Research topic: Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie , [Amharic,=power of the Trinity], 1892-1975, emperor of Ethiopia (1930-74). He was born Tafari Makonnen, the son of a noted general and the grandnephew of Emperor Menelik II . A brilliant student, he became a favorite of Menelik, who made him a provincial governor at 14. As a Coptic Christian, Tafari opposed Menelik's grandson and successor, Lij Yasu, who became a Muslim convert, and in 1916 compelled his deposition and established Menelik's daughter Zauditu as empress with himself as regent. In 1928, Tafari was crowned king of Ethiopia, and in 1930, after the empress's mysterious... Read more