Ezana of Axum

Ezana of Axum, also Aezana or Abraha, was ruler of the Axumite Kingdom from about AD 320 to 350. Ezana succeeded his father Ella Amida while still a child and his mother, Sofya served as regent.

He is considered the most notable of the Axumite kings, ruling the empire at the height of its power. He was the first ruler of Axum to convert to Christianity, largely to curry favour with the Byzantines who were an important trading partner and ally against the Persians. He appointed his childhood tutor, a Syrian Christian Frumentius, head of the church. Ezana also launched several military ventures, most notably a campaign around 350 that destroyed the Kingdom of Kush. Ezana was also noted for erecting several structures and obelisks.

Bibliography

• Stuart Munro-Hay. Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh: University Press. 1991. ISBN 0748601066
• Yuri M. Kobishchanov. Axum (Joseph W. Michels, editor; Lorraine T. Kapitanoff, translator). University Park, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania, 1979. ISBN 0271005319