kingdom · Horn and East Africa

Kingdom of Shewa

1682 CE – 1889 CE (approx.) · capital Ankober

An Amhara kingdom in central Ethiopia that rose to virtual independence and became the power base of Menelik II, the founder of modern Ethiopia.

Origins

While the Gondar emperors weakened, Negasi Krestos, a Shewan noble claiming Solomonic descent, established an autonomous lordship in northern Shewa around 1682. His successors, at first with the title meridazmach, gradually extended their rule over the surrounding Oromo and Amhara districts, with capitals at Ankober and later Angolalla and Debre Berhan.

Rule and society

The rulers combined Orthodox Christian kingship with pragmatic alliances with Oromo and Muslim neighbours. Sahle Selassie (r. 1813 to 1847), who took the title negus, built a wealthy state and received British and French missions. Shewa controlled trade routes from the Gibe region and Harar to the coast at Tadjoura and Zeila.

Decline and legacy

In 1855 to 1856 Tewodros II conquered Shewa, but Menelik, Sahle Selassie's grandson, escaped from Magdala and restored the kingdom in 1865. When Menelik became emperor in 1889, Shewa merged into the Ethiopian Empire, with its new capital at Addis Ababa.

Lineage

Kingdom of ShewaEthiopian Empire 1270 CE – 1974 CE

More states of Horn and East Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Shewa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shewa
MLA
“Kingdom of Shewa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shewa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Shewa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shewa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Shewa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shewa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