Gondar Period

1 Gondar Period
Gondar became the capital of the Ethiopian empire when emperor Fasiladas decided to move to it in
1636. Gondar remained the capital of the Ethiopian empire for the next two centuries. Gondar
possessed a route to the exotic regions south of the Blue Nile and to the then northern and western
trade routes, which led to Massawa and Sudan. Gondar had by 1630 become the catalyst of growth and
production in Ethiopia. It was a great religious center and flourished immensely in the arts. (Pankhurst,
R. 1998, 109)
Emperors of Gondar were great palace and church builders. The most famous of the Gondar palaces was
built by emperor Fasiladas, known as Fasil Gemb. Ensuing rulers continued to build palaces, which still
stand to the day. (Pankhurst, R. 1998, 109-110) Gondar rulers also built many churches i88 1998, 117)
The influence of the Gondar monarchy began to weaken at the dawn of the 18th century. Military
campaigns to crush provincial opponents became less effective and acquiring additional firearms more
difficult. Within Gondar, many did not like the increasing number of Oromos in government. (Pankhurst,
R. 1998, 126-7) In 1757, the city was occupied by Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray. When he had taken the
city, Emperor Iyoas was an infant. Ras Mikael himself had no intention of becoming emperor but he was
the real leader of Gondar during the time he occupied it. In 1769, which marks the end of what is known
as the Gondar Period in Ethiopian history, Ras Mikael had Iyoas killed and another noble appointed
emperor. From there upon, the Ethiopian empire fell into a time of disunity. Even though emperors
continued to be chosen and sat in Gondar, their power was virtually nonexistent. Each region of the
country became ruled by local governors. (Pankhurst, R. 1998, 128-130).
2 Zamana Masafent or Era of the Princesa

The Era of the Princes, also called Zamana Masafent, was a brief period of history in Ethiopia that lasted
from 1769 to 1855. By 1708, the central government was destroyed and the country had split up into
three different provinces: Amhara, Shoa, and Tigray. The Amhara region was continually in internal
faction and contributed poorly to defending Ethiopia against external enemies. Tigray, on the other had,
played a major role in reinstating an imperial government and hosted a decisive battle at Adwa. On the
other had, Shoa, for the most part, stayed out of the political situations that dealt with the Amhara and
Tigray regions. However, Shoan kings did expand their territories southwards and established trade that
produce an abundance of coffee and slaves. Ethiopia survived this era in its history because of Tigray
and Shoa’s gaining steady power.
Most of Africa was not yet a colonial hotspot at this time. Ethiopia’s biggest foe was Egypt. Egypt had
freed itself from Ottoman control and was now pursuing to expand southwards. The Egyptians attacked
and seized lands in northern Tigray but French and British intervenes helped diminish Egypt’s attempts
to expand south.
Europeans gained even more interest in Ethiopia for the duration of this period. Trade rejuvenated and
tribal lords gained more access to firearms. In the north, Tigraen rulers were able to get hold of guns
from the Turks by means of two-way transactions and used them to seize power. Europeans of many
trades and profession visited the kingdom with more regularity. Missionaries sponsored by the Swiss,
German, and English governments attempted to convert Ethiopians to protestantism. Most of the
missionaries were met with dismayed attitudes and they, more often then not, fell in awkward positions
with civilians and the church. Most Ethiopian rulers were more concerned with the prospective support
and firearms the country would receive rather than the missionaries’ religious endeavors. The
missionaries’ attempts failed but they did bring about awareness of the potential of technological
advancement.
List of Rulers of the Zamana Masafent

 1769 Yohannes II
 1769 Takla Haymanot II
 1769-79 Solomon II
 1779-84 Tekle Giyorgis
 1784-88 Iyasu III
 1788-89 Tekle Giyorgis
 1789-94 Hezakeyas
 1795 Tekla Giyorgis
 1795 Baeda Maryam II
 1796-97 Solomon III
 1797-98 Yonas
 1799 Solomon III
 1799 Tekla Giyorgis
 1799-1800 Demetros
 1800 Tekle Giyorgis
 1801 Demetros
 1801-18 Egwala Tseyon
 1818-21 Iyoas II
 1821-26 Gigar
 1826 Baeda Maryam III
 1826-30 Gigar
 1830-32 Iyasu IV
 1832 Gabra Krestos
 1832-40 Sahela Dengel
 1840-41 Yohannes III
 1841-55 Sahela Dengel

Gondar Period

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1 Gondar Period

2 Zamana Masafent or Era of the Princesa

List of Rulers of the Zamana Masafent

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