Yekuno Amlak

Solomonid king of Ethiopia

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July 15, 2026

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Yekuno Amlak was an Ethiopian emperor who acceded to the throne in 1270, marking the beginning of the Solomonid dynasty. According to tradition, this dynasty was descended from Menilek I, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. However, many scholars trace the lineage back only as far as Yekuno Amlak. He rebelled against the ruling Zagwe dynasty, supported by monastic churchmen who legitimized his claim to descent from Solomon. The genealogy of the Solomonid dynasty was later documented in the 14th-century work the Kebra Negast, which also helped establish a basis for Ethiopian national unity.1234

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Zagwe dynasty
…end of the 13th century Yekuno Amlak, a prince of the Amhara, incited so successful a rebellion in Shewa that the Zagwe king, Yitbarek, was driven out and murdered. A new Zagwe king stirred up a counterrebellion but was defeated.
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…end of the 13th century Yekuno Amlak, a prince of the Amhara, incited so successful a rebellion in Shewa that the Zagwe king, Yitbarek, was driven out and murdered. A new Zagwe king stirred up a counterrebellion but was defeated.
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Ethiopia
The Zagwe and Solomonic dynasties
…of the province of Shewa, Yekuno Amlak, rebelled. He was supported by an influential faction of monastic churchmen, who condoned his regicide of Emperor Yitbarek and legitimated his descent from Solomon. The genealogy of the new Solomonic dynasty was published in the early 14th century in the Kebra nagast (“Glory…
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…of the province of Shewa, Yekuno Amlak, rebelled. He was supported by an influential faction of monastic churchmen, who condoned his regicide of Emperor Yitbarek and legitimated his descent from Solomon. The genealogy of the new Solomonic dynasty was published in the early 14th century in the Kebra nagast (“Glory…
Read More