The Letter of an Ethiopian King to King George II of Nubia in the framework of the ecclesiastic correspondence between Axum, Nubia and the Coptic Patriarchate in Egypt and of the events of the 10th Century AD

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines the letter sent by an Ethiopian King to King George II of Makouria (Nubia) as well as other letters referring to the dynastic and ecclesiastical crisis in Axum during the 10th Century AD. It presents a ‘’diplomatic’’ analysis of these documents, thereby completing details, dates and names of Kings who wrote or received the letters. This lead to a thorough discussion and study of the decline and final period of Axum, including the role of the Queen of the Bani al-Hamwiyah/Habasha and an assessment of the authority and value of the History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria. Historical criticism, supported by auxilia such as diplomatica and chronology, are thereby used