Deresse Ayenachew WOLDETSADIK

A Medieval History of Ethiopia (13th -16th c.): space and power (in Amharic language)

Ethiopia, located in East Africa, has one of the oldest civilisations in Africa. The Aksumite civilisation (c.1st -640AD) marks the beginning of Ethiopian civilisation. But its collapse left Ethiopia in dynastic chaos until the foundation of the so-called "Solomonic" dynasty in 1270. It inherited the Aksumite legacies of Christianity and writing. The Ethiopian medieval kings (1270-1529) extended the territories, developed strong systems of administration, and produced unprecedented literatures that favoured historical writings. Ethiopian medieval historical sources are rarely translated into the vernacular Amharic language of Ethiopia from Geez (ancient Ethiopian language), Arabic or Portuguese. However, most Ethiopian medieval historical sources are translated into one of the European languages (French, Italian, German or English). As a result, major historical studies are inaccessible to Ethiopians. Popular writers have reconstructed Ethiopian medieval history from sources without critical studies that unbalance the country's historical interpretations. Recent historical writings (1960) are mainly concerned with contemporary history. They are written in English, and are thus inaccessible to the general public. Therefore, this study intends to realise a medieval history book on Ethiopia in Amharic to reach the general Ethiopian public to advance the country's historical awareness.