Articles
Northern Ethiopian Historiography during the Second Half of the Solomonic Period (1540–1769)
2011 年 2011 巻 16 号 p. 1-12
詳細
2011 年 2011 巻 16 号 p. 1-12
The Christian kingdom of northern Ethiopia lost almost half its territory to the Oromo during the second half of the 16th century. The History of the Galla (Zenahu lä-Galla) written by Baḥrәy in 1593 is the most important work on this Oromo invasion. The chronicle of Śärsä Dəngəl (r. 1563–1597) was contemporaneous with The History of the Galla and is one of the royal chronicles that represent the nucleus of the historiography related to this region. The present paper considers the characteristics of historiography in northern Ethiopia during the second half of the Solomonic Period (1540–1769) by examining why Baḥrәy had to defend his writing of The History of the Galla and why the authors of the royal chronicles devoted so many pages to the monarchs’ military victories.
The following hypotheses are proposed:
1.Baḥrәy wrote The History of the Galla to assert that the Oromo frequently defeated the Christian armies because the social institutions and customs of the Oromo were better suited for warfare. On the other hand, intellectuals thought that historical accounts should be written to praise deeds of “good Christians.” Therefore, Baḥrәy justified his writing about the history of the Oromo, who were non-Christians, by citing the works of the famous Coptic historian al-Makīn, who had devoted many pages to Muslim history.
2.The author of The Chronicle of Śärsä Dəngəl criticized al-Makīn’s work and did not describe in detail the damage caused by the Oromo because his purpose was to reveal the miracles of God, which he found in the monarchs’ deeds, especially their military successes. The authors of the royal chronicles during the 17th and 18th centuries continued this policy.
The impact of the Oromo incursion was addressed in The History of the Galla. However, the impact of these events on historiography was transient. The defense of Christianity continued to be a characteristic of the historiography of northern Ethiopia throughout the second half of the Solomonic Period.
