition. However, surviving information on the kings prior to the reign of emperorYekuno Amlak (1270–1285) is often scattered, incomplete or contradictory.^[2][3] The king lists that do refer to pre-1270 Ethiopia rarely match completely with one another.^[4] This variation is likely because the lists were compiled over a long time period across several different monasteries.^[5] It is also possible that the variations in succession order could be due to tampering with the lists after the13th century that resulted from "dynastic quarrels" and "ideological re-readings" of the Axumite regnal lists.^[6]

Carlo Conti Rossini suggested the lists were compiled in the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries following the restoration of theSolomonic dynasty and were compiled from Arabic documents, inscriptions on coins and monuments, and, in the case of some names, from South Arabian mythology.^[7]

Notable legendary Ethiopian monarchs include:

• Arwe – Mythical serpent king who ruled for 400 years before being killed byAngabo.
• Angabo – A king of non-royal birth who killed the evil serpentArwe, and was the father or ancestor of Makeda, theQueen of Sheba.
• Ethiopis – A king who was said to have inspired the name of the country of Ethiopia.
• Makeda – The biblical queen of Sheba who, according to Ethiopian tradition, is believed to be the mother ofMenelik I.
• Menelik I – Son of the queen of Sheba and kingSolomon ofIsrael and founder of theSolomonic dynasty in the 10th century BC. Much information on this king comes from the 14th century textKebra Nagast, however he remains historically unverified. In reality, the Solomonic dynasty began in 1270 AD with the reign ofYekuno Amlak.
• Abreha and Atsbeha – Two brothers who supposedly broughtChristianity to Ethiopia, however their existence is doubted by some historians. Some scholars believe that the story of Abreha and Atsbeha may in fact be based on the Axumite kingsEzana andSaizana.^[8]
• Gudit – Legendary queen who supposedly laid waste to theKingdom of Axum. Her deeds are recorded in oral tradition, but the various stories about her occasionally have differing or conflicting details.

Historian Manfred Kropp noted that numerous regnal lists exist that date back to the 13th century and these are reliable documents. However, for the period before this there are only legendary memories of theAxumite rulers.^[3] Regnal lists were created to provide a connection between theSolomonic dynasty and the legendary Axumite kings while skipping theZagwe dynasty. Such lists were written for the purpose of proving the legitimacy of the ruling Solomonic emperors and had information drawn from chronicles held in monasteries.^[9] Kropp believed that Ethiopian regnal lists were intended to fill in the gaps between major events, such as the meeting ofMakeda andSolomon, the arrival ofFrumentius and the beginning of theZagwe dynasty. The great variation in names and order between regnal lists was likely because this process took place across several different monasteries and were also passed onorally.^[5]

Not all names on the regnal lists areAbyssinian in origin. Some names originate from South Arabian mythology, the religious language ofAlexandria, and Greco-Roman sources, and transformed into local Abyssinian/Ethiopian forms.^[10]

E. A. Wallis Budge commented that any written information on the period of Ethiopian history before the 13th century was "incomplete" and "untrustworthy". However, he felt that this was because any regnal lists or chronological works held inAxum were likely burned or destroyed beforeYekuno Amlak ascended the throne in 1270.^[2] Budge noted that numerous regnal lists were known to exist in which the number and order of kings were rarely the same. He felt that it was clear that thechronographers ofAbyssinia from the 13th and 14th centuries "did not know how many kings had reigned over [their country] from the time ofMakeda [...] or the exact order of succession". Budge theorized that while the regnal lists showed evidence that they were based on legend and tradition, some parts of the list suggested that the scribes did indeed "[have] access to chronological and historical documents of some kind", includingCoptic and Arabic texts which were possibly brought over by monks fleeing Egypt and Nubia during the time of the Arab conquests. Some lists began withAdam orDavid.^[4]

