Empress Eleni: Overturning Falsified Narratives on Her Consort, Ethnicity, and Religious Background
Abstract
Abstract
Empress Eleni, also known as Romna, was the consort of Emperor Ba’eda Maryam
and she was renowned among the court dignitaries of Ba’eda Maryam and his successors. Eleni
was an eminent politician and a devout Christian. A lot has been said and written about the
political career and religious devotion of Empress Eleni. Regrettably, however, Empress Eleni’s
belongingness, religious background and consort remain controversial. Nearly all the published
books and articles on medieval Ethiopian history introduced Empress Eleni by her mistaken
identity and this was generally accepted as an ultimate truth, at least, for the last sixty years.
This article attempted to examine the chronicle of Emperor Zar’a Yaeqob and his son Emperor
Ba’eda Maryam and other contemporary sources intensively and offers the real identity of
Empress Eleni in connection with her belongingness, consort and religious background.
Copyright (c) 2022 Yeshambel Kindie Bayu
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