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Emperor Yeshaq I: The Metal King Who Fought Adal and Minted the Birr
Season 3
Episode 109
Published 1 week, 1 day ago
Description
Long before Menelik II or Tewodros, another Solomonic emperor shaped Ethiopia's destiny — Yeshaq I, who ruled from 1414 to 1429. This episode digs into his military campaigns against the Adal Sultanate, his controversial monetary reform that introduced the first Ethiopian silver coin (the birr), and his diplomatic outreach to Ming China, which sent a giraffe to the Yongle Emperor. We also explore his patronage of Ge'ez literature, his regulation of trade routes through the Red Sea, and the shadowy role of his mother, Queen Igzi' Kebra, in court politics. Yeshaq's reign sits at the crossroads of medieval diplomacy, African state-building, and Islamic-Christian conflict in the Horn of Africa.