Two European missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries,Pedro Páez andManuel de Almeida, visited Ethiopia and personally saw two different regnal lists on which they based their respective writings on the history of Ethiopia.^[11] The manuscripts likely dated to before 1620.^[11] Both Páez and de Almeida stated that the Ethiopian emperor lent them books from the church of Axum containing the regnal lists.^[11] European travellersJames Bruce,Henry Salt andCarlo Conti Rossini all published different regnal lists in Europe between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. The lists were written based on information gathered from local Ethiopian scribes. These regnal lists contain a list of names fromMenelik I toDil Na'od, but both the names and order of kings only occasionally overlap between the different lists, and there are numerous kings who appear on one list but are omitted from another. There are also at least two manuscripts held in theBritish Museum that contain differing regnal lists covering the same lineage of monarchs.^[12] Budge theorised that the existence of multiple regnal lists were due to rival claimants to the throne.^[13]

August Dillmann wrote an article comparing Ethiopian regnal lists in 1853.^[14] Dillman compared three lists and simply named them as A, B and C. Dillmann believed that list A was the longest because it included all rulers, regents, co-regents, pretenders and even heads of individual parts of the empire, while lists B and C only had the most important names.^[15]

Carlo Conti Rossini attempted to co-ordinate and compare the large number of different Ethiopian regnal lists, bringing together 86 different lists from libraries in Ethiopia andItalian Eritrea.^[16] The lists were divided into eight groups based on similarities and number of kings, and they were categorized by the letters A to H.^[16] Rossini's list A, B and C match Dillmann's C, B and A respectively.^[17]

Across Rossini's different lists, no name appears on all lists and no individual list contains all recorded names.^[18] The most common names to appear on the lists areMenelik I,Bazen,Abreha and Atsbeha andGebre Meskel.^[19]

Rossini categorised the lists as follows:^[16][20][21]

The reign ofMenelik I is traditionally dated to the10th century BC, due to being the son ofSolomon and theQueen of Sheba (Makeda), as stated in theKebra Nagast. Multiple lists exist that chronicle Menelik's lineage through both his mother and father. While Solomon's descent is recorded in theBible, traditions around Makeda's ancestry are more varied. She is usually assumed to be a descendant ofAngabo, who saved Ethiopia from a mythical serpent king namedArwe. Another tradition attempts to link Ethiopia with an even more remote past by claiming the monarchy descended fromHam.

According to Ethiopian tradition, an evil serpent namedArwe ruled Ethiopia before he was defeated byAngabo, ancestor of Menelik I. Most traditions state that Arwe ruled for 400 years.^[35][36] However, a different tradition recorded byE. A. Wallis Budge instead claimed that "20 or 30 kings" descended from Arwe ruled inTigray for 400 years.^[37]

After killingArwe, Angabo became the new king of Ethiopia. Some traditions relate that he reigned for 200 years and was followed by three further kings before Makeda ascended the throne.^[38][36]

All rulers of this dynasty were included on the1922 regnal list as part of the "Agdazyan" or "Ag'azyan" dynasty. In most cases their reign lengths were shortened to be more realistic.

This regnal list chronicles kings who ruled before Menelik I, but relies onBiblical chronology, particularly from theBook of Genesis. This list essentially serves as a document of the lineage of Menelik through his father Solomon.

The following list was included inE. A. Wallis Budge's bookA History of Ethiopia (Volume I) and was quoted from two manuscripts; One held in theBritish Museum and another held in theBibliothèque nationale de France, which was published inRené Basset's 1882 bookÉtudes sur l'histoire d'Éthiopie.^[42][43] The names of these kings also appear in the 14th-century textKebra Nagast.^[44] Budge believed this list had "no historical value" and was only intended to fill the gap fromAdam toSolomon.^[42]

The last king, 'Ebna Hakim, does not appear in theBible and is meant to beMenelik I, the son of Solomon and theQueen of Sheba.^[37] The name Ebna Hakim translates to "Son of the Wise Man" (i.e. Solomon) in Arabic.^[37]

TheKebra Nagast lists an additional king named 'Orni betweenHezron andAram, who was the son of Hezron and father of Aram.^[45] Budge believed this king to beOren, son ofJerahmeel.^[45]

