Kingdom of Semien
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Semien sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Beta Israel , was an ancient Jewish kingdom of the Beta Israel
people, centered in north western part of the Ethiopian kingdom of Abyssinia
, which came to an end in 1627 during the reign of emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia
.
There is a disagreement regarding the exact time of the establishment of the kingdom; it was preceded by a number of regions which were in Jewish rule in the north-west part of Ethiopia
. The Jewish-Ethiopian tradition dates the establishment of the Kingdom of Semien to the 4th century, right after the kingdom of Axum turned to Christianity
during the reign of Emperor Ezana
.
a dynasty of Ethiopian kings and privileged descendants of Zadok
whom was a high priest during the reign of King David and king Solomon. According to the tradition of the Beta Israel
community, Zadok's son Azariah was sent to Ethiopia together with Menelik
.
after the revolt of Queen Judith
is "ha-Dani". This document validates the documents of Eldad ha-Dani
, who mentioned that the Tribe of Dan
exiled voluntarily and establish an independent kingdom. Between the 15th century and the early 17th century the Ethiopian Empire referred to the kingdom as "Falasha". This name was later on popularized and also appears in Jewish writings from that time period. The 16th century geographer Livio Sanuto referred to the kingdom as "Land of the Jews" ("Judaeorum Terra") in his "Tabula X" map published in 1588. Leo Africanus
also referred to the kingdom of Beta Israel as "Land of the Jews" ("terra de' Giudei").
Another name which was very common in the 16th and 17th centuries was the "Kingdom of Semien" – given to the kingdom after the area which it dominated after it lost control over the regions of Dembiya and Wegera.
According to the Beta Israel
tradition, the Jewish kingdom of Beta Israel was initially established after Ezana
was crowned as the Emperor of Axum (in 325 CE). Ezana, whom was educated in his childhood by the missioner Frumentius
, declared Christianity as the religion of the Ethiopian empire after he was crowned. The inhabitants whom practiced Judaism
and refused to convert to Christianity began revolting – this group was referred to as "Beta Israel" by the emperor. The Beta Israel kingdom was eventually established after a civil war between the Jewish population and the Christian population. The Jewish rebels wanted to distinguish themselves from the people whom practiced Christianity and therefore during that civil war the Jewish community began to migrate out of the Empire towards the Semien Mountains
region and the province of Dembiya
– regions located north of Lake Tana
and south of the Tekezé River
– at that time this region was not an integral part of the Axum Empire and as a result The Jews began to establish their kingdom in that region, crowned the first king, Phineas, a decedent of the Jewish High Priest
Zadok
, and started a period of territorial expansion eastward and southward.
During the mid 9th century the empire of Aksum
began a new expansion which led to an armed conflict between the Empire forces and the Beta Israel forces. The Beta Israel kingdom under King Gideon the fourth managed to defeat the Axum forces. Nevertheless, during the battle king Gideon was killed. As a result, Gideon's daughter Judith inherited the kingdom from her father and took command. Judith's first challenge was to stop any future invasions to the kingdom by the Christian Aksumite Empire. As a result, Judith formed an alliance with the Agaw – this way a military alliance was formed between those whom opposed the expansion of the Christian Aksumite Empire.
Around 960, the large tribal confederation led by Queen Judith, which included both forces of the Agaw tribes and the Beta Israel forces, invaded the capital of Axum
and conquered and destroyed the city of Axum (including many churches and monasteries which were burned and destroyed) and imposed the Jewish rule over Axum.
In addition, the Axumite throne was snatched and the forces of Queen Judith sacked and burned the Debre Damo monastery which at the time was a treasury and a prison for the male relatives of the emperor of Ethiopia, killing all of the potential heirs of the emperor.
After the fall of the Axum Empire, Queen Judith crowned herself as the empress and appointed governors in the provinces which were conquered. Queen Judith ruled over the territory she conquered for around 40 years, establishing trade relations with the neighboring countries and eventually passing the thrown on to her descendants.
