H.I.M.

H.I.M. Haile Sellassie1st (Ge’ez:, “Power of the Trinity”) was born Lij Tafari Makonnen  (Amharic pronunciation lij teferī mekōnnin) 23 July, 1892 in Harah, Ethiopia. “Lij” translates literally to “child”, and serves to indicate that a youth is of noble blood. He was Ethiopia’s regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He is the heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to Kings from Ori, of 4478 B.C. His coronation was the 334th from the Solomonic Dynastic (Queen of Sheba and King Solomon’s union) line of Kings, and the 134th of the Christian Kings. Queen Makeda, was the Empress of Axum, known in the Abrahamic tradition as the Queen of Sheba. Emperor Haile Sellassie is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history.

H.I.M. Haile Sellassie 1st  royal line (through his father’s mother) originated from the Amhara people, but he also had Oromo, and Gurage roots. He was born on 23 July 1892, in the village of Ejersa Goro, in the Harar province of Ethiopia. His mother was Woizero (“Lady”) Yeshimebet Ali Abajifar, daughter of the renowned Oromo ruler of Wollo province Dejazmach Ali Abajifar. His maternal grandmother was of Gurage heritage. Haile Sellassie father was Ras Makonnen Woldemikael Gudessa, the governor of Harar. Ras Makonnen served as a general in the First Italy–Ethiopian War, playing a key role at the Battle of Adwa; he too was paternally Oromo but maternally Amhara. Haile Selassie was thus able to ascend to the imperial throne through his paternal grandmother, Woizero Tenagnework Sahle Selassie, who was an aunt of Emperor Menelik II and daughter of Negus Sahle Selassie of Shewa. As such, Haile Sellassie claimed direct descent from Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon of ancient Israel.