Zara Yaqob

Zara Yaqob, whose name means Seed of Jacob, was born around 1399 in Fatagar, a son of Emperor Dawit I, and was a descendant of the Solomonic dynasty. He was educated in monasteries and always kept a deep interest in theology. Around 1414 he was confined on the royal mountain prison of Amba Geshen, where the heirs to the throne were kept, and was brought down from it only on the eve of his accession.

He succeeded his elder brothers Tewodros I and Yishaq I and became emperor in 1434, though he was not crowned until 1436, at Axum. He faced a major challenge from the Muslim sultanate of Adal, and he spent his long reign, which lasted until 1468, consolidating the state. He replaced local warlords with government administrators, brought large neighbouring lands under his authority, and appointed his daughters and nieces to powerful governorships.

His religious reforms were his most important legacy. He worked to end the bitter dispute over the observance of the Sabbath, reaching a compromise at the Council of Debre Mitmaq in 1450, reformed the church calendar, set rules for holy days and fasts, and placed monks he trusted in the main monasteries. He also launched severe campaigns against pagan survivals, magic and heresy, destroyed talismans, and executed leaders of sects he considered heretical, measures that were unpopular even among his Orthodox supporters.

Zara Yaqob was also a writer. He composed a hymn and six books, among them the Mashafa Berhan, the Book of Light, which sets out his reforms, and the Tsalota Haymanot, the Creed of the Ethiopian Church, and he encouraged literature in general. Around 1439 to 1441 he sent delegates to the Council of Florence, which brought Ethiopia to the attention of Europe, and the Venetian cartographer Fra Mauro drew a map of Ethiopia in 1457.

He founded a new capital, Debre Berhan, Mountain of Light, in response to a miraculous light said to have appeared in the sky, and spent most of the last 14 years of his life there. His last years were darkened by suspicion, and he had members of his family beaten for supposed plots. He died at Debre Berhan on 26 August 1468. A statue stands in the town, and he is remembered as one of the greatest emperors in Ethiopian history.