Kings and their demesnes · Damot · as at first light, 1 January 1200

King of Damot

The ruler of the pagan kingdom south of the Abay, whose capital in the hagiography of Takla Haymanot is Maldarede.

His name on 1 January 1200 is not known. The Motalami of the Christian tradition invaded Shewa twice in the first half of the thirteenth century; if Takla Haymanot was born about 1215, the first invasion fell before that date, so the reigning king of 1200 may be that Motalami or a predecessor. See the realm record for the kingdom.

Who he is

Name
Not known for 1 January 1200
Title
King of Damot (motalami)
Since
Not pinned
Family
Not known (the Motalami of the hagiography, active in the first half of the thirteenth century, is named only through his mother Eslandane)
Confidence
low

Taddesse Tamrat 1972, pp. 121-122 and 178n; Wikipedia 'Kingdom of Damot'

What it holds

  • The plateau between the Gafat country and the Muger
  • Maldarede (capital in the hagiography)

Allies and rivals

As the realm record.

Wealth

Gold, slaves, cattle (later evidence).

Military

No figures.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Hagiography only.

On the map: Hypothetical extent.

Primary sources for Damot

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

  • The Glory of the Kings, Yeshaq of Aksum (compiler) (1314 to 1322 in Ge'ez; the colophon claims an Arabic version of 1225). Nothing on events, but the ideology that unmade the Zagwe: the story that Ethiopia's rightful kings descend from Solomon and Menelik, compiled a century after 1200 to justify Yekuno Amlak's seizure of the throne in 1270 and to brand the Zagwe as usurpers. Read online

Sources and studies

  1. Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia 1270-1527 (Oxford 1972), pp. 53-64 (the Zagwe), 98, 121-124
  2. Wikipedia, 'Kingdom of Damot'

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.