Chapter VII · 1636 – 1855

Gondar & the Era of the Princes

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Emperor Fasilides founded Gondar in 1636 — the first permanent capital in centuries. Its royal enclosure of castles, libraries and churches flourished for over a century.

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Fasil Ghebbi, the royal enclosure, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

From 1769 the Zemene Mesafint — the Era of the Princes — left emperors as figureheads while regional lords fought for power.

Emperor Susenyos converted to Catholicism under Jesuit influence, causing civil war; he abdicated in 1632. His son Fasilides restored the Orthodox faith, expelled the Jesuits and built his capital at Gondar.

Gondar became a centre of art, scholarship and trade. Iyasu I 'the Great' (1682–1706) is remembered as one of its ablest rulers, and Debre Berhan Selassie church is famous for its ceiling of painted angels' faces.

In 1769 Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray had Emperor Iyoas killed, opening the Zemene Mesafint. For nearly ninety years real power lay with regional lords until a new figure reunited the empire.