Wedem Arad
| Wedem Arad ወደም አራድ | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
| Reign | 1299–1314 |
| Predecessor | Saba Asgad |
| Successor | Amda Seyon I |
| Died | 1314 |
| Dynasty | House of Solomon |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox |
Wedem Arad(Ge'ez:ወደም አራድ;died 1314) wasEmperor of Ethiopiafrom 1299 to 1314 and a member of theSolomonic dynasty.He was the brother ofYagbe'u Seyon,and seized power from his nephews.
Reign
[edit]Only one military action is recorded for this ruler. In the first year of his reign, one Sheikh Abu-Abdallah had gathered a large following and proclaimed ajihadagainst Wedem Arad's realm. Wedem Arad sent a number of agents into Abu-Abdallah's camp, who were able to persuade most of his followers to defect. Without sufficient manpower, Abu-Abdallah was forced to agree to a treaty with Wedem Arad, in return for providing "them with all their needs until they are completely satisfied".Taddesse Tamratsuggests this involved giving them land to settle on, and notes that on the edge of the territory ofShewathere is a locality known as "Abdalla", which might be that settlement.[1]
In 1306, Wedem Arad sent an embassy of 30 envoys toEuropeseeking the "king of theSpaniards"(probablyCastileandAragon).[2]Perhaps hearing of the Christians' successes againstAl-Andalusin Iberia, Wedem Arad sought to negotiate a mutual defense pact with them against their common Muslim enemies. Whether or not the envoys reached their destination is unknown, but they did visitRomeand got as far asAvignon.Delayed on their way home, they spent some time inGenoa,where they were interviewed by the geographerGiovanni da Carignano.Giovanni's account of their country based on the interviews is lost, but was summarized byJacobus Philippus Foresti da Bergamoin hisSupplementum Chronicarum;this is the first text that associates the legendary figure ofPrester Johnwith Ethiopia.[3]
G.W.B. Huntingfordspeculates that the settlement ofTeguletfirst became the capital of Ethiopia during Wedem Arad's reign.[4]
References
[edit]- ^Taddesse Tamrat,Church and State in Ethiopia(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 131.ISBN0-19-821671-8.
- ^Salvadore, Matteo (January 2017)."The African Prester John and the Birth of Ethiopian-European Relations (Introduction)".
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^Silverberg, RobertThe Realm of Prester John(Athens: Ohio University Press, 1972), pp. 164–165.ISBN0-8214-1138-1.
- ^G.W.B. Huntingford,The Historical Geography of Ethiopia(London: The British Academy, 1989), p. 78