Another Ethiopian tradition claims that the Ethiopian monarchy was descended fromHam, son of the Biblical prophetNoah. While Ham is not included in the Biblical regnal list mentioned above, a claimed genealogy from Ham to the founders ofAxum does exist.^[46] According to this tradition,Axum was founded within a century after theGreat Flood.^[47] This genealogy chronicles kings descending from Ham who representEthiopia andAxum. E. A. Wallis Budge called this dynasty the "Dynasty ofKush" and referred to the Angabo dynasty as the "Native African dynasty".^[48]

Enno Littmann recorded a tradition from an Ethiopian priest named Gabra Wahad, who stated the following:

Ham begotKush, Kush begotAethiopis, after whom the country is called Aethiopia to this day. Aethiopis was buried inAksum, and his grave is known there to this day. It was said that a fire used to burn in it, and that if any donkey's excrement, or any bit of stuff fell into it, it was consumed. Aethiopis begot 'Aksumawi, 'Aksumawi begot Malayka 'Aksum, and begot also Sum, Nafas, Bagi'o, Kuduki, 'Akhoro, Fasheba. These six sons of 'Aksumawi became the fathers of Aksum. When they wished to divide their land, there came a man called May Bih, and as people say divided their land as an agent. Each of the six gave him two acres of land and he settled down with them.^[49]

Beginning withMenelik I, Ethiopian regnal lists begin to diverge on the exact order of succession. Only a few rulers' names are consistently recorded across all lists. This section looks at rulers who are named as reigning between Menelik I andBazen, who began his reign eight years before the birth ofJesus. Despite tradition claiming that Menelik ruled in the10th century BC, the reign lengths provided on most lists do not allow for a sufficient number of monarchs to have reigned over a span of ten centuries.

Spanish MissionaryPedro Páez believed that the reason for the differences in names on various lists was because the Ethiopian emperors used different names prior to their accession to the throne, and some lists used their regnal names while others listed their birth names.^[51] This was supposedly done in imitation ofMenelik I, who was named David when he was crowned.^[52] E. A. Wallis Budge theorised that the existence of multiple king lists suggest that these represent rival claimants to the throne.^[13]

Lists recorded by Páez,James Bruce,August Dillmann andCarlo Conti Rossini, as well as the1922 regnal list, are all in agreement thatChrist was born in the eighth year ofBazen's reign, a statement that is also clear on one of the British Museum manuscripts recorded byE. A. Wallis Budge.^[53] If one was to calculate backwards from the Bazen's reign, thenHenry Salt's list would dateMenelik I's reign to 128–99 BC, over 9 centuries after the traditional 10th century BC dating of Menelik's reign. If the same was done for Bruce's list, then Menelik's reign would be pushed back nearly a century earlier but would still fall far short of the 10th century BC dating. The 1922 regnal list attempted to correct this by combining various monarchs into a longer list that allows Menelik to be firmly dated to the10th century BC.

This table contains names from the following recorded lists:

• The second regnal list recorded by Spanish missionaryPedro Páez in 1620.^[40] He believed this list contained the regnal names for the kings.^[40] This list omits the kings named Wazeha and Hazer that appear on the other lists in this table.
• A list recorded by Scottish travellerJames Bruce in his bookTravels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1790).^[54] He had gathered information for his regnal list from local scribes, though did not believe they were trustworthy or that his regnal list was complete.^[55]
• The first regnal list recorded by English EgyptologistHenry Salt in his bookA Voyage to Abyssinia (1814).^[56] Most kings have the "Za" prefix in front of their names on this list. This list omits the kings named Kalaz, Satiyo, Filiya and Aglebu that appear on the other lists in this table.
• Two regnal lists recorded by French travellersEdmond Combes andMaurice Tamisier in their 1838 bookVoyage en Abyssinie.^[57] The lists appear to be an amalgamation of other previously published lists. The first list is similar to James Bruce's list, but adds the prefix "Za" to most names, and adds the name "Awseyo" which is missing from Bruce's list, as well as omitting the names "Birwas" and "Mahasi", who both appear on Bruce's list. The second list omits the names from "Kalaz" to "Aglebu" that appear on most other lists in this table.
• August Dillmann's List A (1853), which he compiled from multiple sources.^[58] On this list, Menelik is preceded byArwe and the dynasty ofAngabo.
• The first of two manuscripts held in theBritish Museum published inE. A. Wallis Budge'sA History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia Volume I (1928).^[12] This manuscript was filed under Oriental No. 821, fol. 28b. Most kings have the "Za" prefix in front of their names on this list.

