Kedus Harbe
Encyclopedia
Kedus Harbe was negus
of Ethiopia
, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty
. According to Taddesse Tamrat, he was the son of Jan Seyum
, the brother of Tatadim
. Some authorities date his reign to the years 1079 - 1119. Huntingford does not include him in his list of kings of the Zagwe dynasty.
, Kedus Harbe tried to break the hold of Egypt on the Ethiopian Church by increasing the number of bishops ordained in his country to seven. However the prelate, Abba Mikael, refused, stating that this could only be done by the Patriarch of Alexandria
, so the king sent letters to the Patriarch and the Muslim
ruler of Egypt. The ruler was first sympathetic to the request, but the prelate warned him that with that many bishops they could appoint their own Archbishop and be free to develop "enmity and hostility" towards their Muslim neighbors. When the messengers returned with Kedus Harbe's answer, the country had experienced great famine and pestilence. "These were the first such calamities for which the historical mention exists."
Negus
Negus is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty
Zagwe dynasty
The Zagwe dynasty was an historical kingdom in present-day Ethiopia. It ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 1137 to 1270, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the forces of Yekuno Amlak...
. According to Taddesse Tamrat, he was the son of Jan Seyum
Jan Seyum
Jan Seyum was negus of Ethiopia, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty. Taddesse Tamrat states that he was a son of Mara Takla Haymanot, a younger brother of king Tatadim, and the father of Yemrehana Krestos.1 His name does not appear in the longer king lists....
, the brother of Tatadim
Tatadim
Tatadim was negus of Ethiopia, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty. His name appears in second place in the long lists of the Zagwe kings. Taddesse Tamrat states that he was the oldest known son of Mara Takla Haymanot....
. Some authorities date his reign to the years 1079 - 1119. Huntingford does not include him in his list of kings of the Zagwe dynasty.
Reign
According to Richard PankhurstRichard Pankhurst (academic)
Richard Keir Pethick Pankhurst OBE is a British academic with expertise in the study of Ethiopia.-Early life and education:...
, Kedus Harbe tried to break the hold of Egypt on the Ethiopian Church by increasing the number of bishops ordained in his country to seven. However the prelate, Abba Mikael, refused, stating that this could only be done by the Patriarch of Alexandria
Patriarch of Alexandria
The Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...
, so the king sent letters to the Patriarch and the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
ruler of Egypt. The ruler was first sympathetic to the request, but the prelate warned him that with that many bishops they could appoint their own Archbishop and be free to develop "enmity and hostility" towards their Muslim neighbors. When the messengers returned with Kedus Harbe's answer, the country had experienced great famine and pestilence. "These were the first such calamities for which the historical mention exists."