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{{Short description|King of Zawge from 1181 to 1221}}
{{Short description|King of Zagwe dynasty from 1181 to 1221}}
{{Infobox monarch
{{Infobox monarch
| title = [[Negus]]
| title = [[Negus]]
| name = Lalibela
| name = Lalibela<br>{{lang|gez|ላሊበላ}}
| image = Gebre Mesqel Lalibela.png
| image = Gebre Mesqel Lalibela.png
| caption = 15th-century painting of Emperor Lalibela
| caption = 15th-century painting of King Lalibela
| succession = [[Emperor of Ethiopia]]
| succession = King of [[Zagwe dynasty]]
| reign = 1181–1221
| reign = 1181–1221
| predecessor = [[Kedus Harbe]]
| predecessor = [[Kedus Harbe]]
| successor = [[Na'akueto La'ab]]
| successor = [[Na'akueto La'ab]]
| birth_date = 1162
| birth_date = 1162
| birth_place = [[Adefa, Ethiopia|Adefa]], [[Roha, Ethiopia|Roha]] or [[Bugna]], [[Zagwe dynasty]]
| birth_place = [[Roha, Ethiopia|Roha]], [[Lasta]]
| burial_place = Bete Golgotha church, Lalibela, Ethiopia
| death_date = {{Death year and age|1221|1162}}
| death_date = 1221
⚫
| burial_place =
| spouse = Masqal Kibra
| spouse = Masqal Kibra
| issue = [[Yetbarak]]<br/>Judith<ref name="Budge-285">{{cite book|title=A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia (Volume 1)|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.499166/mode/2up|first=E. A. Wallis|last=Budge|publisher=Methuen & Co.|location=London|year=1928|page=285}}</ref>
| issue = [[Yetbarak]]
| regnal name = Gebre Meskel
| regnal name = Gebre Meskel
| dynasty = [[Zagwe dynasty]]
| dynasty = [[Zagwe dynasty]]
| father = [[Jan Seyum]]
| father = [[Jan Seyum]]
| religion =[[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo]]
| religion = [[Ethiopian Orthodox Christian]]
⚫
| module =

}}
{{Infobox saint
| venerated_in = Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
| feast_day = 19 June
| major_shrine = Bete, Golgotha Church, [[Lalibela]], Ethiopia
}}
}}


