Ethiopia
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Emperor Haile Selassie I
Ejersa Goro, Ethiopia
Archival Overview
Last reigning Emperor of Ethiopia, founding father of the Organization of African Unity, and symbol of anti-colonial resistance on the global stage.
Biographical Record
Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen, 1892–1975) reigned as Regent from 1916 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, tracing his lineage to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. He modernized Ethiopia's legal code, abolished slavery, introduced the country's first written constitution in 1931, and joined the League of Nations.
When Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 using mustard gas, Haile Selassie delivered an impassioned address before the League of Nations in Geneva in 1936, warning: 'It is us today. It will be you tomorrow.' Restored to his throne in 1941 alongside Allied and Ethiopian Patriot forces, he became an elder statesman of decolonization, co-founding the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa. He was deposed during the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974 by the communist Derg junta.
Key Life Milestones
Speech on Collective Security
Denounced Italian fascist aggression and chemical warfare in Geneva, delivering one of the most famous defenses of international law in history.
Architect of Pan-African Unity
Convened 32 independent African heads of state in Addis Ababa to establish the Organization of African Unity, cementing Ethiopia as the diplomatic capital of Africa.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialAddis Ababa, Ethiopia