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History of Ethiopia

A landlocked country in the Horn of Africa that hosts the headquarters of the African Union Commission. 5 eras, 100 CE to today.

Kingdom of Aksum, 100 CE–960 CE Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Aksum was a kingdom in the Horn of Africa and South Arabia, based in what is now Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia. Aksum adopted Christianity as its state religion in the mid 4th century under Ezana. Aksumite dominance in the Red Sea reached its peak during the reign of Kaleb of Axum, from 514 to 542. The kingdom collapsed under uncertain circumstances around 960.

Seat of power: Axum

Ethiopian Empire, 1270–1975 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Ethiopian Empire existed from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak around 1270 until the 1974 coup d'état by the Derg, which ended the reign of the final Emperor, Haile Selassie. The Ethiopian Empire reached its peak during the long reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob, from 1434 to 1468. In the late 19th century, under Emperor Menelik II, the empire expanded significantly to the south. Through a victory over the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, Menelik ensured Ethiopia's independence.

Seat of power: Gondar

Rulers

Derg, 1974–1987 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Derg was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, though its members remained in power until 1991. On 12 September 1974, the Derg overthrew the government of the Ethiopian Empire and Emperor Haile Selassie during nationwide mass protests. Mengistu became chairman in 1977, launching the Red Terror political repression campaign to eliminate political opponents, with tens of thousands imprisoned and executed without trial. By the mid-1980s Ethiopia was plagued by multiple issues, including droughts, economic decline and the 1983 to 1985 famine.

Seat of power: Addis Ababa

Rulers

People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 1987–1991 Draft, not yet reviewed

The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was a unitary communist state that existed in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea from 1987 to 1991. The PDRE was established in February 1987 as a communist state upon the adoption of the 1987 Constitution, three weeks after its approval in the national referendum. The new government was dominated by surviving Derg members, with Mengistu as both President of Ethiopia and General Secretary of the WPE. In May 1991, Mengistu fled into exile, and a week later the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front entered Addis Ababa, dissolving the PDRE.

Seat of power: Addis Ababa

Rulers

Ethiopia, 1995 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. In 1994, a new constitution was written that established a parliamentary republic with a bicameral legislature and a judicial system. In May 1998, a border dispute with Eritrea led to the Eritrean–Ethiopian War, which lasted until June 2000. On 15 February 2018, Hailemariam resigned as PM, following years of protests and a state of emergency, and Abiy Ahmed became PM.

Seat of power: Addis Ababa

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.