'''Lalibela''' ({{lang-gez|ላሊበላ}}); [[regnal name]]: '''Gebre Meskel''' (Ge'ez: ገብረ መስቀል {{lang|gez|gäbrä mäsqäl}}; 1162 – 1221) was [[Emperor of Ethiopia]] of the [[Zagwe dynasty]], reigning from 1181 to 1221.<ref name=get>Getachew Mekonnen Hasen, ''Wollo, Yager Dibab'' (Addis Ababa: Nigd Matemiya Bet, 1992)</ref>{{Rp|22}}<ref name=tad>{{Cite book|first=Taddesse|last=Tamrat|author-link=Taddesse Tamrat|title=Church and State in Ethiopia|date=1972|isbn=0198216718|ol=OL4953606M}}</ref>{{Rp|56n}} According to [[Taddesse Tamrat]], he was the son of [[Jan Seyum]] and brother of [[Kedus Harbe]]. Perhaps the most well-known of the Zagwe monarchs, the namesake [[Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela|monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela]] are attributed to his reign. He is venerated as a saint by the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]].
'''Lalibela''' ({{lang-gez|ላሊበላ}}), [[regnal name]] '''Gebre Meskel''' ({{lang-gez|ገብረ መስቀል|gäbrä mäsqäl|Servant of the Cross|links=no}}), was a king of the [[Zagwe dynasty]], reigning from 1181 to 1221.<ref name=get>Getachew Mekonnen Hasen, ''Wollo, Yager Dibab'' (Addis Ababa: Nigd Matemiya Bet, 1992)</ref>{{Rp|22}}<ref name=tad>{{Cite book|first=Taddesse|last=Tamrat|author-link=Taddesse Tamrat|title=Church and State in Ethiopia|date=1972|isbn=0198216718|ol=OL4953606M}}</ref>{{Rp|56n}} He was the son of [[Jan Seyum]] and the brother of [[Kedus Harbe]]. Perhaps the best-known Zagwe monarch, he is credited as the patron of the namesake [[Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela|monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela]]. He is venerated as a saint by the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] on 19 June.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lalibela Day in Lalibela, commemorates the death of the Saint-King {{!}} Tesfa Tours|url=https://www.tesfatours.com/the-death-of-king-lalibela-commemorated-today/|access-date=2022-01-15|website=www.tesfatours.com|language=en-US}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
[[Negus|King]] Lalibela was born at either Adefa, Roha (it was later named Lalibela after him) or [[Bugna]] in 1162 AD. He was given the name "Lalibela", meaning "the bees recognise his sovereignty" in Old Agaw, due to a swarm of bees said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future reign as [[Emperor of Ethiopia]]. Tradition states that he went into exile due to the hostility of his uncle [[Tatadim]] and his brother king Kedus Harbe, and was almost poisoned to death by his half-sister. Because Lalibela came to power during his brother's lifetime, Taddesse Tamrat suspects that he came to power by force of arms.<ref name=tad />{{Rp|61}}
The life of Lalibela is recorded in his [[hagiography]], ''Gadla Lalibela''. According to the source, King Lalibela was born in 1162, at a town called Roha (it was later renamed Lalibela after him). He was the son of Jan Seyoum, the governor of [[Bugna]] in the province of [[Lasta]]. His mother's name was Kirwerna who was a housemaid in the service of Jan Seyoum. When she became pregnant by him, Jan Seyoum became angry and Kirwerna decided to flee to a place called Roha, where she gave birth to Lalibela. A swarm of bees was said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future power. Accordingly he was named "Lalibela", meaning "the bees recognise his sovereignty" in [[Agaw languages|Old Agaw]]. Because of this prophecy, he was eventually forced into exile due to the hostility of his uncle [[Tatadim]] and his brother Kedus Harbe, who was rightful sovereign. He left for [[Jerusalem]] where he remained for many years, upon returning to Ethiopia, he married Meskel Kibra. However, as Harbe was intent on killing him, he was again forced to flee from [[Lasta]] with his wife.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hable Selassie |first1=Sergew |title=Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270 |pages=265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c91yAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

===Rise to Power===
Ultimately Lalibela did seize the throne, but it is not known how he was able to achieve this. His ''Gadla'' does not explain how he rose to power.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pankhurst |first1=Richard |title=The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles |pages=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nb4AzgEACAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hable Selassie |first1=Sergew |title=Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270 |pages=265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c91yAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> Because Lalibela came to power during his brother's lifetime, [[Taddesse Tamrat]] suspects that he took the crown by force of arms.<ref>Taddesse Tamrat, p. 61.</ref>

According to a chronicle from [[Gojjam]], faced with continued persecution by Harbe, Lalibela allied himself with the [[Amhara people|Amharas]], promising them key positions if he succeeded. Delighted with this promise, the Amharas were said to have joined forces with him. In response Harbe rallied behind him the seven clans of the [[Agaw people]]. In the ensuring battle Lalibela was entirely victorious and managed to seized the throne, the chronicle then states that Lalibela had the Agaws exiled from [[Lasta]] and allowed the Amhara to settle into the area. Hence the [[Amharic]] proverb: "Amhara settled, Agaw exiled".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hable Selassie |first1=Sergew |title=Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270 |pages=265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c91yAAAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref>Mohammad Hassan, The Oromo of Ethiopia, pp.3</ref>


===Reign===
Lalibela is said to have seen [[Jerusalem]] in a vision and then attempted to build a [[new Jerusalem]] as his capital in response to the capture of old Jerusalem by Muslims in 1187. As such, many features of the town of Lalibela have [[Biblical name]]s including the town's river, known as the River Jordan ({{lang-am|ዮርዳኖስ ወንዝ|links=no|translit=Yordanos Wenz}}). The city remained the capital of Ethiopia from the late 12th century and into the 13th century.
Lalibela is said to have seen [[Jerusalem]] in a vision and then attempted to build a [[new Jerusalem]] as his capital in response to the [[Siege of Jerusalem (1187)|capture]] of old Jerusalem by Muslim forces led by [[Saladin]] in 1187. As such, many features of the town of Lalibela have [[Biblical name]]s including the town's river, known as the [[River Jordan (Ethiopia)|River Jordan]] ({{lang-am|ዮርዳኖስ ወንዝ|links=no|translit=Yordanos Wenz}}). The city remained the capital of [[Abyssinia|Ethiopia]] from the late 12th century and into the 13th century.


