Susenyos I
| Susenyos I | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
Ruins of Susenyos' palace at Dankaz
|
|
| Reign | 1606–1632 |
| Coronation | 1608 |
| Predecessor | Yaqob |
| Successor | Fasilides |
| Born | 1572 |
| Died | 17 September 1632 |
| House | House of Solomon |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Susenyos I (also Sissinios, in Greek, Ge'ez ሱስንዮስ sūsinyōs; throne name Malak Sagad III, Ge'ez መልአክ ሰገድ, mal'ak sagad, Amh. mel'āk seged, "to whom the angel bows"; 1572 – 17 September 1632) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1606 to 1632. His father was Abeto (Prince) Fasilides, son of Abeto (Prince) Yakob, who was a son of Dawit II. As a result, while some authorities list Susenyos as a member of the Solomonic dynasty, others consider him, instead of his son, Fasilides, as the founder of the Gondar line of the dynasty (ultimately a subset, however, of the Solomonic dynasty).
Manuel de Almeida, a Portuguese Jesuit who lived in Ethiopia during Susenyos' reign, described him as tall, with the features of a man of quality, large handsome eyes "and an ample and well groomed beard. He was wearing a tunic of crimson velvet down to the knee, breeches of the Moorish style, a sash or girdle of many large pieces of fine gold, and an outer coat of damask of the same colour, like a capelhar".
As a boy, a group of Oromo fighters captured him and his father, holding them captive for over a year until they were rescued by the Dejazmach Assebo. Upon his rescue, he went to live with Queen Admas Mogasa, the mother of Sarsa Dengel and widow of Emperor Menas. His mother was Ḥamälmal Wärq, who conceived Susenyos with Fasilidas while married to another man.
In 1590s, Susenyos was perceived as one of the potential successors to the throne, as Emperor Sarsa Dengel's sons were very young. In order to eliminate him from the competition, Empress Maryam Sena had Susenyos exiled, but Susenyos managed to escape and find refuge amongst the Oromo. At the death of his one-time ally, Emperor Za Dengel, he was proclaimed his successor and returned to the realm, although the fight against Emperor Yaqob continued.
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