1972 ETHIOPIA Lion Judah SELASSIE THEODORUS Proof Silver 5 Birr Coin NGC i106279

Description

Item:
i106279
Authentic Coin of:
Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I - Emperor: 1930-1936, 1941-1974
Theodorus II
1972 (1964) Proof
Silver 5 Birr
40mm (20.00 grams)
.925 Silver (0.5948 oz. ASW)
Reference: KM# 48
Certification:
NGC
PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO 2863547-004
-1972- EMPIRE OF ETHIOPIA E,  Crowned lion right, right foreleg raised holding ribboned cross.
1855 - 1868 THEODORUS II EMPEROR OF ETHIOPIA, Theodorus facing 1/3 left.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Tewodros II
(Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, baptized as
Gebre Kidan
;
c.
1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes).
Tewodros II's origins were in the Era of the Princes, but his ambitions were not those of the regional nobility. He sought to re-establish a cohesive Ethiopian state and to reform its administration and church. He sought to restore Solomonic hegemony, and he considered himself the Elect of God.
Tewodros II's first task after having reunited the other provinces was to bring Shewa under his control. During the Era of the Princes, Shewa was, even more than most provinces, an independent entity, its ruler even styling himself Negus (Neguece), the title for King. In the course of subduing the Shewans, Tewodros took with him a Shewan prince, Menelik II who he brought up as his own son, who would later become Emperor (or Atse) himself. Despite his success against Shewa, Tewodros faced constant rebellions by stiffnecked Nobles in other regions not understanding the benefits of modernization. He ultimately committed suicide at the Battle of Magdala, during the British Expedition to Abyssinia.
In the first six years of his reign, the new ruler managed to put down these rebellions, and the empire was relatively peaceful from about 1861 to 1863, but the energy, wealth, and manpower necessary to deal with regional opposition limited the scope of Tewodros's other activities. Tewodros II never realized his dream of restoring a strong monarchy, although he took many important initial steps. He sought to establish the principle that governors and judges must be salaried appointees. He also established a professional standing army, rather than depending on local lords to provide soldiers for his expeditions. He introduced the collection of books in the form of a library, tax codes, as well as a centralized political system with respective administrative districts. He also intended to reform the church but he was confronted by strong opposition when he tried to impose a tax on church lands to help finance government activities. His confiscation of these lands gained him enemies in the church and little support elsewhere. Essentially, Tewodros was a talented military campaigner.
Zewditu
(Ge'ez: ዘውዲቱ, born
Askala Maryam
;  29 April 1876 – 2 April 1930) was Empress of  Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930. The first female  head of an internationally recognized country in  Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the  first empress regnant of the Ethiopian Empire,  her reign was noted for the reforms of her  Regent and designated heir
Ras
Tafari  Makonnen (who succeeded her as Emperor Haile  Selassie I), about which she was at best  ambivalent and often stridently opposed, due to  her staunch conservatism and strong religious  devotion. She is the most recent empress regnant  in Ethiopian history, and until the 2018  election of Sahle-Work Zewde as president, was  the most recent female head of state of  Ethiopia.
While the conservative Ethiopian  aristocracy was generally supportive of Zewditu,  it was less enthusiastic about many of her  relatives. Zewditu's stepmother and the aunt of  her husband, Dowager Empress Taytu Betul, had  withdrawn from the capital after Menelik's  death, but was still distrusted somewhat due to  the evident favoritism she had practiced during  the reign of her late husband. In an attempt to  limit her influence, the aristocracy arranged  for her nephew—Zewditu's husband
Ras
Gugsa Welle—to be appointed to a remote  governorship, removing him from court. This  move, while intended as a strike against Taytu  rather than against Zewditu, is believed to have  upset Zewditu considerably. Zewditu also  suffered guilt for taking the throne from
Lij
Iyasu, whom her father had wanted to  succeed him – while she believed that Iyasu's  overthrow was necessary, she had admired her  father greatly, and was unhappy at having to  disobey his wishes. Her separation from her  husband and her guilt about Iyasu's overthrow  combined to make Zewditu not particularly happy  as Empress. Even though he had treated her  abominably, she held much personal affection for  her nephew Iyasu, and is said to have wept  bitterly for him when told that she was being  made Empress as her nephew had been  excommunicated for apostasy. Increasingly, the  Empress retreated from state responsibility into  a world of fasting and prayer, whilst the  progressive elements that surrounded the heir,  Tafari Makonnen, gained in strength and  influence at court.
