Ethiopian Empire Summary

[Kaiser Kirk]

Ethiopian Empire
Current Ruler  : King Melinick II of the Solomonic Dynasty.
Government : Imperial with strong traditional Kingdoms, Founded 1274
Government Model : 1866+ Prussia
Historical Departure Point(s) : 1330, 1365, 1543.
Historical Countries : Ethiopia, Sudan, Southern Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti.
Friendly Power(s) : Rome, Iberia, Parthia
Hostile Powers(s) : Byzantium, United Berber States.

Current Outlook : The sudden seizing of much of the African coastline is disturbing, though the Byzantine conquest of Mogadishu has undermined the kingdoms south of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is wary, and has chosen to expand to Pemba, but finds the mangrove swamps unappealing. The Highlands of the Interior beckon.

Military Outlook : For a small power, they have a powerful army. They aim to keep it that way.

Naval Outlook : The Red Sea is their trading link, but is dominated by Byzantium. Ethiopia merely seeks to protect it's own coastline and has some cruisers to show the flag. 


The Ancient Kingdom of Aksum was an early convert to Christianity, which along with Judaism still runs strong today. The Kingdom fell in 960AD to Queen Yodit of al-Habasha, a southern Kingdom which prevailed in battle. She had a long reign, but afterwards the country splintered. Arab traders from Byzantium Arabia took advantage and crossed the Red Sea to seize parts of the kingdom for themselves, introducing the Muslim religion and forming the Zagwe dynasty.  In 1270, this was overthrown, and the Arabs reduced to a coastal strip called the Ifat (later Adai) Sultanate, while a new Ethiopian Empire was proclaimed. The new empire was lead by the Solomonic dynasty was proclaimed as the King proclaimed himself a descendant of the Aksumites, tracing his lineage all the way back to the Queen of Sheba.

The Empire of Ethiopia has slowly expanded over the years. First to the North, absorbing the Sudanese Christian nation of Alodia about 1330, and then when the Sudanese Christian Kingdom of Makuria fell into Civil War in 1365, that too.  They conquered the Byzantine puppet of the Adai Sultanate on the coast in 1543. The Somali Arjuran Empire, and later Geledi Sultanates to the south long blocked much expansion that direction, but Ethiopia did slowly extend it's reach to the Horn of Africa.  The Highlands to the west have eluded them (historically added in the 1880s), but the King believes it is now time to wrest them from the decaying kingdoms there.

Ethiopia has long had border clashes with it's neighbors, from vanished Sultanates and Kingdoms in the south, to Berber raids, or serious clashes over Egypt and the Red Sea with Byzantine. The Kingdom has long been powerful enough to make conquering it a major expedition, a fact the Iberians and Parthians have long known and sought to keep that way. 

Primarily interested in it's land frontiers further into Africa, the Empire of Ethiopia is proudly independent and wishes to be counted among the powers.