Solomonid dynasty

The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire from the thirteenth to twentieth centuries. The dynasty was founded by Yekuno Amlak, who overthrew the Zagwe dynasty in 1270. His successors claimed he was descended from the legendary king Menelik I, the supposed son of the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, in order to legitimize the dynasty's assumption of power. Although this claimed ancestry gave the dynasty its name, there is no credible evidence that the dynasty was descended from Solomon or the Davidic line. This biblical claim was mainly made to legitimize the empire as a Christian kingdom. The Solomonic dynasty remained in power until 1974, when its last emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown by a coup d'état.

House of Solomon ሰሎሞናዊው ሥርወ መንግሥት Sälomonawīwi širiwä menigišiti Solomonic dynasty
Country	Ethiopian Empire Crown Council of Ethiopia (as the government-in-exile of Ethiopia and Eritrea)
Place of origin	Bete Amhara
Founded	1270 AD
Founder	Yekuno Amlak
Current head	Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
Final ruler	Haile Selassie
Titles	Emperor of Ethiopia -- Atse King of Kings/Queen of Kings -- Negusa Nagast/Negesta Nagastat Negus Elect of God King of Zion King of Abyssinia Duke Ras Leul
Deposition	12 September 1974
Cadet branches	Gondarine Branch Shewan Branch Selalle branch Tigrean Branch Gojjam Branch

The emperors did not use their real name when they became Emperor of Ethiopia, but they made up a regnal name for their rule. For example, the first Emperor of the Solomonids was Yekuno Amlak. But he used the name Tasfa Iyassus after he became ruler.

The dynasty began in 1270, when Yekuno Amlak killed the last king of the Zagwe dynasty, which had ruled Ethiopia. Yekuno Amlak was made king, and European historians say was the first ruler of the dynasty. But most Ethiopian books say that Menelik I, the son of King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba, was the first Emperor of this dynasty.

The leaders of Ethiopia from 1270 to 1975 (mostly Solomonids):