This version of the line of succession does not contain reign lengths.

This table contains names from the following recorded lists:

• The second regnal list recorded by English EgyptologistHenry Salt in his bookA Voyage to Abyssinia (1814), which he considered to be a "corrupt" list.^[56] This list does not include the king named Awseyo and mistakenly combines Tomai and Zagdur into one king.
• August Dillmann's List B (1853).^[58] This list claims that each king was the father of the next.
• A list recorded by French OrientalistRené Basset in his bookÉtudes sur l'histoire d'Éthiopie (1882).^[62] This list claimed that each king was the son of the previous king.
• A translation ofThe Life ofTakla Haymanot byE. A. Wallis Budge (1906).^[63] Each king is the son of the previous king on this list.
• The second of two manuscripts held in theBritish Museum published inE. A. Wallis Budge'sA History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia Volume I (1928).^[64] This manuscript was filed under Oriental No. 821, fol. 36a. Budge regarded this manuscript to be the most authoritative.^[13]

This variation does not include reign lengths. Many names appear on variations 1 and 2, but some names are unique to this version.

The following list is included in this table:

• The first regnal list recorded byPedro Páez in 1620.^[52] He believed this list contained the birth names of the kings. Some kings have theprefix "Za" placed in front of their names.

This variation does not include reign lengths for most kings. Many names on this version can be found on variation 2, but some names are unique and some names from variation 2 have been omitted completely. The names and order is similar to variation 2, but it does not include Warada Nagash (unless he can be equated with Walda Mehrat), swaps the order of Bawaris and Bawawel, and moves Hande further down the succession order.

The following list is included in this table:

• One regnal list included in a book titledHistory of the Kings of Dabra Yahanes (1903), edited by Italian orientalistCarlo Conti Rossini.^[70]

This variation does not include reign lengths and has only been attested on one known list dated to the 16th century.^[16] This variation has a notably smaller number of rulers between Menelik I and Bazen compared to other versions.

The table includes names fromCarlo Conti Rossini's "List F".^[71]

These lists name the monarchs who ruled afterBazen up toAbreha and Atsbeha, brothers who are credited in Ethiopian tradition with being the first rulers to convert toChristianity. Tradition recorded that Bazen's reign began in 8 BC and Ethiopia converted to Christianity in the4th century. However, the reign lengths on some king lists push Abeha and Atsbeha's reign into the5th century instead.

This table compares the following regnal lists:

• The second regnal list recorded byPedro Páez in 1620, which he believed listed regnal names.^[73]
• One regnal list recorded by English EgyptologistHenry Salt in his bookA Voyage to Abyssinia (1814).^[74] Most rulers have the "Za" prefix in front of their names on this list except for Herka and all rulers after Hadus, who instead have the "El" prefix. Asgwagwa has a combination of both and is styled as "Za Elasguaga".
• A regnal list recorded by French travellersEdmond Combes andMaurice Tamisier in their 1838 bookVoyage en Abyssinie.^[75] This list is heavily drawn from Henry Salt's list, and even movesAbreha and Atsbeha to after the reign of "Semera" as Salt had suggested doing in order to align their reign with the traditional date of Axum's conversion to Christianity.
• A regnal list recorded by German explorerEduard Rüppell in his bookReise in Abyssinien (1840).^[76]
• August Dillmann's List A (1853), which was compiled from multiple sources.^[77]
• The first of two manuscripts from theBritish Museum published byE. A. Wallis Budge in 1928. This manuscript was filed under Oriental No. 821, fol. 28b.^[78] The names on this list have the "Za" prefix, with all names from Asgwagwa to Ahywa (except for Besi Sawesa, Wakana and Hadus) additionally being preceded by the "Ela" prefix.

