Abstract
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the imperial authority of the Solomonic dynasty weakened while many regions around Lake Tana, the new center of the Christian Kingdom of Northern Ethiopia, were not yet subject to the emperors' rule and the influx of the Oromo continued. Susn_??_yos (r. 1607-1632), Fasilädäs (r. 1632-1667), and Yohänn_??_s I (r. 1667-1682), however, furthered the subjection of the regions. In this paper, the author considers one of reasons these emperors were able to strengthen their rule by examining the functions of two important officers, the B_??_ht wäddäd and the Talallaq blattenoc gweta.
The conclusion proposed is as follows: the emperors made the B_??_ht wäddäd maintain order in Gojam and its surrounding provinces; added military functions to the Talallaq blattenoc gweta in addition to duties as stewards to compensate for the absence of the B_??_ht wäddäd at court; and prevented these officers from having great influence on the national administration. It was one of reasons Susn_??_yos, Fasilädäs, and Yohänn_??_s I strengthened their rule that they lightened their military burden and limited the political power of these high officers.
