Semien (Beta Israel), Kingdom of
Years: 820 - 1627
The Kingdom of Semien, sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Beta Israel, is an ancient Jewish kingdom of the Beta Israel people, centered in north western part of the Ethiopian kingdom of Abyssinia, which comes to an end in 1627 during the reign of emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia.There is a disagreement regarding the exact time of the establishment of the kingdom; it was preceded by a number of regions which were in Jewish rule in the northwest part of Ethiopia.
The Jewish-Ethiopian tradition dates the establishment of the Kingdom of Semien to the fourth century, right after the kingdom of Axum turned to Christianity during the reign of Emperor Ezana.