The Golden Age of the Beta Israel kingdom took place, according to the Ethiopian tradition, between the years 858–1270, in which the Jewish kingdom flourished. During that period the world Jewry heard for the first time the stories of Eldad ha-Dani
whom apparently visited the kingdom. Marco Polo
and Benjamin of Tudela
also mention an independent Ethiopian Jewish kingdom in the writings from that period. This period ends with the rise of the Christian Solomonic dynasty
.
was restored after the crowning of a monarch whom claimed descent from the single royal prince whom managed to escape Queen Judith's uprising. For the next three centuries The Solomonic Dynasty emperors conducted several long ongoing series of armed confrontations with the Jewish Kingdom.
In 1329, Emperor
Amda Seyon
campaigned in the northwest provinces of Semien
, Wegera, Tselemt, and Tsegede, in which many had been converting to Judaism
and where the Beta Israel had been gaining prominence. He sent troops there to fight people "like Jews" (Ge'ez
ከመ:አይሁድ kama ayhūd).
During the reign of Emperor Yeshaq
(1414–1429) whom invaded the Jewish kingdom, annexed it and began to exert religious pressure. Yeshaq divided the occupied territories of the Jewish kingdom into three provinces which were controlled by commissioners appointed by him. He reduced the Jews' social status below that of Christians and forced the Jews to convert or lose their land. It would be given away as rist, a type of land qualification that rendered it forever inheritable by the recipient and not transferable by the Emperor. Yeshaq decreed, "He who is baptized in the Christian religion may inherit the land of his father, otherwise let him be a Falāsī." This may have been the origin for the term "Falasha" (falāšā, "wanderer," or "landless person").
By 1450 the Jewish kingdom managed to annex back the territories it lost beforehand and began preparing to fight the armies of the emperor. The Beta Israel forces invaded the Ethiopian Empire
in 1462 but lost the campaign and many of its military forces were killed. Later on the forces of the Ethiopian emperor invaded the kingdom in the region of Begemder
and massacred many of the Jews in that region throughout a period of seven years. Although the area of the kingdom became significantly smaller afterwards, the Jews were able to eventually restore their kingdom.
Between the years 1529 until 1543 the Muslim Adal Sultanate
armies with the assistance of forces from the Ottoman Empire
invaded and fought the Ethiopian Empire and came close to extinguishing the ancient realm of Ethiopia, and converting all of its subjects to Islam
. During that time period the Jews made a pact with the Ethiopian Empire. The leaders of the Kingdom of Beta Israel changed their alliance during the war and began supporting the Muslim Adal Sultanate armies. The Adal Sultanate armies did not see in favor the Jewish kingdom's change of alliance and continued the fight against them, and later on conquered different regions of the Jewish Kingdom, severely damaged its economy and killed many of its members. As a result, The leaders of the Beta Israel kingdom turned to the Ethiopian empire and their allies the Portuguese and requested their assistance in conquering the kingdom regions back from the Adal Sultanate. The forces of the Ethiopian empire succeeds eventually in conquering the kingdom and frees Ethiopia from Ahmed Gragn. Nevertheless, the Ethiopian empire decided to declare war against the Jewish Kingdom due to the Jewish leaders change of positions during the Ethiopian–Adal War. With the assistance of Portuguese forces from the Order of the Jesuits
, the Ethiopian empire under the rule of Emperor Gelawdewos
invaded the Jewish kingdom and executed the Jewish king Joram. As a result of this battle, the areas of the kingdom became significantly smaller and included now only the region of the Semien Mountains
.
In the 16th century, the Chief Rabbi
of Egypt
, Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra
(Radbaz) proclaimed that in terms of halakha
(Jewish legal code), the Ethiopian community was certainly Jewish.
After the execution of king Joram, King Radi became the leader of the Beta Israel kingdom. King Radi also fought against the Ethiopian Empire which at that period of time was ruled by Emperor Menas
. The forces of the Jewish kingdom managed to conquer the area south of the kingdom and strengthened their defenses in the Semien Mountains. The battles against the forces of emperor Menas were successful as the Ethiopian empire forces were eventually defeated.
During the reign of emperor Sarsa Dengel
the Jewish kingdom was invaded and the forces of the Ethiopian empire besieged the kingdom, the Jews survived the siege, but at the end of the siege the King Goshen was executed and many of his soldiers as well as many other Beta Israel members committed mas suicides.
When the Ethiopian empire forces invaded to Semien region they encountered resistance from the new king Gideon VII. The forces of the Ethiopian empire eventually decided to end the blockade and the Jewish kingdom was restored.
