Depiction of the court of Iyasu II (left) in an 18th century manuscript
Emperor of Ethiopia
Reign
19 September 1730 – 27 June 1755
Coronation
19 September 1730
Predecessor
Bakaffa
Successor
Iyoas I
Regent
Mentewab (1723–30)
Born
(1723-10-21)21 October 1723
Died
27 June 1755(1755-06-27) (aged 31)
Burial
Debretsehay Kuskuam, Gondar, Ethiopia
Spouse
Woman from Amhara[1](first wife) Welete Bersabe of Karrayyu (second wife)
Issue
Adigo (by first wife)[1] Aylo (by first wife)[1] Iyoas I (by second wife)
House
House of Solomon
Father
Bakaffa
Mother
Mentewab
Religion
Coptic Orthodox
Iyasu II (Ge'ez: ኢያሱ; 21 October 1723[2] – 27 June 1755), throne name Alem Sagad (Ge'ez: ዓለም ሰገድ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1730 to 1755,[3] and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Bakaffa and Empress Mentewab (also known by her baptismal name of Welete Giyorgis).
The Empress Mentewab played a major role in Iyasu's reign, perhaps against her will. Shortly after he was proclaimed Emperor, a rival claimant assaulted the Royal Enclosure for eight days, only leaving the capital Gondar when an army of 30,000 from Gojjam appeared. Although the rebels failed to penetrate its walls, much of Gondar was left in ruins.[4] Instead of taking the title of regent upon the succession of her underage son, Empress Mentewab had herself crowned as co-ruler, becoming the first woman to be crowned in this manner in Ethiopian history. Empress Mentewab wielded significant authority throughout the reign of her son, and well into the reign of her grandson as well.
^ abcBudge, E. A. Wallis (1928). A History of Ethiopia: Volume II (Nubia and Abyssinia). New York: Routledge. p. 459.
^12 Teqemt 7216 Year of the World. Bosc-Tiessé, Claire, "'How Beautiful She Is!' in Her Mirror: Polysemic Images and Reflections of Power of an Eighteenth-Century Ethiopia Queen", Journal of Early Modern History, 2004, Vol. 8 Issue 3/4, p. 294
^Richard Pankhurst, "An Eighteenth Century Ethiopian Dynastic Marriage Contract between Empress Mentewwab of Gondar and Ras Mika'el Sehul of Tegre," in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 1979, p. 458.
^Donald N. Levine, Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture (Chicago: University Press, 1965), p. 24. Details from Remedius Prutky's account in J.H. Arrowsmith-Brown (trans.), Prutky's Travels in Ethiopia and other Countries with notes by Richard Pankhurst (London: Hakluyt Society, 1991), pp. 173f
IyasuII (Ge'ez: ኢያሱ; 21 October 1723 – 27 June 1755), throne name Alem Sagad (Ge'ez: ዓለም ሰገድ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1730 to 1755, and a member...
Lij Iyasu (Ge'ez: ልጅ ኢያሱ; 4 February 1895 – 25 November 1935) was the designated Emperor of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916. His baptismal name was Kifle Yaqob...
including: Iyasu I of Ethiopia (also known as the Great) (1682 – 1706) IyasuII of Ethiopia (1730 – 1755) Iyasu III of Ethiopia (1784 – 1788) Iyasu IV of Ethiopia...
continued to rule Ethiopia. Lij Iyasu was never crowned Emperor of Ethiopia, and eventually, Empress Zewditu I succeeded Menelik II on 27 September 1916. The...
Tewodros II's rule. Dejazmach Tedla's death had caused a rebellion in Wollo. Nearly a century prior to the reign of Tekle Giyorgis II, Emperor Iyasu I's great-granddaughter...
June 1773) was Empress of Ethiopia, consort of Emperor Bakaffa, mother of IyasuII and grandmother of Iyoas I. She was also known officially by her baptismal...
Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Abeto Azequ, and the grandson of IyasuII. He was set upon the throne by a number of high nobles, and after the generals...
Iyasu I (Ge'ez: ኢያሱ ፩; 1654 – 13 October 1706), throne name Adyam Sagad (Ge'ez: አድያም ሰገድ), also known as Iyasu the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia from...
Emperor Tewodros II (11 February 1855), having defeated in battle all of his rivals. Some historians date the death of Iyasu I (Iyasu the Great) (13 October...
List of royal consorts of Ethiopia Zera Yacob Amha Selassie Girma Yohannes Iyasu Crown Council of Ethiopia Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles List of...
Tewodros II (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, once referred to by the English cognate Theodore; baptized as Kassa, c. 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from...
Iyasu IV (Ge'ez: ኢያሱ) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 18 June 1830 to 18 March 1832, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Salomon III...
1769, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the infant son of IyasuII and Wubit (Welete Bersabe), the daughter of an Oromo chieftain of the Karrayyu...
Yohannes II (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ዮሐንስ; 1699 – 18 October 1769) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Iyasu I, and brother...
however his tenure was brief. IyasuII ascended the throne as a child. His mother, Empress Mentewab played a major role in Iyasu's reign, as well as her grandson...
Ethiopic characters. Yekuno Amlak (Ge’ez: ይኩኖ አምላክ); throne name Tesfa Iyasus (ተስፋ ኢየሱስ; died 19 June 1285) was Emperor of Ethiopia, from 1270 to 1285...
of the Oromo and a flourishing of culture. With the deaths of Emperor IyasuII (1755) and Iyoas I (1769) the realm eventually entered a period of decentralization...
Yohannes IV of Tigray's claim to the throne after the death of Emperor Tewodros II from Gondar, would leave the direct lineage of one royal family in favor of...
brother Ras Wolde Leul to Gondar and made him Ras Bitwaded. After this and IyasuII’s death in 1755, brief dynastic conflicts occurred between Mentewab's Quaregnoch...
Fires, such as the one in 2021 during the defeat of a idf force loyal to IyasuII, provided excuses for emperors to engage in construction. The city's growth...
founded a dynasty on his own. In 1741 and 1743 the young Ethiopian emperor IyasuII conducted raids westwards, attempting to acquire quick military fame. In...
Ras Wolde Leul to Gondar and made him Ras Bitwaded. After the death of IyasuII on 27 June 1755, Ras Mikael Sehul, who was on the way with guns, carpets...
it was rumored that he was the illegitimate son of the deceased ruler IyasuII. The Scottish traveller James Bruce, who was living in the capital city...
September 1730, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was a son of Emperor Iyasu I and brother to Emperors Tekle Haymanot I and Dawit III. James Bruce describes...
Dawit II (Ge'ez: ዳዊት; c. 1496 – 2 September 1540), also known by the macaronic name Wanag Segad (ወናግ ሰገድ, to whom the lions bow), better known by his birth...
Negasi's grandson, the Meridazmach Abuye fought the forces of emperor IyasuII, and later on held many of the emperor's soldiers in captivity. Eventually...
his death. He was a major political figure during the reign of Emperor IyasuII and his successors until almost the time of his death. The Scottish explorer...
Sarwe Iyasus (Ge'ez: ሣርወ ኢየሱስ), throne name Mehreka Nañ (Ge'ez: ምሕርከ ናኝ), was Emperor of Ethiopia in 1433, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was...
ascended the throne were Dawit III, Bakaffa and Yohannes II. Tekle Haymanot became Emperor following Iyasus' retirement to an island in Lake Tana. With the support...
coin" for of Part II of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981. The MTT is first recorded as circulating in Ethiopia from Emperor IyasuII of Ethiopia (1730–1755)...
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