Gebre Mesqel Lalibela

Lalibela
15th-century painting of Emperor Lalibela
Reign	1181 – 1221
Predecessor	Kedus Harbe
Successor	Na'akueto La'ab
Born	1162 Adefa or Roha, Bugna district
Died	1221 (aged 58–59)
Spouse	Masqal Kibra
Issue	Yetbarak
Dynasty	Zagwe dynasty
Father	Jan Seyum

Lalibela (Ge'ez: ላሊበላ^?), throne name Gebre Meskel (Ge'ez: ገብረ መስቀል^?, lit. 'Servant of the Cross'; 1162 – 1221) was Emperor of Ethiopia from Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221. According to Taddesse Tamrat, he was the son of Jan Seyum and brother of Kedus Harbe. Perhaps the most well-known of the Zagwe monarchs, the namesake monolithic churches of Lalibela are attributed to his reign, although recent scholarship has suggested origins as early as the late Aksumite period, with the complex reaching its present form during his time. He is venerated as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

King Lalibela was born at either Adefa or Roha (it was later named Lalibela after him) in Bugna in 1162 AD. He was given the name "Lalibela", meaning "the bees recognise his sovereignty" in Old Agaw, due to a swarm of bees said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future reign as Emperor of Ethiopia. Tradition states that he went into exile due to the hostility of his uncle Tatadim and his brother king Kedus Harbe, and was almost poisoned to death by his half-sister. Because Lalibela came to power during his brother's lifetime, Taddesse Tamrat suspects that he came to power by force of arms.