Menilek I

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Menilek I

legendary emperor of Ethiopia

Also known as: Menelik I

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June 30, 2026

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Menilek I is the legendary founder of the Solomonid dynasty of Ethiopia, traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. His lineage is central to Ethiopian tradition and national identity, as detailed in the 14th-century work the Kebra Negast. While the Solomonid dynasty ruled for centuries, some scholars trace its verifiable origins to Yekuno Amlak in 1270. The name "Menilek" itself is significant, as Menilek II, a later Ethiopian emperor, adopted it, linking his reign to this foundational figure.123

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Aksum
…Jerusalem to Aksum by King Menilek I, legendary son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Makeda). According to tradition, the Church of St. Mary of Zion contains the Ark of the Covenant. Over the centuries, however, the church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times; the present structure dates…
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…Jerusalem to Aksum by King Menilek I, legendary son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Makeda). According to tradition, the Church of St. Mary of Zion contains the Ark of the Covenant. Over the centuries, however, the church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times; the present structure dates…
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Ethiopia
From prehistory to the Aksumite kingdom
…was said to have produced Menilek I, the progenitor of Ethiopia’s royal dynasty.
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…was said to have produced Menilek I, the progenitor of Ethiopia’s royal dynasty.
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Ethiopia
The Zagwe and Solomonic dynasties
…that related the birth of Menilek I, associated Ethiopia with the Judeo-Christian tradition, and provided a basis for Ethiopian national unity through the Solomonic dynasty, Semitic culture, and the Amharic language. Well-armed ideologically, the Ethiopian state was prepared for a struggle impending in its eastern and southern provinces, where Christianity…
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…that related the birth of Menilek I, associated Ethiopia with the Judeo-Christian tradition, and provided a basis for Ethiopian national unity through the Solomonic dynasty, Semitic culture, and the Amharic language. Well-armed ideologically, the Ethiopian state was prepared for a struggle impending in its eastern and southern provinces, where Christianity…
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Beta Israel
…Israel) themselves claim descent from Menilek I, traditionally the son of the Queen of Sheba (Makeda) and King Solomon. At least some of their ancestors, however, were probably local Agau (Agaw, Agew) peoples in Ethiopia who converted to Judaism in the centuries before and after the start of the Christian…
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…Israel) themselves claim descent from Menilek I, traditionally the son of the Queen of Sheba (Makeda) and King Solomon. At least some of their ancestors, however, were probably local Agau (Agaw, Agew) peoples in Ethiopia who converted to Judaism in the centuries before and after the start of the Christian…
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Queen of Sheba
Menilek I was made king by his father, thus founding the royal Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, which ruled until the deposition of Haile Selassie I in 1974.
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Menilek I was made king by his father, thus founding the royal Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, which ruled until the deposition of Haile Selassie I in 1974.
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