During the reign of emperor Susenyos, the Ethiopian empire waged war against the Jewish kingdom and managed to conquer the kingdom and annex it to the Ethiopian empire by 1627.
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
people, centered in north western part of the Ethiopian kingdom of Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
, which came to an end in 1627 during the reign of emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia
Susenyos of Ethiopia
Susenyos was of Ethiopia...
.
There is a disagreement regarding the exact time of the establishment of the kingdom; it was preceded by a number of regions which were in Jewish rule in the north-west part 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...
. The Jewish-Ethiopian tradition dates the establishment of the Kingdom of Semien to the 4th century, right after the kingdom of Axum turned to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
during the reign of Emperor Ezana
Ezana of Axum
Ezana of Axum , was ruler of the Axumite Kingdom located in present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, he himself employed the style "king of Saba and Salhen, Himyar and Dhu-Raydan"...
.
Incumbents
The Gideons Dynastya dynasty of Ethiopian kings and privileged descendants of Zadok
Zadok
Zadok was a high priest of the Israelites in Jerusalem after it was conquered by David.Zadok may also refer to:*Rabbi Zadok, tanna of the 1st-century CE*Zadok the Priest, an 18th-century coronation anthem by Handel...
whom was a high priest during the reign of King David and king Solomon. According to the tradition of the Beta Israel
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
community, Zadok's son Azariah was sent to Ethiopia together with Menelik
Menelik I
Menelik I , first Jewish Emperor of Ethiopia, is traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, ancient Ethiopia Queen of Sheba. He ruled around 950 BC, according to traditional sources...
.
- King Phineas - the first king of the Beta Israel during the time period of emperor Ezana of AxumEzana of AxumEzana of Axum , was ruler of the Axumite Kingdom located in present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, he himself employed the style "king of Saba and Salhen, Himyar and Dhu-Raydan"...
. - King Gideon IV - the father of Queen Judith.
- Queen JudithGuditGudit is a semi-legendary, non-Christian, Beta Israel, queen who laid waste to Axum and its countryside, destroyed churches and monuments, and attempted to exterminate the members of the ruling Axumite dynasty...
- (c. 960 – c. 1000) destroyed the Aksumite EmpireAksumite EmpireThe Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period ca. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD...
. - King Gideon V - (1434–1468) led the revolt against the emperor Zara YaqobZara YaqobZar'a Ya`qob or Zera Yacob was of Ethiopia , and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
. - King Joram - the king of the Beta Israel during the time period of emperor Gelawdewos of EthiopiaGelawdewos of EthiopiaGelawdewos was Emperor Gelawdewos (Ge'ez ገላውዴዎስ galāwdēwōs, modern gelāwdēwōs, "Claudius"; 1521/1522 - March 23, 1559) was Emperor Gelawdewos (Ge'ez ገላውዴዎስ galāwdēwōs, modern gelāwdēwōs, "Claudius"; 1521/1522 - March 23, 1559) was Emperor (throne name Asnaf Sagad I (Ge'ez አጽናፍ ሰገድ aṣnāf sagad,...
. - King Radi - King of the Beta Israel after King Joram during time period of emperor Menas of EthiopiaMenas of EthiopiaMenas , throne name Admas Sagad I was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
. - King Caleb - King of the Beta Israel after King Radi during time period of emperor Sarsa Dengel of EthiopiaSarsa DengelSarsa Dengel was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
. - King Goshen - King of the Beta Israel during time period of emperor Sarsa Dengel.
- King Gideon VII - King of the Beta Israel during time period of emperor Susenyos of EthiopiaSusenyos of EthiopiaSusenyos was of Ethiopia...
. - King Pinchas - King of the Beta Israel after Gideon VII. The last king of Beta Israel.
The kingdom's name
According to the Beta Israel tradition, during its time the kingdom called the "Kingdom of the Gideons", after the name of the Jewish kings dynasty that ruled it. A document from he 10th century by an Arab historian states that the name of the kingdom which took over the empire of AksumAksumite Empire
The Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period ca. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD...
after the revolt of Queen Judith
Gudit
Gudit is a semi-legendary, non-Christian, Beta Israel, queen who laid waste to Axum and its countryside, destroyed churches and monuments, and attempted to exterminate the members of the ruling Axumite dynasty...
is "ha-Dani". This document validates the documents of Eldad ha-Dani
Eldad ha-Dani
Eldad ha-Dani or Eldad HaDani or Eldad ben Mahli ha-Dani was a Jewish, Hebrew-writing merchant and traveler of the ninth century. He professed to have been a citizen of an "independent Jewish state" in eastern Africa, probably in the Gihon region, inhabited by people claiming descent from the...
