Ethiopian Royalty

Book Categories: Royalty, Tewodros II, Queen of Sheba, Aksum, History, Rasselas, Haile Selassie, Revolution, Children's Books, Africa

Monarchy & Royalty

Jimma Abba Jifar: An Oromo Monarchy Ethiopia 1830-1932 by Herbert S. Lewis. A study of the history and organization of Jimma under Abba Jifar II (1878-1932).

The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913 by Harold G. Marcus. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Books About Haile Selassie
Books About the Ethiopian Revolution

Emperor Tewodros II

The Barefoot Emperor: An Ethiopian Tragedy by Philip Marsden. Tells the story of Emperor Tewodros II, who rose from camel-raider to king, but clashed with British forces and committed suicide in 1868. Available from Alibris.

Prelude to Magdala: Emperor Theodore of Ethiopia and British Diplomacy by Percy Arnold. A study of the dispute between the British government and Tewodros (or Theodore) II, which led to the emperor's suicide. Published in 1992. From Alibris.

The Abyssinian Difficulty: The Emperor Theodorus and the Magdala Campaign, 1867-68 by Sir Darrell Bates. Published in 1979. Sometimes available from Alibris.

A Narrative of Captivity in Abyssinia, 1868: With Some Account of the Late Emperor Theodore by Henry Blanc. Written by one of the emperor's European prisoners. Sometimes available from Alibris.

Books About Queen Victoria

The Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba & Her Only Son Menyelek a/k/a The Kebra Nagast by E. A. Wallis Budge. A 20th century translation of the Kebra Nagast, an early Ethiopian historical epic. Although there is dispute about the location of the Biblical land of Sheba, its famous queen, called Makeda or Bilqis, is traditionally believed to have been Abyssinian (Ethiopian).

A Modern Translation of the Kebra Negast edited by Miguel F. Brooks.

Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen by Nicholas Clapp. The author, a filmmaker, used satellite imagery to retrace the route the Queen of Sheba took on her journey to meet King Solomon.

Solomon: Falcon of Sheba: The Tombs of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba Discovered by Ralph Ellis. The author traces the tomb of the legendary Queen of Sheba to a location in the Near East.

Ten Thousand Scorpions: The Search for the Queen of Sheba's Gold by Larry Frolick. The desert tribes of Yemen call her Bilqis. In Ethiopia, she is revered as Makeda. And in Anatolian Turkey, she is known as Saba Sultana. Who was the mysterious Queen of Sheba?

In Search of King Solomon's Mines by Tahir Shah. The author traces the location of the Biblical king's mines to Ethiopia, whose imperial family claims descent from Menelik, son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Quest for Sheba: In the Footsteps of the Arabian Queen by Norman Stone Pearn and Vincent Barlow. The author, a travel writer, believed the Queen of Sheba ruled in southwestern Arabia.

Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba by India Edghill. Tells the tale of Bilqis, queen of Sheba, who rules the spice lands; Solomon, wise king of Israel and Judea; and Solomon's wives, concubines, and daughter Baalit.

Books About King Solomon
Videos About Solomon & Other Biblical Rulers

Kingdom of Aksum

Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity by Stuart Munro-Hay. In the 3rd century AD, a Persian commentator described the Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum as one of the most powerful civilizations in the world. Out of print, but sometimes available at Alibris.

Archaeology at Aksum, Ethiopia, 1993-7 edited by David W. Phillipson.

Ethiopian History

A History of Ethiopia: Updated Edition by Harold G. Marcus. This concise history surveys the evolution of the oldest African nation, from prehistory to modern times.

Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia by Paul B. Henze. Traces the country's expansion southward during medieval times, its resistance to Muslim invasion, and its defense of its independence during the European scramble for Africa.

The Ethiopians: A History by Richard Pankhurst. Drawing on research in archeology, anthropology, linguistics, and recent historiography, the book charts the development of Ethiopian peoples, placing emphasis on the African origins of Ethiopian civilization. Out of print in the U.S., but sometimes available at Alibris.

Rasselas

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson. This 1759 fictional work presents the story of the journey of Rasselas and his companions in search of "the choice of life."

A Voyage to Abyssinia by Father Jerome Lobo, translated by Samuel Johnson. Account written by a Portuguese missionary.

The Mountains of Rasselas: An Ethiopian Adventure by Thomas Pakenham. Chronicles a quest into the mountains of Ethiopia to discover the truth about the royal princes of Abyssinia, the legend of Prester John, and the lost civilization of Gondar. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Books About African Royalty
Books About Nubia

Children's Books

Ethiopia by Carol Ann Gillespie. Photographs and text look at the past, development, and present culture of Ethiopia and its inhabitants.

Queen of Sheba by Naomi Lucks. For young adult readers.

Abraham Hannibal and the Raiders of the Sands by Frances Somers Cocks. Fiction for children. Tells the true story of how an Ethiopian prince became a slave, then a general under Russian tsar Peter the Great. Available from AbeBooks.

More Children's Books About African Royalty

---

Documentaries and Movies

These DVDs are formatted for North American audiences.

DVDs About Solomon and Sheba