Haile Selassie I

Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen) was the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, although he was in exile from 1936 to 1941 after Italy invaded the country. Prior to being emperor, he served as regent from 1916 to 1930.

As emperor of Ethiopia (1930–74), Haile Selassie I was known for modernizing his country, for helping to establish the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) in 1963, for his exile (1936–41), and for being overthrown in 1974. He was also regarded as the messiah of the African race by many Rastas.

Born Tafari Makonnen, he served as regent for Zauditu from 1916 to 1930. After Zauditu’s death, he was crowned emperor of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930, and took the name Haile Selassie I (“Might of the Trinity”).

When Haile Selassie I died on August 27, 1975, official sources at the time attributed his death to natural causes, but evidence later emerged suggesting that he had been strangled on the orders of the military government that had deposed him the previous year and then kept him under house arrest.