, who mentioned that the Tribe of Dan
Tribe of Dan
The Tribe of Dan, also sometimes spelled as "Dann", was one of the Tribes of Israel. Though known mostly from biblical sources, they were possibly descendants of the Denyen Sea Peoples who joined with Hebrews...
exiled voluntarily and establish an independent kingdom. Between the 15th century and the early 17th century the Ethiopian Empire referred to the kingdom as "Falasha". This name was later on popularized and also appears in Jewish writings from that time period. The 16th century geographer Livio Sanuto referred to the kingdom as "Land of the Jews" ("Judaeorum Terra") in his "Tabula X" map published in 1588. Leo Africanus
Leo Africanus
Joannes Leo Africanus, was a Moorish diplomat and author who is best known for his book Descrittione dell’Africa describing the geography of North Africa.-Biography:Most of what is known about his life is gathered from autobiographical...
also referred to the kingdom of Beta Israel as "Land of the Jews" ("terra de' Giudei").
Another name which was very common in the 16th and 17th centuries was the "Kingdom of Semien" – given to the kingdom after the area which it dominated after it lost control over the regions of Dembiya and Wegera.
Establishment of the kingdom
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
tradition, the Jewish kingdom of Beta Israel was initially established after Ezana
Ezana of Axum
Ezana of Axum , was ruler of the Axumite Kingdom located in present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, he himself employed the style "king of Saba and Salhen, Himyar and Dhu-Raydan"...
was crowned as the Emperor of Axum (in 325 CE). Ezana, whom was educated in his childhood by the missioner Frumentius
Frumentius
Saint Frumentius was the first Bishop of Axum, and he is credited with bringing Christianity to the Aksumite Kingdom. He was a Syro-Phoenician Greek born in Tyre....
, declared Christianity as the religion of the Ethiopian empire after he was crowned. The inhabitants whom practiced Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and refused to convert to Christianity began revolting – this group was referred to as "Beta Israel" by the emperor. The Beta Israel kingdom was eventually established after a civil war between the Jewish population and the Christian population. The Jewish rebels wanted to distinguish themselves from the people whom practiced Christianity and therefore during that civil war the Jewish community began to migrate out of the Empire towards the Semien Mountains
Semien Mountains
The Semien Mountains lie in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar. They are a World Heritage Site and include the Semien Mountains National Park. The mountains consist of plateaux separated by valleys and rising to pinnacles...
region and the province of Dembiya
Dembiya
Dembiya is a historic region of Ethiopia, intimately linked with Lake Tana. According to the account of Manuel de Almeida, Dembiya was "bounded on East by Begemder, on South by Gojjam, on West by Agaws of Achefer and Tangha...
– regions located north of Lake Tana
Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia...
and south of the Tekezé River
Tekezé River
The Tekezé River, also known as the Takkaze River, is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. According to materials published by the...
– at that time this region was not an integral part of the Axum Empire and as a result The Jews began to establish their kingdom in that region, crowned the first king, Phineas, a decedent of the Jewish High Priest
Kohen Gadol
The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
Zadok
Zadok
Zadok was a high priest of the Israelites in Jerusalem after it was conquered by David.Zadok may also refer to:*Rabbi Zadok, tanna of the 1st-century CE*Zadok the Priest, an 18th-century coronation anthem by Handel...
, and started a period of territorial expansion eastward and southward.
During the mid 9th century the empire of Aksum
Aksumite Empire
The Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period ca. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD...
began a new expansion which led to an armed conflict between the Empire forces and the Beta Israel forces. The Beta Israel kingdom under King Gideon the fourth managed to defeat the Axum forces. Nevertheless, during the battle king Gideon was killed. As a result, Gideon's daughter Judith inherited the kingdom from her father and took command. Judith's first challenge was to stop any future invasions to the kingdom by the Christian Aksumite Empire. As a result, Judith formed an alliance with the Agaw – this way a military alliance was formed between those whom opposed the expansion of the Christian Aksumite Empire.