A noticeable problem with these lists is that over 400 years pass between the end of Bazen's reign and the beginning of Abreha and Atsbeha's reign. This pushes their joint reign to the early5th century, a whole century after the traditional early 4th century date for theChristianisation of Ethiopia. Because of this,Henry Salt deliberately altered the placement of Abreha and Atsbeha on his list so that the thirteenth year of their joint reign would fall correctly on the date whenChristianity was introduced to Ethiopia instead of contradicting this tradition. His suggested alteration placed Abreha and Atsbeha after king El Semera. Salt noted that one chronicle explicitly stated that 330 years had passed between the birth of Christ and the thirteenth year of Abreha's reign, when Christianity was introduced.^[56] This is the same period of time which is quoted in other Ethiopian chronicles.^[56] However the same chronicle makes a "very striking error" by placing Abreha after El Ahiawya and thus suggesting that his thirteenth year of rule took place 465 years after the birth of Christ.^[79] As a result, Salt's personal king list alters the order slightly by placing Abreha and Atsbeha much further up the king list (the table below however retains the order of his original source).^[79] Salt believed that the five rulers of his list from El Ahiawya to Seladoba "should [probably] be also removed" altogether, which is why E. A. Wallis Budge did not name them when quoting Salt's king list.^[79][80] Salt additionally believed that there should only be one king named Ameda, though his list names two kings of this name.^[79]

Salt theorised that the change of prefix from "Za" to "El" after the reign of Za Elasguaga reflected a change of dynasty.^[56] He believed that this theory could be confirmed by the short reigns of Za Baesi Tsawesa, Za Wakena and Za Hadus, who all reigned for a combined total of 1 year, 4 months and 2 days after the first "El" king, El Herka.^[56] He believed that the "Za" kings were the "shepherd kings" or "original Ethiopians" before being replaced by a new "race" of kings.^[56] Salt suggested that this change may have been caused by colony ofSyrians who were placed byAlexander the Great near the mouth of theRed Sea according to an account written byPhilostorgius.^[56]

An unpublished history of the kings of Axum states that a queen named "Ahiyewa" was the mother ofAbreha and Atsbeha and she ruled for three years during the minority of her sons.^[81] This confirms that the ruler named "Ahywa" who preceded Abreha and Atsbeha in this line of succession was a queen who ruled as regent during their minority. If Abreha and Atsbeha can be identified with the historicalEzana andSaizana, as Henry Salt did in his list,^[74] then this suggests that "Ahywa" is another name forSofya, wife ofOusanas. A book titledGedle Abreha and Asbeha from theChurch of Abreha wa-Atsbeha confirms that "Sofya" was one of the names for the mother of Abreha and Atsbeha.^[81] The first British Museum manuscript published by Budge however stated that "'Eguālā 'Anbasā" was the name of their mother despite also listing "Ahywa" as their predecessor.^[78]

This version of the line of succession does not contain reign lengths.

The following lists are compared in this table:

• The first and third regnal lists recorded by Spanish missionaryPedro Páez in 1620.^[89] The third list was treated by Páez as another list of regnal names and is placed directly after the second list in his book.^[90]
• The regnal list recorded by Scottish travellerJames Bruce in his bookTravels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1790).^[91] This list was kept in the monastery ofDebre Libanos inShewa. The list omits the kings named Bahar Asgad and Zaray who are named on the other lists in this table.
• August Dillmann's List C (1853).^[92] This list originates from a manuscript which did not name the kings of Axum who reigned betweenArwe andBazen.

According to some chronicles, the father ofAbreha and Atsbeha was a king named Seifa Arad.^[93] Páez's first list and Bruce's list place this king before Abreha and Atsbeha, but not as their direct predecessor, and the second British Museum manuscript places a similarly named king "Senfa Arad" as their immediate predecessor.^[94]

This variation does not include reign lengths. The kings named Bahar Asgad, Germa Asfare, Sharguay, Zaray and Agdur appear in variation 2 lists, but other kings do not.