The early period of  Zewditu's reign was marked by a war against
Lij
Iyasu, who had escaped captivity.  Backed by his father,
Negus
Mikael of  Wollo, a powerful northern leader, Iyasu  attempted to regain the throne. The two failed  to effectively coordinate their efforts however,  and after some initial victories Iyasu's father  was defeated and captured at the Battle of  Segale. The
Negus
was paraded through  the streets of Addis Ababa in chains, carrying a  rock of repentance on his shoulders, before  entering the throne room and kissing the  Empress's shoes to beg for her mercy. The heir  to the throne,
Ras
Tafari Makonnen, was  not present at this spectacle out of  consideration for the feelings of his wife, who  was the granddaughter of
Negus
Mikael.
Upon hearing of his father's defeat and  humiliation, Iyasu himself fled to Afar. After  years on the run, Iyasu was later captured by
Dejazmach
Gugsa Araya Selassie, the son  whom Zewditu's first husband had fathered by  another woman. Gugsa Araya was rewarded with the  title of
Ras
from his former  stepmother, and with Princess Yeshashework Yilma,  the niece of Tafari Makonnen, as his bride. When  Iyasu was captured, a tearful Empress Zewditu  pleaded that he be kept in a special house on  the grounds of the palace, where she would see  to his care and he could receive religious  counsel. She found
Ras
Tafari and
Fitawrari
Habte Giyorgis Dinagde to be  unbendingly opposed, and so gave up. She did,  however, ensure that special favorite foods and  a constant supply of clothing and luxuries  reached Iyasu at his place of arrest in Sellale.
As Empress Zewditu's reign progressed, the  difference in outlook gradually widened between  her and her appointed heir,
Ras
Tafari  Makonnen. Tafari was a moderniser, believing  that Ethiopia needed to open itself to the world  in order to survive. In this, he had the backing  of many younger nobles. Zewditu, however, was a  conservative, believing in the preservation of  Ethiopian tradition. She had the strong backing  of the church in this belief. Slowly, however,  Zewditu began to withdraw from active politics,  leaving more and more power to Tafari. Under  Tafari's direction, Ethiopia entered the League  of Nations, and abolished slavery. Zewditu  busied herself with religious activities, such  as the construction of a number of significant  churches.
In 1928 there was a small  conservative uprising against Tafari's reforms,  but it was unsuccessful. Empress Zewditu was  compelled to grant Tafari, who now controlled  most of the Ethiopian government, the title of  King (
Negus
). While
Negus
Tafari remained under the nominal rule of  Zewditu (who was still
Negeste Negest
,  i.e. Empress), Tafari was now in effect the  ruler of Ethiopia. A number of attempts were  made to displace him, but they were all  unsuccessful. In 1930, Zewditu's husband
Ras
Gugsa Welle led a rebellion against
Negus
Tafari in Begemder, hoping to end the regency in  spite of his wife's repeated pleas and orders to  desist, but was defeated and killed in battle by  the modernised Ethiopian army at the Battle of  Anchem on 31 March 1930.
The
Lion of Judah
(Hebrew: אריה יהודה‬
Aryeh Yehudah
) is a Jewish national and cultural symbol, traditionally regarded as the symbol of the Israelite tribe of Judah. According to the Torah, the tribe consists of the descendants of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob. The association between Judah and the lion can first be found in the blessing given by Jacob to his son Judah in the Book of Genesis.
The Lion of Judah is also mentioned in the Book of Revelation, as a term representing Jesus, according to Christian theology. The lion of Judah was also one of the titles of the Solomonic Emperors of Ethiopia. It was depicted on a map of the Upper Nile published in 1683 by the Italian Jobi Ludolfi describing the Lion of Judah symbol as the Royal Insignia of the Ethiopian empire. The Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia lasted three thousand years according and has its patrilineal origin in the Israelite Royal House of Judah. The Lion of Judah served as the hereditary title of the Solomonic Ethiopian emperors including Menelik and Haile Selassie and was depicted on the flag of Ethiopia from 1897 to 1974. Due to its association with Haile Selassie, it continues to be an important symbol among members of the Rastafari movement.
The biblical Judah (in Hebrew:
Yehuda
) is the eponymous ancestor of the Tribe of Judah, which is traditionally symbolized by a lion. In Genesis, the patriarch Jacob ("Israel") gave that symbol to this tribe when he refers to his son Judah as a
Gur Aryeh
גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה, "Young Lion" (Genesis 49:9) when blessing him. In Jewish naming tradition the Hebrew name and the substitute name are often combined as a pair, as in this case. The Lion of Judah was used as a Jewish symbol for many years, and as Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, in 1950 it was included in the Emblem of Jerusalem.
