1. In 1666, following his son Dawit's rebellion, Fasilides had him imprisoned in Wehni.
18 Facts About Fasilides
1. 2.
Emperor Fasilides was born at Magezez, Bulga in the Shewa region.
3.
Fasilides was proclaimed emperor in 1630 during a revolt led by Sarsa Krestos, but did not reach the throne until his father abdicated in 1632.
4.
Once he became emperor, Fasilides immediately restored the official status of the traditional Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
5.
Fasilides sent for a new abuna from the patriarch of Alexandria, restoring the ancient relationship that had been allowed to lapse.
6.
Fasilides confiscated the lands of the Jesuits at Dankaz and elsewhere in the empire and exiled them to Fremona.
7.
When he heard that the Portuguese bombarded Mombasa, Fasilides assumed that Afonso Mendes, the Roman Catholic prelate, was behind the act, and banished the remaining Jesuits from his lands.
8.
Fasilides is commonly credited with founding the city of Gondar in 1636, establishing it as Ethiopia's capital.
9.
Fasilides is credited with building seven stone bridges in Ethiopia, notably the Sebara Dildiy bridge ; as a result all old bridges in Ethiopia are often commonly believed to be his work.
10.
Emperor Fasilides built the Cathedral Church of St Mary of Zion at Axum.
11.
Fasilides' church is known today as the "Old Cathedral" and stands next to a newer cathedral built by Emperor Haile Selassie.
12.
Fasilides quickly recovered and sent for help to Qegnazmach Dimmo, governor of Semien, and his brother Gelawdewos, governor of Begemder.
13.
When Massawa was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, the Ethiopian Emperor Fasilides attempted to develop a new trade route via Beylul.
14.
Fasilides's choice fell on Beylul, because this port was beyond the Ottoman sphere of control and directly opposite the harbor of Mocha in Yemen.
15.
Since al-Mu'ayyad Mohammed and his son al-Mutawakkil Isma'il assumed that Fasilides was interested in a conversion to Islam, a Yemeni embassy was sent to Gondar in 1646.
16.
In 1666, after his son Dawit rebelled, Fasilides had him incarcerated at Wehni, reviving the ancient practice of confining troublesome members of the Imperial family to a mountaintop, as they had once been confined at Amba Geshen.
17.
Fasilides died at Azezo in 1667,8 kilometres south of Gondar, and his body was interred at St Stephen's, a monastery on Daga Island in Lake Tana.
18.
When Nathaniel T Kenney was shown Fasilides' remains, he saw a smaller mummy shared the coffin.