Details about the construction of his 11 [[monolithic church]]es at [[Lalibela]] have been lost. The later ''Gadla Lalibela'', a [[hagiography]] of the king, states that he carved these churches out of stone with only the help of [[angel]]s.<ref>The portion of his ''Gadla'' describing his construction of these churches has been translated by [[Richard Pankhurst (academic)|Richard K. P. Pankhurst]] in his ''The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles'' (Addis Ababa: Oxford University Press), 1967.</ref>
Details about the construction of his 11 monolithic churches at Lalibela have been lost. The later ''Gadla Lalibela'', a [[hagiography]] of the king, states that he carved these churches out of stone with only the help of [[angel]]s.<ref>The portion of his ''Gadla'' describing his construction of these churches has been translated by [[Richard Pankhurst (academic)|Richard K. P. Pankhurst]] in his ''The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles'' (Addis Ababa: Oxford University Press), 1967.</ref>
According to the narrative of the Portuguese embassy to Ethiopia in 1520-6, written down by Father [[Francisco Álvares]] and published in 1540, the Lalibelian priests claimed that the churches took 24 years to construct. They said that King Lalibela ordered this to be done.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Prester John of the Indies : A True Relation of the Lands of the Prester John, being the narrative of the Portuguese Embassy to Ethiopia in 1520, written by Father Francisco Alvares. Volumes I-II|first1=C.F.|last1=Beckingham|author1-link=Charles Fraser Beckingham|first2=G.W.B.|last2=Huntingford|author2-link=George Wynn Brereton Huntingford|isbn=9781409424925|page=227|date=2010}}</ref>
According to the narrative of the Portuguese embassy to Ethiopia in 1520-6, written down by Father [[Francisco Álvares]] and published in 1540, the Lalibelian priests claimed that the churches took 24 years to construct.<ref>C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B Huntingford (eds), The Prester John of the Indies: A True Relation of the Lands of Prester John, Being the Narrative of the Portuguese Embassy to Ethiopia in 1520 written by Father Francisco Alvares, Cambridge, published for the Hakluyt Society at the University Press, 1961, vol I. p. 227.</ref>


His chief queen was Masqal Kibra, about whom a few traditions have survived. She induced [[Abuna Mikael]] to make her brother [[Abuna Hirun|Hirun]] bishop, and a few years later the Abuna left Ethiopia for [[Egypt]], complaining that Hirun had usurped his authority.<ref name=tad />{{Rp|59f}} Another tradition states that she convinced king Lalibela to abdicate in favor of his nephew [[Na'akueto La'ab]], but after 18 months of his nephew's misrule she convinced Lalibela to resume the throne. Taddesse Tamrat suspects that the end of Lalibela's rule was not actually this amiable, and argues that this tradition masks a brief usurpation of Na'akueto La'ab, whose reign was ended by Lalibela's son, [[Yetbarak]].<ref name=tad />{{Rp|62f}} Getachew Mekonnen credits her with having one of the rock-hewn churches, [[Biete Abba Libanos]], built as a memorial for Lalibela after his death.<ref name=get />{{Rp|24}
His chief queen was Masqal Kibra, about whom a few traditions have survived. She induced [[Abuna Mikael]] to make her brother [[Abuna Hirun|Hirun]] bishop, and a few years later the Abuna left Ethiopia for [[Egypt]], complaining that Hirun had usurped his authority.<ref>Taddesse Tamrat, pp. 59f.</ref> Another tradition states that she convinced king Lalibela to abdicate in favor of his nephew [[Na'akueto La'ab]], but after 18 months of his nephew's misrule she convinced Lalibela to resume the throne. Taddesse Tamrat suspects that the end of Lalibela's rule was not actually this amiable, and argues that this tradition masks a brief usurpation of Na'akueto La'ab, whose reign was ended by Lalibela's son, [[Yetbarak]].<ref>Taddesse Tamrat, pp. 62f.</ref> Getachew Mekonnen credits her with having one of the rock-hewn churches, Bet Abba Libanos, built as a memorial for Lalibela after his death.<ref>Getachew Mekonnen, p. 24.</ref>