The following lists are compared in this table:

• August Dillmann's List B (1853).^[95] This list claimed that each king was the son of the previous one.
• A list recorded by French OrientalistRené Basset in his bookÉtudes sur l'histoire d'Éthiopie (1882).^[62] This list claimed that each king was the son of the previous king, except for Saba Asgad, who is listed as a brother of his predecessor Zaray and both of them were sons of Sharguay.^[62]
• A translation ofThe Life ofTakla Haymanot byE. A. Wallis Budge (1906).^[69] Each king is the son of the previous king on this list and continues from variation 2 of the list of kings from Menelik I to Bazen.
• The second of two manuscripts held in theBritish Museum which were published by British archeologistE. A. Wallis Budge in 1928.^[96]

The final king, Senfa Arad, is named as the father ofAbreha and Atsbeha in some sources.^[93]

The following list is included in this table:

• One regnal list included in a book titledHistory of the Kings of Dabra Yahanes (1903), edited by Italian orientalistCarlo Conti Rossini.^[94]

This line of succession is a condensed version of variations 2 and 3 with the addition of two names, "Ahendir" and "Tazer", and does not list any reign lengths.

This variation does not include reign lengths and has only been attested on one known list dated to the 16th century.^[16]

The table includes names fromCarlo Conti Rossini's "List F".^[71]

The following lists chronicle the kings who reigned fromAbreha and Atsbeha, the first kings of Axum to convert toChristianity in the4th century, to the last kings who ruled the kingdom before it fell in the10th century.Dil Na'od is usually considered the last king of the kingdom, but some lists name monarchs who reigned after him.

The1922 regnal list attempted to combine the different variations into one line succession dating from 306 to 920E.C., and did this by placing most of the kings in variation 1 directly after Abreha and Atsbeha and then continuing the line with the kings of variations 2 and 3. This allowed a sufficient number of kings to reign betweenAbreha and Atsbeha in the early 4th century andAlla Amidas in the late 5th century, and also continue the line of kings into the early 10th century.

This version of the line of succession after Abreha and Atsbeha contains lesser known rulers, and is quoted by writers more rarely. These lists do not go up to the reign ofDil Na'od, but do contain reign lengths for individual monarchs. The approximate time span of these rulers goes from the early 4th century when Abreha and Atsbeha converted to Christianity to the reign ofGebre Meskel in the early or mid-6th century. The reign lengths on Páez's and Dillmann's lists add up to 265–280 years, which may be slightly too long for the gap between the historical reigns ofEzana (one of the likely inspirations for Abreha and Atsbeha) and Gebre Meskel.

The following lists are compared in this table:

• The second regnal list recorded by Spanish missionaryPedro Páez in 1620.^[97] A manuscript fromDebre Libanos of unknown age has a similar line of succession to this list.^[11]
• A regnal list recorded by German explorerEduard Rüppell in his bookReise in Abyssinien (1840).^[98] Rüppell dated the time period of the kings from Abreha and Atsbeha to Gabra Maskal as 417–714 due to his belief that the Christianisation of Ethiopia had occuried much earlier than the reign of Abreha and Atsbeha.^[98]
• August Dillmann's List A (1853), which was compiled from multiple sources.^[99]
• A manuscript quoted byE. A. Wallis Budge, who did not specify the origin.^[100] He believed these monarchs were "kinglets" who ruled parts of Ethiopia separate from other lines of kings between 360 and 480.^[101]

This version of the line of succession after Abreha and Atsbeha includes many notable rulers such asAlla Amidas,Kaleb,Gebre Meskel andDil Na'od, but does not include reign lengths for most rulers. The time span of these rulers should go from the early 4th century withAbreha and Atsbeha to the 10th century with the end ofDil Na'od's reign. However, only five kings are named between Abreha and Atsbeha andAlla Amidas (who ruled in the late 5th century), an approximate period of over 150 years. The1922 regnal list resolved this by placing most kings of variation 1 between Abreha and Atsbeha and Amsi.

