Person

Mikael Sehul

c. 1691–1779 · 18th century

Mikael Sehul was a Tigrayan lord who dominated the Ethiopian Empire in the late 18th century. Having built a strong regional state in Tigray that controlled the trade route to Massawa, he marched on Gondar, had Emperor Iyoas I killed in 1769 and installed and removed emperors at will. His seizure of power is usually taken as the beginning of the Era of Princes. Driven out of Gondar in 1771, he spent his last years in Tigray.

Mikael Sehul
Image: James Bruce · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Tigray

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mikael Sehul. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mikael-sehul
MLA
“Mikael Sehul.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mikael-sehul. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mikael Sehul.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mikael-sehul.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mikael Sehul’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mikael-sehul (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