History Focus
November 2

(1892-1975)

The last emperor of Ethiopia. He ruled from 1930 to 1974.

He was born near Harer on July 23, 1892. He was originally named Tafari Makonnen, Selassie and was a grandnephew of Emperor Menelik II. In 1916 he ousted Menelik's successor, Lij Iyasu, replacing him with Zauditu, the old emperor's daughter, and made himself regent. When Zauditu died in 1930, he succeeded her, taking the name Haile Selassie I. His other titles included Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God, and King of Kings..

In 1931 Haile Selassie granted his subjects a limited constitution. It established a Parliament and a court system; all formal power, however, remained with the emperor.

His accomplishments included a major land reform (1942 and 1944), emancipation of slaves (1942), and a revised and somewhat broadened constitution (1955) that provided for universal suffrage.

In 1974 worsening conditions corruption in government, inflation, drought, and starvation led to a revolt by the army and Selassie's removal from power. He was formally deposed in September 1974 and died in Adìs Abeba on August 27, 1975.

Haile Selassie I Crowned Emperor

1930 Ras ("Duke") Tafari, King of Ethiopia, was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I in Addis Ababa today, amid immense pomp and splendor. Thousands of tribesmen in lionskin Cloaks waving spears and shields, lined the streets as the Emperor drove past in the ex-Kaiser's coronation coach. His accession follows the death of Empress Zauditu, with whom he has shared power since 1928. He has been regent and heir apparent since 1917; his liberal, westernizing influence acted as counterbalance to the conservatism of war minister Hapta Giorgis, and he secured Ethiopia's admission into the League of Nations in 1923. Haile Selassie (his name means "Might of the Trinity") intends to give Ethiopia her first written constitution. Ethiopia and Liberia are currently the only countries in Africa with black rulers.

Sources:
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