Africa Study Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 106
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Christian Kings in Africa
AD 900–1500
A AD 1137. Mara Takla Haymanot
overthrows his father-in-law to
become emperor of Ethiopia.
He founds the Zagwe Dynasty
of Christian kings who revive
Christian art, literature, and church
expansion during their reign.
The Tigrean Kingdom in North
Ethiopia disapproves of the Zagwe
Dynasty taking the throne from the
“Solomonic line,” through which
the kings of Axum claim to be direct descendants of King Solomon.
Jerusalem” and the main river is
renamed the Jordan.
AD 900
C AD 1225. The Kebra Nagast,
meaning “Glory of the Kings,” is
written. Its 117 chapters tell a story
of Solomon, the Queen of Sheba,
and their son Menelik, the first
king of Ethiopia.
AD 1000
AD 1100
A
AD 1200
B
C
D E
Mara Takla Haymannot (A).
B AD 1200.* Lalibela, considered
the greatest emperor of the Zagwe
dynasty, begins his reign., He
builds eleven stone churches with
names inspired by the Holy Land
in response to Tigrean criticism.
These famous stone churches are
carved out of rock to create a “new
AD 1300
AD 1400
H
AD 1500
AD 1600
Stone Church of Emperor Lalibela (B).
F G
I
J K
L
M
Panel from Kebra Nagast (C).
D AD 1270. The Zagwe dynasty is
overthrown, and the Solomonic
dynasty in Ethiopia is restored by
Yekuno Amlek.
E AD 1272. Christianity declines in
Nubia as Arab Muslims defeat the
Nubian army and immigrate to the
area. Eventually the Mamluk rulers
in Egypt put a Nubian Muslim king
on the throne, and the cathedral
becomes a mosque. A small splinter Christian kingdom Dotawo
survives, as well as the kingdom of
Alodia further south.
F AD 1312. Missionary monk Tekle
Haymanot dies. Tekle Haymanot
evangelised the pagan Shewa
kingdom and was the founder of a
new monastic order at Debre Atsbo
(later renamed Debre Libanos) in
Ethiopia.