Although little written material concerning the other Zagwe kings survives, a sizeable quantity concerning Lalibela's reign remains, besides the ''Gadla Lalibela''. An embassy from the [[Patriarch of Alexandria]] visited Lalibela's court around 1210, and have left an account of him, and Na'akueto La'ab and Yetbarak.<ref name=tad />{{Rp|62}} The [[Italy|Italian]] scholar [[Carlo Conti Rossini]] has also edited and published the several land grants that survive from his reign.<ref>A bibliography for these can be found at Taddesse Tamrat, p. 59.</ref>
Although little written material concerning the other Zagwe kings survives, a sizeable quantity concerning Lalibela's reign remains, besides the ''Gadla Lalibela''. An embassy from the [[Patriarch of Alexandria]] visited Lalibela's court around 1210, and have left an account of him, and Na'akueto La'ab and Yetbarak.<ref>Taddesse Tamrat, p. 62.</ref> The [[Italy|Italian]] scholar [[Carlo Conti Rossini]] has also edited and published the several land grants that survive from his reign.<ref>A bibliography for these can be found at Taddesse Tamrat, p. 59.</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
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{{s-reg}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Kedus Harbe]] }}
{{s-bef | before = [[Kedus Harbe]] }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Emperor of Ethiopia]] }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Emperor of Ethiopia]]|years = 1181–1221}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Na'akueto La'ab]] }}
{{s-aft | after = [[Na'akueto La'ab]] }}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lalibela}}
[[Category:1162 births]]
[[Category:1162 births]]
[[Category:1221 deaths]]
[[Category:1221 deaths]]
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[[Category:Zagwe dynasty]]
[[Category:Zagwe dynasty]]
[[Category:Emperors of Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Emperors of Ethiopia]]
[[Category:13th-century emperors of Ethiopia]]
[[Category:12th-century Ethiopian people]]
[[Category:12th-century Ethiopian people]]
[[Category:13th-century Ethiopian people]]
[[Category:13th-century Ethiopian people]]
[[Category:Lalibela]]

Latest revision as of 09:53, 6 July 2024

Lalibela
ላሊበላ
Negus
15th-century painting of King Lalibela
King of Zagwe dynasty
Reign1181–1221
PredecessorKedus Harbe
SuccessorNa'akueto La'ab
Born1162
Roha, Lasta
Died1221
Burial
Bete Golgotha church, Lalibela, Ethiopia
SpouseMasqal Kibra
IssueYetbarak
Judith[1]
Regnal name
Gebre Meskel
DynastyZagwe dynasty
FatherJan Seyum
ReligionEthiopian Orthodox Christian
Gebre Meskel Lalibela
Venerated inEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Major shrineBete, Golgotha Church, Lalibela, Ethiopia
Feast19 June

Lalibela (Ge'ez: ላሊበላ), regnal name Gebre Meskel (Ge'ez: ገብረ መስቀል, romanized: gäbrä mäsqäl, lit. 'Servant of the Cross'), was a king of the Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221.[2]: 22 [3]: 56n  He was the son of Jan Seyum and the brother of Kedus Harbe. Perhaps the best-known Zagwe monarch, he is credited as the patron of the namesake monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. He is venerated as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on 19 June.[4]

Biography[edit]

The life of Lalibela is recorded in his hagiography, Gadla Lalibela. According to the source, King Lalibela was born in 1162, at a town called Roha (it was later renamed Lalibela after him). He was the son of Jan Seyoum, the governor of Bugna in the province of Lasta. His mother's name was Kirwerna who was a housemaid in the service of Jan Seyoum. When she became pregnant by him, Jan Seyoum became angry and Kirwerna decided to flee to a place called Roha, where she gave birth to Lalibela. A swarm of bees was said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future power. Accordingly he was named "Lalibela", meaning "the bees recognise his sovereignty" in Old Agaw. Because of this prophecy, he was eventually forced into exile due to the hostility of his uncle Tatadim and his brother Kedus Harbe, who was rightful sovereign. He left for Jerusalem where he remained for many years, upon returning to Ethiopia, he married Meskel Kibra. However, as Harbe was intent on killing him, he was again forced to flee from Lasta with his wife.[5]

Rise to Power[edit]

Ultimately Lalibela did seize the throne, but it is not known how he was able to achieve this. His Gadla does not explain how he rose to power.[6][7] Because Lalibela came to power during his brother's lifetime, Taddesse Tamrat suspects that he took the crown by force of arms.[8]