The following lists are compared in this table:

• The regnal list recorded by English EgyptologistHenry Salt in his bookA Voyage to Abyssinia (1814).^[109]
• A regnal list recorded by French travellersEdmond Combes andMaurice Tamisier in their bookVoyage en Abyssinie (1838).^[110] This list is heavily influenced by Salt's list, but adds a couple of reign lengths from other lists and has some variation in spelling of names. They claim the total length of time fromGebra Maskal toDel Naad was 350 years and that Del Naad ascended the throne as a minor in 900.^[111]
• A regnal list recorded by German explorerEduard Rüppell in his bookReise in Abyssinien (1840).^[112] He treated the line of kings from Constantinos toDil Na'od as a continuation of the line of kings from variation 1.
• August Dillmann's List B (1853).^[113] This list claimed that each king was the son of the previous king.
• A list published byRené Basset in 1882.^[114] This list claimed that each king was the son of the previous king.
• A translation ofThe Life ofTakla Haymanot byE. A. Wallis Budge (1906).^[115] Each king is the son of the previous king on this list.
• A manuscript held in theBritish Museum published by British archaeologistE. A. Wallis Budge (filed under Oriental No. 821) in 1928.^[116] French OrientalistRené Basset recorded a list of kings that was nearly identical to this manuscript, except that a king named "Geda Jan" reigned betweenDegna Djan and Anbase Wedem.^[114] This additional name is also found on the Paris Chronicle, which otherwise has a similar line of succession to Salt's list.^[11] Some historians believe that this king's name was an alternate name for Degna Jan.^[117]

The four kings Asfah, Arfad, Amosi and Seladoba reigned for a total of 32 years according to Salt's list,^[79] though he personally felt that it was more likely they reigned for a total of 70 years.^[118] Salt noted that the kings from Ameda to Dil Na'od did not have reign lengths assigned to them in the chronicles but may have reigned for a total of 354 years.^[119]Pedro Páez stated that the next three kings after Abreha and Atsbeha on his regnal list were brothers who reigned together and divided each day into three parts between themselves.^[120] A similar story is recorded elsewhere in reference to Abreha, Atsbeha and Shahel.^[101]

These lists continue the line of kings afterDil Na'od. The kings from Anbase Wedem to Armah are usually placed before Dil Na'od on other lists, but are placed chronologically after him on these lists.Degna Djan is completely omitted from this variation. Bruce believed the short reign ofAyzur followed by the accession of Dil Na'od as an infant, as well as an epidemic disease spreading around Axum, all aided Judith (Gudit) in her conquest and usurption of the throne.^[126]

Three regnal lists are compared below:

• The first and third regnal lists quoted byPedro Páez in 1620.^[120][23]
• The regnal list recorded by Scottish travellerJames Bruce in his bookTravels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1790).^[91] His list of kings came from a manuscript held in theDebre Libanos inShewa.^[91] His list ends withDil Na'od.
• August Dillmann's List C (1853).^[127]

These lists are similar in most parts, but have notable differences:

• Asfeh I is co-ruler with Arfed and Amsi on Páez's first list, but the other three lists do not state that all three ruled together.
• Páez's third list includes an additional king named "Amiamid" between Alameda and Tazena, whose name could be a duplication of Alameda.
• Armah I and Jan Asfeh are missing from Páez's third list, but appear on the other three lists in this table.
• The queens named Esato andGudit are considered to be separate individuals on Páez's third list who ruled different areas of Ethiopia, but Dillmann's list C instead considers both of these names to refer to the same queen.
• No women are mentioned on Páez's first list.
• On Páez's first list, Anbase Wedem and Dil Na'od are moved to the end of the list and are placed afterDegna Djan and Hezba Nan, neither of whom are found on the other lists in this table. Páez's first list essentially keeps the order of the succession the same as his third list, but alters the order of a few names to match with the order found in the variation two lists mentioned above.
• Dillmann's list mentions a woman named Terdai Gabaz, through whom theZagwe dynasty was able to rise to power.