The Biography of Empress Menen Asfaw : The Mother of the Ethiopian Nation

Over the years little has been written about the remarkable life of Empress Menen Asfaw (April 3, 1891-February 15, 1962), who was the wife of the last reigning Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Sellassie I. With this first time translation and publication of her biography, readers can become reacquainted with the life of Empress Menen and the great contribution she made to her faith, her nation and her family. The foundation for this biography is a rare book entitled, "Her Imperial Majesty Menen Asfaw" which was written shortly after her passing in 1962. The original book has been translated from the ancient Ge'ez language of Ethiopia to Amharic and then to English. To make this a true reflection of Menen's life, much has been added to the original manuscript including information about the history, culture and geography of Ethiopia, highlights of Emperor Haile Sellassie's reign, and periods in her life that were not well documented before have been expanded upon. There is also a brief description of the legendary story of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, as well as the Rastafari faith as many women across the globe view Empress Menen as an exemplary role model. There are sixty-two photographs, many not widely seen before, of the Empress and her family. The citizens of her nation knew Empress Menen for her kindness and humanitarian outreach. She established childcare centers and handicraft schools, as well as the Empress Menen School for Girls, the first of its kind to offer education to young women of Ethiopia. During the Italian Invasion of 1936-1941, she assumed the administrative responsibility of Ethiopia while the Emperor was on the battlefield. A woman of great faith, she was a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church and constructed and upgraded many churches throughout her country. She visited the Holy Land four times and built a church and monastery on the banks of the Jordan River. During her life she also experienced a great deal of sorrow and hardship, enduring the loss of seven of her ten children, five years as a refugee of war in exile, plus the everyday struggle of on-going health problems. Empress Menen Asfaw, the Mother of the Ethiopian Nation, was a far-sighted woman well ahead of her time. Over the years little has been written about the remarkable life of Empress Menen Asfaw (April 3, 1891-February 15, 1962), who was the wife of the last reigning Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Sellassie I. With this first time translation and publication of her biography, readers can become reacquainted with the life of Empress Menen and the great contribution she made to her faith, her nation and her family.rnrnThe foundation for this biography is a rare book entitled, Her Imperial Majesty Menen Asfaw which was written shortly after her passing in 1962. The original book has been translated from the ancient Ge'ez language of Ethiopia to Amharic and then to English. To make this a true reflection of Menen's life, much has been added to the original manuscript including information about the history, culture and geography of Ethiopia, highlights of Emperor Haile Sellassie's reign, and periods in her life that were not well documented before have been expanded upon. There is also a brief description of the legendary story of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, as well as the Rastafari faith as many women across the globe view Empress Menen as an exemplary role model. There are sixty-two photographs, many not widely seen before, of the Empress and her family.rnrnThe citizens of her nation knew Empress Menen for her kindness and humanitarian outreach. She established childcare centers and handicraft schools, as well as the Empress Menen School for Girls, the first of its kind to offer education to young women of Ethiopia. During the Italian Invasion of 1936-1941, she assumed the administrative responsibility of Ethiopia while the Emperor was on the battlefield. A woman of great faith, she was a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church and constructed and upgraded many churches throughout her country. She visited the Holy Land four times and built a church and monastery on the banks of the Jordan River. During her life she also experienced a great deal of sorrow and hardship, enduring the loss of seven of her ten children, five years as a refugee of war in exile, plus the everyday struggle of on-going health problems.rnrnEmpress Menen Asfaw, the Mother of the Ethiopian Nation, was a far-sighted woman well ahead of her time. Cover Title Copyright Contents Foreword Editor’s Preface Original Preface List of Photographs Part One–The Early Years Chapter 1 Childhood Chapter 2 The Early Marriages of Menen Asfaw Chapter 3 The Upbringing of Tafari Mekonnen Chapter 4 The Marriage of Tafari Mekonnen and Menen Asfaw Chapter 5 Early Years of Marriage Chapter 6 The Legendary Story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba Chapter 7 Years as Crown Princess 1909–1923 EC (1917–1930 GC) Part Two–Becoming an Empress Chapter 8 Empress (Etege) Menen School for Girls Opens Chapter 9 The Coronation of Empress Menen Tikimt 23, 1923 EC (November 2, 1930 GC) Chapter 10 The Rastafari Movement Chapter 11 The Early Years of Empress Menen Asfaw Chapter 12 Second Holy Land Tour Part Three–The Italian Invasion and Exile Chapter 13 Preparing for War Chapter 14 The Italian Invasion Chapter 15 Exile in England and the Holy Land Part Four–In Service to Ethiopia Chapter 16 Return to Ethiopia Chapter 17 Restoring Ethiopia after the Italian Invasion 1933–1937 EC (1941–1945 GC) Chapter 18 The Renowned Service of Empress Menen 1938–1946 EC (1946–1954 GC) Chapter 19 The 25th Anniversary of The Empress Menen School Chapter 20 The 25th Silver Coronation Jubilee Part Five–The Final Years Chapter 21 The Latter Years of Empress Menen 1948–1951 EC (1956–1959 GC) Chapter 22 Final Tour to the Holy Land Chapter 23 The Failed Coup of 1953 EC (1960 GC) Part Six–In Her Memory Chapter 24 Empress Menen’s Death Is a Great Loss to Ethiopia Chapter 25 National Day of Mourning for Empress Menen Chapter 26 In Memory of Empress Menen Chapter 27 Epilogue Chapter 28 The Children of the Emperor and Empress Chapter 29 Genealogy of Empress Mennen Editor’s Afterword Acknowledgments Glossary Bibliographical Notes Index