Amda Seyon I

Amda Seyon I, whose Ge'ez name means Pillar of Zion and whose throne name was Gebre Mesqel, ruled Ethiopia as Negusä Nägäst from 1314 to 1344 and made the Solomonic dynasty a power in the Horn of Africa. A son of Emperor Wedem Arad, he married his father's concubine Jan Mogassa; monks led by Basalota Mika'el accused him of incest and threatened excommunication, and he beat one accuser and exiled the rest.

In 1316–1317 he campaigned against Damot, Hadiya and Gojjam, exiling the conquered peoples. His fame rests on 1332–1333, when he crushed Sabr ad-Din of Ifat's rebellion and overran the Muslim sultanates to the southeast, wars celebrated in the Ge'ez chronicle The Glorious Victories.

He had no fixed capital and spent most of his time on campaign, answering every refusal of tribute with a punitive march. He died in 1344 and his son Newaya Krestos succeeded him.