Ethiopian history
Ethiopia's history as recorded and elaborated in a 13th-century treatise, the
Kebre Negest
, asserts descent from a retinue of Israelites who returned with Makeda, the Queen of Sheba from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, by whom she had conceived the Solomonic dynasty's founder Menelik I. As Solomon was of the tribe of Judah, his son Menelik I would continue the line, which according to Ethiopian history was passed directly down from king to king until Emperor Haile Selassie I (ostensibly the 225th king from King David) was deposed in 1974.
Both Christian and Jewish Ethiopian history have it that there were also immigrants of the Tribes of Dan and Judah that accompanied Makeda back from her visit to Solomon; hence the Ge'ez motto
Mo`a 'Anbessa Ze'imnegede Yihuda
("The Lion of Judah has conquered"), included among the titles of the Emperor throughout the Solomonic Dynasty. It is unknown whether John of Patmos was directly aware of this hereditary title when he penned it into the text of the prophecy.
The Lion of Judah motif figured prominently on the old imperial flag, currency, stamps, etc. and may still be seen gracing the terrace of the capital as a national symbol. After the collapse of the Communist Derg in 1990 and the increase of Western-style political freedoms, a minor political party bearing the name
Mo'a Anbessa
made its appearance.
Rastafari movement
The Lion of Judah is a prominent symbol in the Rastafari movement. It represents Emperor Haile Selassie I as well as being a symbol of strength, kingship, pride and African sovereignty. Rastafari consider the mention of "The Lion of Judah" in Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5 of The Bible to refer to Emperor Haile Selassie I. Rastafari hail Haile Selassie I with the titles "KING of Kings, LORD of lords, Conquering Lion of Judah, Elect of God, the Light of the World".The phrase appears in the New Testament in Revelation 5:5: "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." This is widely regarded as a reference to Jesus among Christians.
Many Christian organizations and ministries use the lion of Judah as their emblem or even as their name.
Ethiopia
(/ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/; Amharic: ኢትዮጵያ,
ʾĪtyōṗṗyā
,
listen (help·info)), oromo: Itiyoophiyaa, somali: Itoobiya, Hebrew: אתיופיה -officially the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
(የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ,
yeʾĪtiyoṗṗya Fēdēralawī Dēmokirasīyawī Rīpebilīk
), is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, popularly known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northwest, and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent. It occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi), and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa.
Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia. It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond. According to linguists, the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era. Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history. In the first centuries AD, the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region, followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137. During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was one of two nations to retain its sovereignty from long-term colonialism by a European colonial power. Many newly-independent nations on the continent subsequently adopted its flag colours. The country was occupied by Italy in 1936 and became Italian Ethiopia (part of the Italian East Africa) until 1947. Ethiopia was also the first independent member from Africa of the 20th-century League of Nations and the United Nations. In 1974, the Ethiopian monarchy under Haile Selassie was overthrown by the Derg, a communist military government backed by the Soviet Union. In 1987, the Derg established the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, but it was overthrown in 1991 by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has been the ruling political coalition since.
Ethiopia and Eritrea use the ancient Ge'ez script, which is one of the oldest alphabets still in use in the world. The Ethiopian calendar, which is approximately seven years and three months behind the Gregorian calendar, co-exists alongside the Borana calendar. A majority of the population adheres to Christianity (mainly the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and P'ent'ay), whereas around a third follows Islam (primarily Sunni). The country is the site of the Migration to Abyssinia and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash. A substantial population of Ethiopian Jews, known as Bete Israel, also resided in Ethiopia until the 1980s. Ethiopia is a multilingual nation with around 80 ethnolinguistic groups, the four largest of which are the Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans. Most people in the country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches. Additionally, Omotic languages are spoken by ethnic minority groups inhabiting the southern regions. Nilo-Saharan languages are also spoken by the nation's Nilotic ethnic minorities.
The nation is a land of natural contrasts, with its vast fertile west, its forests, and numerous rivers, and the world's hottest settlement of Dallol in its north. The Ethiopian Highlands are the largest continuous mountain ranges in Africa, and the Sof Omar Caves contains the largest cave on the continent. Ethiopia also has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa. Additionally, the sovereign state is a founding member of the UN, the Group of 24 (G-24), the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77 and the Organisation of African Unity. Its capital city Addis Ababa serves as the headquarters of the African Union, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Standby Force, and many of the global NGOs focused on Africa. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ethiopia experienced civil conflicts and communist purges, which hindered its economy. The country has since recovered and now has the largest economy (by GDP) in East Africa, having the largest population in the region.
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Mr. Ilya Zlobin
, world-renowned expert numismatist, enthusiast, author and dealer in authentic ancient Greek, ancient Roman, ancient Byzantine, world coins & more.
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