Na'od
ናዖድ
Emperor of Ethiopia
Reign26 October 1494 – 31 July 1507
PredecessorAmda Seyon II
SuccessorDawit II
IssueLebna Dengel
Victor[1]
Jacob[1]
Claudius[1]
Minas[1]
DynastyHouse of Solomon
FatherBaeda Maryam I

Na'od (Ge'ez: ናዖድ) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1494 to 31 July 1507, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His reign was marked by internal tension between territories with the assistance of Queen Eleni. He began construct an extravagant church in Amhara province, called Mekane Selassie. The church was completed by his successor Dawit II in 1530.

Reign

Na'od was the second son of Baeda Maryam I and his second wife Kalyupe (also called "Calliope"), and was born at Gabarge.[2]

Like Eskender before him, he relied on the counsel of the Queen Mother Eleni. Despite her help, his reign was marked by internal dissension.

Na'od was very talented in Amharic and Ge'ez poetry. He was also a notable author who wrote a number of religious books.[3]

Na'od began construction on a lavish church in the Amhara province, which was decorated with gold leaf and known as Mekane Selassie. However, he died before it was completed, and he was buried in a tomb inside the church. His son Emperor Lebna Dengel completed the construction in 1530.[4] Francisco Álvares records seeing the church as it was being constructed, and mentions that he was kept from entering it by the local clergy.[5] However, not long after its completion, Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (also known as Ahmad Gurey/Gragn) penetrated the Amhara province, and on 3 November 1531, pillaged the structure and set it afire.[6]

Emperor Na'od was killed by Imam Mafuz of the Adal Sultanate in battle.[7][8]

Military career

The defence of the Empire was very strong during the reign of Na'od as he scored many victories over the Muslims.[9]

G.W.B Huntingford claims that Na'od was killed near Jejeno (possibly Mekane Selassie) while campaigning against Muslim forces.[8]

Taddesse Tamrat states that Na'od died on his way to repulse a Muslim raid in the eastern provinces.[10]

Family

Na'od had five sons:[1]

  • Lebna Dengel – Succeeded Na'od as Emperor of Ethiopia
  • Victor – Half-brother of Lebna Dengel, was slain in battle
  • Jacob – Predeceased Na'od
  • Claudius
  • Minas

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Budge, E. A. Wallis (1928). A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia (Volume 1). London: Methuen & Co. p. 325-326.
  2. ↑ James Bruce, Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1805 edition), vol. 3, p. 148
  3. ↑ Taddesse Tamrat, State and Church in Ethiopia, (Oxford: University Press, 1972), pp. 560-570 ISBN 0198216718
  4. ↑ Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The Conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), pp. 231f
  5. ↑ C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, The Prester John of the Indies (Cambridge: Hakluyt Society, 1961), pp. 360f, 582
  6. ↑ Sihab ad-Din, Futuh, pp. 245ff
  7. ↑ Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa. p. 179.
  8. 1 2 Huntingford, G.W.B. The historical geography of Ethiopia from the first century AD to 1704. Oxford University Press. p. 105.
  9. ↑ Futuh Al-Habasha, pp. 164-168
  10. ↑ Taddesse Tamrat, State and Church in Ethiopia, pp.  58, 581
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