Around 960, the large tribal confederation led by Queen Judith, which included both forces of the Agaw tribes and the Beta Israel forces, invaded the capital of Axum
Axum
Axum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 . Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
and conquered and destroyed the city of Axum (including many churches and monasteries which were burned and destroyed) and imposed the Jewish rule over Axum.
In addition, the Axumite throne was snatched and the forces of Queen Judith sacked and burned the Debre Damo monastery which at the time was a treasury and a prison for the male relatives of the emperor of Ethiopia, killing all of the potential heirs of the emperor.
After the fall of the Axum Empire, Queen Judith crowned herself as the empress and appointed governors in the provinces which were conquered. Queen Judith ruled over the territory she conquered for around 40 years, establishing trade relations with the neighboring countries and eventually passing the thrown on to her descendants.
The Golden Age of the Beta Israel kingdom took place, according to the Ethiopian tradition, between the years 858–1270, in which the Jewish kingdom flourished. During that period the world Jewry heard for the first time the stories of Eldad ha-Dani
Eldad ha-Dani
Eldad ha-Dani or Eldad HaDani or Eldad ben Mahli ha-Dani was a Jewish, Hebrew-writing merchant and traveler of the ninth century. He professed to have been a citizen of an "independent Jewish state" in eastern Africa, probably in the Gihon region, inhabited by people claiming descent from the...
whom apparently visited the kingdom. Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
and Benjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th century. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years...
also mention an independent Ethiopian Jewish kingdom in the writings from that period. This period ends with the rise of the Christian Solomonic dynasty
Solomonic dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty is the Imperial House of Abyssinia. Its members claim lineal descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the latter of whom tradition asserts gave birth to the first King Menelik I after her Biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem .-Overview:The dynasty, a...
.
Wars and collapse
In 1270 the Christian Solomonic dynastySolomonic dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty is the Imperial House of Abyssinia. Its members claim lineal descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the latter of whom tradition asserts gave birth to the first King Menelik I after her Biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem .-Overview:The dynasty, a...
was restored after the crowning of a monarch whom claimed descent from the single royal prince whom managed to escape Queen Judith's uprising. For the next three centuries The Solomonic Dynasty emperors conducted several long ongoing series of armed confrontations with the Jewish Kingdom.
In 1329, Emperor
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
Amda Seyon
Amda Seyon I
Amda Seyon was Emperor of Ethiopia , and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
campaigned in the northwest provinces of Semien
Semien province
Semien Province was a historical province of northwest Ethiopia, often called Gondar. It was located south and west of the Tekezé River, and north of Lake Tsana. It was south west of Enderta Province, west of Tembien Province, and east of the Sudan. To some extent it covered the territory of the...
, Wegera, Tselemt, and Tsegede, in which many had been converting to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and where the Beta Israel had been gaining prominence. He sent troops there to fight people "like Jews" (Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
ከመ:አይሁድ kama ayhūd).
During the reign of Emperor Yeshaq
Yeshaq I of Ethiopia
Yeshaq I or Isaac was of Ethiopia. A member of the Solomonic dynasty, he was the second son of Dawit I.-History:Yeshaq's reign was marked by a revolt of the Beta Israel...
(1414–1429) whom invaded the Jewish kingdom, annexed it and began to exert religious pressure. Yeshaq divided the occupied territories of the Jewish kingdom into three provinces which were controlled by commissioners appointed by him. He reduced the Jews' social status below that of Christians and forced the Jews to convert or lose their land. It would be given away as rist, a type of land qualification that rendered it forever inheritable by the recipient and not transferable by the Emperor. Yeshaq decreed, "He who is baptized in the Christian religion may inherit the land of his father, otherwise let him be a Falāsī." This may have been the origin for the term "Falasha" (falāšā, "wanderer," or "landless person").
By 1450 the Jewish kingdom managed to annex back the territories it lost beforehand and began preparing to fight the armies of the emperor. The Beta Israel forces invaded the Ethiopian Empire
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
in 1462 but lost the campaign and many of its military forces were killed. Later on the forces of the Ethiopian emperor invaded the kingdom in the region of Begemder
Begemder
Begemder was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. There are several proposed etymologies for this name...
and massacred many of the Jews in that region throughout a period of seven years. Although the area of the kingdom became significantly smaller afterwards, the Jews were able to eventually restore their kingdom.
