the Zagwe dynasty

(noun)

A historical kingdom in present-day northern Ethiopia. Centered at Lalibela, it ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 900 to 1270, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the forces of Yekuno Amlak.

Related Terms

Examples of the Zagwe dynasty in the following topics:

  • Ethiopia and Eritrea

    • Following the ancient kingdom of D'mt and the medieval empire of Aksum, some of current Ethiopia's territory was dominated by the Christian Ethiopian Empire established by the Zagwe dynasty in the 12th century, and later ruled by the Solomonic dynasty until the 20th century.
    • The new Zagwe dynasty established its capital at Roha (also called Lalibela), where they built a series of monolithic churches.
    • The Zagwe dynasty controlled a smaller area than the Aksumites, with its core in the Lasta region.
    • Around 1270, a new dynasty was established in the Abyssinian highlands under Yekuno Amlak, who deposed the last of the Zagwe kings and married one of his daughters.
    • The Dynasty re-established itself in 1270 CE, when when Yekuno Amlak overthrew the last ruler of the Zagwe dynasty.

  • The Qing Dynasty

  • Introduction to the Shang Dynasty

    • The Shang Dynasty existed in the Yellow River Valley during the second millennium BCE.
    • The Shang Dynasty (also called the Yin Dynasty) succeeded the Xia Dynasty, and was followed by the Zhou Dynasty.
    • Jie, the last king of the Xia Dynasty (the first Chinese dynasty), was overthrown c. 1760 BCE by Cheng Tang.
    • The Shang Dynasty is, therefore, generally considered China's first historical dynasty.
    • The Shang Dynasty is the oldest Chinese dynasty supported by archaeological finds.

  • The Second Intermediate Period

    • The Second Intermediate Period (c. 1650-1550 BCE) spanned the Fourteenth to Seventeenth Dynasties, and was a period in which decentralized rule split Egypt between the Theban-based Seventeenth Dynasty in Upper Egypt and the Sixteenth Dynasty under the Hyksos in the north.
    • The capital of this dynasty was likely Avaris.
    • They would also conquer the Sixteenth Dynasty in Thebes and a local dynasty in Abydos (see below).
    • The Abydos Dynasty was a short-lived local dynasty that ruled over part of Upper Egypt and was contemporaneous with the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties c. 1650-1600 BCE.
    • Thebes was the capital of many of the Sixteenth Dynasty pharaohs.

  • The Qing Dynasty and the West

  • The Qin Dynasty

    • The Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), though short-lived, is known for its military strength and its unification of China.
    • The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting only 15 years from 221 to 206 BCE.
    • Qin Shihuang, the self-proclaimed first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, made vast improvements to the military, which used the most advanced weaponry of its time.
    • Despite its military strength, however, the Dynasty did not last long.
    • Describe the establishment of the first imperial dynasty of China, and the architecture, literature, weaponry and sculpture it produced.

  • The Xia Dynasty

    • The final part of the Mythical Period was under the rule of the legendary Xia Dynasty, which may have been mythological.
    • After the final ruler became corrupt, he was overthrown by Cheng Tang, who founded the Shang Dynasty.
    • According to this history, the last of the great Five Emperors, Emperor Shun, left his throne to Yu the Great, who founded China's First Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty.
    • This led to his overthrow in c. 1760 BCE by Cheng Tang, who founded a new dynasty, the Shang Dynasty, in the Huang River Valley.
    • Many argue that the Zhou Dynasty, which ruled China much later, invented the idea of the Xia Dynasty to support their claim that China could only be, and had always been, ruled by one ruler.

  • Architecture of the Qin Dynasty

    • The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 206 BCE.
    • The Dynasty followed the Warring States Period and resulted in the unification of China, ending 15 years later at the introduction of the Han Dynasty.
    • Architecture from the previous Warring States Period had several definitive aspects which carried into the Qin Dynasty.
    • Qin Shihuang, the first self-proclaimed emperor of the Qin Dynasty, developed plans to fortify his northern border in order to protect against the nomadic Mongols.
    • The initial construction of what would become the Great Wall of China began under Qin Shihuang during the Qin Dynasty.

  • Rise of the Tang Dynasty

    • The Tang dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝) was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
    • Decline of the Sui Dynasty and the Founding of the Tang
    • The Sui dynasty was a short-lived imperial dynasty of pivotal significance.
    • The Sui dynasty was succeeded by the Tang dynasty, which largely inherited its foundation.
    • Wu's rule was actually a short break in the Tang dynasty, as she established the short-lived Zhou dynasty; the Tang dynasty was restored after her rule.

  • Painting during the Six Dynasties Period

    • During the Six Dynasties period (220–589 CE), people began to write about art and appreciate painting for its own beauty.
    • The Six Dynasties period (220–589 CE) takes its name from the six ruling dynasties of the era: the Eastern Wu Dynasty (222–280), Jin Dynasty (265–420), Liu Song Dynasty (420–479), Southern Qi Dynasty (479–502), Liang Dynasty (502–557), and Chen Dynasty (557–589).
    • During the Six Dynasties period, people began to write about art and appreciate painting for its own beauty.
    • The painting Luoshenfu by artist Gu Kaizhi, painted during the Six Dynasties Period.
    • Summarize the Six Principles of painting according to Xie He and draw a timeline of the eras within the Six Dynasties