Amda Seyon I

Timeline

1. c. 1290–1314Shewa Highlands · ShewaAmda Seyon was the son of Wedem Arad I and grandson of Yekuno Amlak. He succeeded to the throne c. 1314 under the regnal name Gebre Mesqel; the court traveled with the army across the Shewa highlands, with Ethiopian Orthodoxy as the ruling ideology.
2. 1314–1328Shewa Highlands · ShewaIn the early part of his reign he strengthened control over the Christian highlands of Shewa, Gojjam, Damot and elsewhere, exchanging gult fiefs for warrior levies and tribute in kind, and reformed the judiciary by appointing senior clergy as 'masters of the law'. The earliest written Amharic hymns survive in praise of his reign.
3. 1329–1332Ifat–Awash Valley · IfatWhen the vassal sultan of Ifat, Sabr ad-Din, rose in revolt and refused tribute, he led his army east into the Awash valley and desert regions, defeated the coalition and deposed and installed vassals. The chronicle Glorious Victories records the campaign in detail, establishing Solomonic dominance over the Red Sea inland trade routes.
4. 1333–1344Shewa Highlands · ShewaAfter the wars of the 1330s he continued to bind Ifat, Hadiya and other subject states by suzerainty, and patronized the church and literature. He died c. 1344 and was succeeded by his eldest Newya Cristos; the empire shifted from military expansion to consolidating rule.