Degna Djan was an
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
of the
Kingdom of Aksum
The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wh ...
(9th or 10th centuries). Paul B. Henze states that his throne name was "
'Anbasa Wedem", which tradition states was his oldest son's name. His younger son was
Dil Na'od
Dil Na'od was the last King of Aksum before the Zagwe dynasty. He lived in either the 9th or 10th century. Dil Na'od was the younger son of Ged'a Jan (or Degna Djan), and succeeded his older brother 'Anbasa Wedem as ''negus''. According to E. A ...
.
E. A. Wallis Budge provides an account of the most familiar tradition about Degna Djan, that upon his deathbed he asked
Abuna
Abuna (or Abune, which is the Construct state, status constructus form used when a name follows: Ge'ez alphabet, Ge'ez አቡነ ''abuna''/''abune'', 'our father'; Amharic language, Amharic and Tigrinya language, Tigrinya) is the honorific titl ...
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
to decide which of his two sons should succeed him. Abuna Peter selected Del Na'od, but upset with the decision 'Abasa Wedem is said to have bribed an Egyptian monk Mennas to go to Alexandria and convince the
Patriarch of Alexandria
The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot").
The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major episco ...
to remove Abuna Peter so 'Anbasa Wedem could claim the throne. Mennas returned with forged papers that made him Abuna, and he consecrated 'Anbasa Wedem as king. Del Na'od's supporters thereupon collected troops and deposed 'Anasa Wedem; upon learning the truth, Patriarch Cosmas excommunicated Mennas—but Mennas had died by that time.
Taddesse Tamrat
Taddesse Tamrat ( am, ታደሰ ታምራት; 4 August 1935 – 23 May 2013) was an Ethiopian historian and scholar of Ethiopian studies. He is best known as the author of ''Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1520'' (1972, Oxford University Pre ...
repeats traditions that Degna Djan both led military expeditions as far south as
Ennarea
Ennarea, also known as E(n)narya or In(n)arya ( Gonga: Hinnario), was a kingdom in the Gibe region in what is now western Ethiopia. It became independent from the kingdom of Damot in the 14th century and would be the most powerful kingdom in th ...
, and commanded missionary activities in the highlands of
Angot
Angot ( Amharic: አንጎት, translated as "Neck," possibly referring to the provinces geography) was a historical province in northern Ethiopia. It was bordered on the west by Bugna and the Afar lowlands to the east and southeast, Ambassel to t ...
and the later province of
Amhara. Because the ''Gadla'' of
Tekle Haymanot
Abune Tekle Haymanot ( Ge'ez: አቡነ ተክለ ሃይማኖት; known in the Coptic Church as Saint Takla Haymanot of Ethiopia; 1215 – 1313) was an Ethiopian saint and monk mostly venerated as a hermit. He was the Abuna of Ethiopia who f ...
states that Degna Djan lived 18 generations—or 400–600 years—before the saint (c. 1215), "this brings Digna-Jan to the first half of the ninth century."
Taddesse Tamrat also mentions a tradition that makes him, not his son Dil Na'od, the last king of Axum.
[Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State'', p. 66n]
References
Kings of Axum
10th-century monarchs in Africa
9th-century rulers in Africa
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