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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Marriage as a Political Device: An Appraisal of a Socio-Political Aspect of the Menilek Period, 1889-1916
Author:Bairu Tafla
Year:1972
Periodical:Journal of Ethiopian Studies
Volume:10
Issue:1
Pages:13-21
Language:English
Geographic term:Ethiopia
Subjects:history
History and Exploration
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Women's Issues
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/41965841
Abstract:The effective reign of Emperor Menilek (1889-1909) was one of unprecedented peace. The policy of territorial expansion and consolidation which Menilek had pursued since 1865 was completed by the turn of the century, and he ruled over a vast empire through bis vassal lords. One major problem pervaded the Imperial Court: the question of succession to the throne. This. issue, together with the Empress's determination to promote and consolidate the interests of her close relatives, were the dominant factors that stimulated the arranging of a host of political marriages among the nobility. Marriage became thus one of the significant factors in the creation of close affinities between the important families in the reign of Emperor Menilek. The period was also characterized, though by no means uniquely by the extraordinary liberty enjoyed by the upper class and the clergy in contracting and annulling marriages. Notes, table.
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