Chapter 1: Push to the Sea, 1081-1085
It is generally accepted that the revitalization of Judaism known as the Solomonic Restoration can trace its roots back to Dawit II Gideon, king of Beta Israel, and his 1081 pledge to reclaim a Jewish homeland. While Dawit's Vow, as it is commonly known, seems momentous with the benefit of hindsight, it was almost entirely unnoticed by his contemporaries. In fact, at the time, the only monarch to recognize Beta Israel as a true kingdom was Dawit himself. Most European monarchs, if they knew of Abyssinia at all, acknowledged the Christian Zagwe dynasty as the rightful rulers of the area.
Included are a picture of the de facto power arrangements within the claimed borders of Beta Israel, as well as a portrait of King Dawit himself. He was renowned for his brilliant military mind and compassion, but also for his lust for wealth. Important to note is Beta Israel's landlocked status. While the coastline extending down to the Horn of Africa was part of the kingdom on paper, in practice, the coast was split between the Miaphysite kingdoms and Islamic sheikdoms. This left Beta Israel relatively isolated and technologically backwards compared to its neighbors. As such, at the conclusion of the speech promising an eventual return to the Promised Land, Dawit declared that the "rebels" in the coastal city of Assab who refused to acknowledge his authority as king would be forced to submit as vassals or be banished from the kingdom. While this excuse was enough for war, most in the region took it for what it was: a holy war against an isolated Muslim ruler. Fortunately for Dawit, the Emir of Assab viewed the Sheik who claimed the same title with a bitter hatred, so his neutrality in the war was all but guaranteed.
While Beta Israel may have been a kingdom in name only at this time, it could still bring more troops to bear than a single port city, and as such, Assab was soon overrun, and, within a year, Sheik Zayd had renounced his title. While the Beta Israelite troops were happy to return home and consolidate their gains, Kedus Harbe, King of Abyssinia, had other plans. The Gideons and Zagwes had long been rivals, for both claimed to be the rightful rulers of East Africa. This rivalry finally boiled over into open war after the fall of Assab. Both kingdoms had come to an uneasy sort of cooperation during the siege of the city, as the Sheik was seen as a mutual enemy. This truce shattered after Zayd surrendered to Dawit in exchange for remaining a free man and citizen of Assab. King Harbe flew into a rage at this, ordering an immediate attack on the significantly superior Jewish force. He is famously reported to have said, "I have claimed this city for God, and I shall not let the machinations of infidels take it from Him!" though the lack of reliable sources means this quote may be apocryphal. What happened next is not up for debate, however: the Abyssinians, unprepared for a sudden assault, were caught between the walls of the city and the larger Beta Israelite force. Panicked and trapped, over half of the Coptic soldiers were killed before an Abyssinian nobleman was able to order a retreat northwards.
The following battle proved to be little more than mopping up the remnants of the Abyssinian army, but it almost proved utterly disastrous for Dawit himself. While charging the enemy line, his horse fell on the rough terrain, and Dawit was thrown from his saddle. His left arm was fractured and soon became infected, resisting any ministries from his court physician. This injury would plague Dawit on and off for the rest of his life, and he never fully regained his former levels of physical prowess. This ever-present reminder of his weakness, as well as the Abyssinian betrayal, resulted in Dawit developing a legendarily quick temper in his later years, though he remained generally apologetic after carrying out his wrath.
Though King Harbe fought on for almost a year longer, the war was effectively over after these two battles. The Abyssinian army was shattered, and Harbe was forced to surrender. The following treaty mostly concerned war reparations, as well as setting a border near Assab, but its most significant element was its status as the first treaty with another nation to acknowledge Beta Israel as a peer kingdom. Beta Israel was acknowledged to have hegemony over Somalia, Aksum, and Semien, while the rest of Abyssinia remained under Kedus Harbe, at least officially. While King Harbe denounced the treaty as nothing more than a scrap of parchment shortly after it was signed, its significance still remained: Beta Israel could and would stand up to foreign powers as an equal.
After the war was finally over, the kingdom began to reorganize its gain and prepare for further expansion to the east. The Abyssinian money was reinvested into the castles and cities of Axum, and Assab was granted to the man who had arranged the deal with the former sheik.
Meanwhile, a local rabbi who had effectively ran the administration of Wag during the war had its duties and privileges officially granted to him, though not much changed in practice. This casual reward bore significant consequences in later times, as Wag first became the Kohen Gadol's traditional residence in Beta Israel, and then later home to the reborn Samaritan high priesthood.
Finally, the laws governing inheritance were changed. Rather than the previous traditions of Gavelkind, where a parent's lands were split between their children, an elective system was put in place, where each noble could vote on who they wished to be the next king, though in practice, the title always went to a Gideon.
After all organization was said and done, Beta Israel settled down for a few years of resting and regaining its strength. The most notable event during this time was the Passover celebration shortly after the end of the war with Abyssinia. King Dawit thanked the Lord for delivering His chosen people from both Christians and Muslims, as well as any other earthly threat, before reiterating his oath to return to the Promised Land. Due to his boundless faith and constant gratitude towards God, King Dawit had slowly become mentioned less as merely Dawit or Dawit II, but rather as Dawit the Holy, the name he is generally remembered by today.
Included is a map of Beta Israel and its neighbors shortly before the conquest of the Somalian lands.
While it is not directly related to Beta Israel, no history of the Near East in the middle ages is complete without mentioning the First Crusade. After the lost of significant Byzantine lands, Pope Gregorius VII and Patriarch Cosmas of Constantinople decided a combined war, aimed at driving the Muslims out of Anatolia, would help mend the schism between East and West that had peaked in 1054. As such, a Crusade was called across all Christendom, promising remittance of sins to all who travelled to Anatolia to fight. Militarily, the Crusade was a complete success. The combined forces of Byzantium and Western Europe smashed the Sultan of Rum and his forces. Diplomatically, however, it was a disaster. The Byzantines distrusted their partners, and for what turned out to be good reason. The Venetians, who supplied most of the boats the Crusaders required, administrated most of the areas controlled by Catholics. Rather than turning them over to Emperor Alexios Komnenos immediately as was Papal decree, Venice established a number of "protectorates", vassal territories that refused to pay tribute to Byzantium. The Crusade broke down in squabbling, and the Sultan reclaimed most of the territory occupied by the Crusaders, leaving them with only a small foothold on the coast. Thus, the very war intended to end the Great Schism only deepened it; Pope and Patriarch both blamed each other, and Byzantium refused to participate in any future Crusades.
Greece and Anatolia in the Aftermath of the First Crusade.
Author's Note: Okay, this is my first time doing something like this, so I'm definitely open to suggestions. Was it too long? Too short? Overly detailed? Bland? Anything else you can think of, I'm happy to hear. With that said, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!