Between the years 1529 until 1543 the Muslim Adal Sultanate
Adal Sultanate
The Adal Sultanate or the Kingdom of Adal was a medieval multi-ethnic Muslim state located in the Horn of Africa.-Overview:...
armies with the assistance of forces from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
invaded and fought the Ethiopian Empire and came close to extinguishing the ancient realm of Ethiopia, and converting all of its subjects to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. During that time period the Jews made a pact with the Ethiopian Empire. The leaders of the Kingdom of Beta Israel changed their alliance during the war and began supporting the Muslim Adal Sultanate armies. The Adal Sultanate armies did not see in favor the Jewish kingdom's change of alliance and continued the fight against them, and later on conquered different regions of the Jewish Kingdom, severely damaged its economy and killed many of its members. As a result, The leaders of the Beta Israel kingdom turned to the Ethiopian empire and their allies the Portuguese and requested their assistance in conquering the kingdom regions back from the Adal Sultanate. The forces of the Ethiopian empire succeeds eventually in conquering the kingdom and frees Ethiopia from Ahmed Gragn. Nevertheless, the Ethiopian empire decided to declare war against the Jewish Kingdom due to the Jewish leaders change of positions during the Ethiopian–Adal War. With the assistance of Portuguese forces from the Order of the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, the Ethiopian empire under the rule of Emperor Gelawdewos
Gelawdewos of Ethiopia
Gelawdewos was Emperor Gelawdewos (Ge'ez ገላውዴዎስ galāwdēwōs, modern gelāwdēwōs, "Claudius"; 1521/1522 - March 23, 1559) was Emperor Gelawdewos (Ge'ez ገላውዴዎስ galāwdēwōs, modern gelāwdēwōs, "Claudius"; 1521/1522 - March 23, 1559) was Emperor (throne name Asnaf Sagad I (Ge'ez አጽናፍ ሰገድ aṣnāf sagad,...
invaded the Jewish kingdom and executed the Jewish king Joram. As a result of this battle, the areas of the kingdom became significantly smaller and included now only the region of the Semien Mountains
Semien Mountains
The Semien Mountains lie in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar. They are a World Heritage Site and include the Semien Mountains National Park. The mountains consist of plateaux separated by valleys and rising to pinnacles...
.
In the 16th century, the Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra
David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra
Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Zimra , also called Radbaz after the initials of his name, Rabbi David iBn Zimra, was an early Acharon of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek, rosh yeshiva, chief rabbi, and author of more than 3,000 responsa as well as several scholarly...
(Radbaz) proclaimed that in terms of halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
(Jewish legal code), the Ethiopian community was certainly Jewish.
After the execution of king Joram, King Radi became the leader of the Beta Israel kingdom. King Radi also fought against the Ethiopian Empire which at that period of time was ruled by Emperor Menas
Menas of Ethiopia
Menas , throne name Admas Sagad I was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
. The forces of the Jewish kingdom managed to conquer the area south of the kingdom and strengthened their defenses in the Semien Mountains. The battles against the forces of emperor Menas were successful as the Ethiopian empire forces were eventually defeated.
Sarsa Dengel
Sarsa Dengel was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
the Jewish kingdom was invaded and the forces of the Ethiopian empire besieged the kingdom, the Jews survived the siege, but at the end of the siege the King Goshen was executed and many of his soldiers as well as many other Beta Israel members committed mas suicides.
When the Ethiopian empire forces invaded to Semien region they encountered resistance from the new king Gideon VII. The forces of the Ethiopian empire eventually decided to end the blockade and the Jewish kingdom was restored.
During the reign of emperor Susenyos, the Ethiopian empire waged war against the Jewish kingdom and managed to conquer the kingdom and annex it to the Ethiopian empire by 1627.
Further reading
- Steven Kaplan, The Beta Israel: Falasha in Ethiopia: From Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century, New York University Press, 1994
- James Arthur Quirin, The Evolution of the Ethiopian Jews: A History of the Beta Israel, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992