According to a chronicle from Gojjam, faced with continued persecution by Harbe, Lalibela allied himself with the Amharas, promising them key positions if he succeeded. Delighted with this promise, the Amharas were said to have joined forces with him. In response Harbe rallied behind him the seven clans of the Agaw people. In the ensuring battle Lalibela was entirely victorious and managed to seized the throne, the chronicle then states that Lalibela had the Agaws exiled from Lasta and allowed the Amhara to settle into the area. Hence the Amharic proverb: "Amhara settled, Agaw exiled".[9][10]

Reign[edit]

Lalibela is said to have seen Jerusalem in a vision and then attempted to build a new Jerusalem as his capital in response to the capture of old Jerusalem by Muslim forces led by Saladin in 1187. As such, many features of the town of Lalibela have Biblical names including the town's river, known as the River Jordan (Amharic: ዮርዳኖስ ወንዝ, romanized: Yordanos Wenz). The city remained the capital of Ethiopia from the late 12th century and into the 13th century.

Details about the construction of his 11 monolithic churches at Lalibela have been lost. The later Gadla Lalibela, a hagiography of the king, states that he carved these churches out of stone with only the help of angels.[11] According to the narrative of the Portuguese embassy to Ethiopia in 1520-6, written down by Father Francisco Álvares and published in 1540, the Lalibelian priests claimed that the churches took 24 years to construct.[12]

His chief queen was Masqal Kibra, about whom a few traditions have survived. She induced Abuna Mikael to make her brother Hirun bishop, and a few years later the Abuna left Ethiopia for Egypt, complaining that Hirun had usurped his authority.[13] Another tradition states that she convinced king Lalibela to abdicate in favor of his nephew Na'akueto La'ab, but after 18 months of his nephew's misrule she convinced Lalibela to resume the throne. Taddesse Tamrat suspects that the end of Lalibela's rule was not actually this amiable, and argues that this tradition masks a brief usurpation of Na'akueto La'ab, whose reign was ended by Lalibela's son, Yetbarak.[14] Getachew Mekonnen credits her with having one of the rock-hewn churches, Bet Abba Libanos, built as a memorial for Lalibela after his death.[15]

Although little written material concerning the other Zagwe kings survives, a sizeable quantity concerning Lalibela's reign remains, besides the Gadla Lalibela. An embassy from the Patriarch of Alexandria visited Lalibela's court around 1210, and have left an account of him, and Na'akueto La'ab and Yetbarak.[16] The Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini has also edited and published the several land grants that survive from his reign.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Budge, E. A. Wallis (1928). A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia (Volume 1). London: Methuen & Co. p. 285.
  2. ^ Getachew Mekonnen Hasen, Wollo, Yager Dibab (Addis Ababa: Nigd Matemiya Bet, 1992)
  3. ^ Tamrat, Taddesse (1972). Church and State in Ethiopia. ISBN 0198216718. OL 4953606M.
  4. ^ "Lalibela Day in Lalibela, commemorates the death of the Saint-King | Tesfa Tours". www.tesfatours.com. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  5. ^ Hable Selassie, Sergew. Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270. p. 265.
  6. ^ Pankhurst, Richard. The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles. p. 9.
  7. ^ Hable Selassie, Sergew. Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270. p. 265.
  8. ^ Taddesse Tamrat, p. 61.
  9. ^ Hable Selassie, Sergew. Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270. p. 265.
  10. ^ Mohammad Hassan, The Oromo of Ethiopia, pp.3
  11. ^ The portion of his Gadla describing his construction of these churches has been translated by Richard K. P. Pankhurst in his The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles (Addis Ababa: Oxford University Press), 1967.
  12. ^ C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B Huntingford (eds), The Prester John of the Indies: A True Relation of the Lands of Prester John, Being the Narrative of the Portuguese Embassy to Ethiopia in 1520 written by Father Francisco Alvares, Cambridge, published for the Hakluyt Society at the University Press, 1961, vol I. p. 227.
  13. ^ Taddesse Tamrat, pp. 59f.
  14. ^ Taddesse Tamrat, pp. 62f.
  15. ^ Getachew Mekonnen, p. 24.
  16. ^ Taddesse Tamrat, p. 62.
  17. ^ A bibliography for these can be found at Taddesse Tamrat, p. 59.

External links[edit]

Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of Ethiopia
1181–1221 		Succeeded by
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