Eleni | |
---|---|
![]() Eleni of Hadiya, empress consort and later queen mother of Ethiopia | |
Empress of Ethiopia | |
Reign | ? – 1468 |
Queen Mother | |
Reign | 1468 – 1478 |
Predecessor | Igzi Kebra |
Successor | Romna |
Regent | |
Reign | 1507 — 1516 |
Born | Hadiya, Ethiopian Empire |
Died | April 1522 Ethiopian Empire |
Spouse | Zara Yaqob |
Dynasty | House of Solomon (by marriage) |
Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox Muslim (previously) |
Eleni (Ge’ez: እሌኒ, "Helena"; died April 1522) also known as Queen of Zeila[1] was Empress of Ethiopia by marriage to Zara Yaqob (r. 1434–1468), and served as regent between 1507 and 1516 during the minority of emperor Dawit II. She played a significant role in the government of Ethiopia during her lifetime, acting as de facto co-regent or advisor to a number of emperors; one testimony of this is the manuscript Bruce 88, which states that she had been in the palace of three illustrious Emperors: Zara Yaqob; his son by another wife, Baeda Maryam I (r. 1468–1478), and Na'od (r. 1494–1505).[2]