Yekuno Amlak founds the Solomonic dynasty

1270

Claiming descent from the union of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the Amhara lord Yekuno Amlak overthrew the Zagwe kings of Ethiopia. His dynasty would rule the highlands until 1974, linking Ethiopian Christianity to its own biblical genealogy. The Kebra Nagast, a medieval text celebrating the Solomonic lineage, became the founding myth of Ethiopian nationhood and a sacred text of Rastafarian belief.