Ras (Duke) Tafari was crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, after the death of Empress Zaudito. After 45 years of rule, Selassie was ousted by Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam during the 1974 revolution, which transformed Ethiopia into a Republic. He is worshiped by Rastafarians as a Lion of Judah, meaning that he is an African messiah. Click here to read about his burial Click here to read more about the history of Ethiopia
eventREF E-0011514Revised
2 November 1930
Selassie becomes emperor
- Updated
- 2 Nov 2020
How we know this
- 01Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.
- 02Haile Selassie laid to rest [online], available at news.bbc.co.uk [Accessed: 29 October 2009]
- 03Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia [online], available at en.wikipedia.org [Accessed: 29 October 2009]
Last updated · 2 Nov 2020
South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Selassie becomes emperor. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011514
South African History Online (2011) 'Selassie becomes emperor', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011514 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).
South African History Online, Selassie becomes emperor [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011514, (accessed 22 October 2026).
"Selassie becomes emperor." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011514. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "Selassie becomes emperor." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011514.
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Further reading
Biography
Haile Selassie I
Early years
The 225th and last Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie was born in Ethiopia in a region called Ejersa Gora....
Archive
The romantic rewriting of Haile Selassie’s legacy must stop by Dr Yohannes Woldemariam, 4 February 2019
Yohannes Woldemariam trawls through the history books to expose the truths of Haile Selassie’s 44-year reign over...
Event
Tafari Makonnen proclaimed Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Born in 1891 (some sources say 1894), Tafari Makonnen, or Haile Selassie, as he was later known, was born the son of...
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