Dark Side History: Fetha Nagast, The Ethiopian Divine Law of The Kings!

The Ethiopian Divine Law of the Kings, the Fetha Nagast, is probably East Africa’s historically most important law code based upon a concept of divine sacred law. Introduced during the early Ethiopian Solomonic dynasty’s reign (1270- 1974AD) as a modified version of an Arabic Coptic Christian work that was translated into Ge’ez, it grew into becoming the most important legal work in Ethiopian history, if not in the entirety of eastern Africa. This video is about the divine law/justice contained therein and its legal historic importance as it even made Ethiopian emperors subjects to its laws.
Edit: The Fetha Nagast should not be confused with the Kebra Nagast, the glory of the kings, which is a work about the mythic Solomonic origin of the Ethiopian emperors.
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Link to other videos of interest:
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Orthodoxy & Orthopraxy in Religion!: • How to understand: Ort...
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This video is part of the dark side history series: • Dark Side History
And can also be seen in the all history playlist: • All history
In addition, this video is a part of the How to understand series abut religion and cultural stuff:
• How to understand:The ...
Sources and further reading:
Beckström, J. , “Transplantation of Legal Systems: An Early Report on the Reception of Western Laws in Ethiopia”, American Journal of Comparative Law 21 (1973) 557
Bausi, A., “The Aksumite Background of the Ethiopic Corpus Canonum”, in: S. Uhlig (ed.) Proceedings of the XVth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (Wiesbaden 2006) 532.
Costanzo, G. A., “L’Ecloga araba nel Fetha Nagast e la sua prima versione in italiano”, 20 Annuario di Diritto Comparato e di Studi Legislative (Ser. 3, Part 2) 1 (1947)
Costanzo, G. A. “Fetha Nagast (Diritto dei Re)”, 7 Novissimo Digesto Italiano 253 (Turin 1961)
D’Emilia, A., “Influssi di diritto musulmano nel capitolo XVIII,2 del nomocanone arabo cristiano di Ibn al-‘Assa¯l”, 19 Rivista degli Studi Orientali 1, 15 (1940)
Dominic, Negussie Andre (2010). The Fetha Nagast and Its Ecclesiology: Implications in Ethiopian Catholic Church today. European University Studies 23; Theology Volume 910. Bern, Switzerland
Graven, J. “The Penal Code of the Empire of Ethiopia”, 1 Journal of Ethiopian Law 267, 269 n. 6 (1964)
Guidi, Ignazio (red.) (1899). Il "Fetha nagast o "Legislazione dei re": codice ecclesiastico e civile di Abissinia. Roma:
Kungarnas ära och kungarnas lag: två etiopiska dokument : Kebra nagast och Fetha nagast: 1. (2012). Skellefteå: ArtosNöldeke, T., “Die äthiopische Literatur”, in: Die Orientalischen Literaturen (Leipzig 1906/1925) 136
Pankhurst, Richard Keir Patrick (1961). An introduction to the economic history of Ethiopia from early times to 1800. London: Lalibela House
Pankhurst, Richard (2001). The Ethiopians: a history. Oxford: BlackwellPankhurst, Richard, Det kristna Etiopien ,In Pankhurst,Richard(ed.), Etiopien - dess kristna kultur , Stockholm : EFS i samarbete med Medelhavsmuseet och Statens historiska museum, Solna, 1974 , pp.5-18
Pankhurst, Richard (1964). "The Ethiopian Slave Trade in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: A Statistical Inquiry". Journal of Semitic Studies. 9 (1): 220-228
Pankhurst, Richard Keir Patrick, Indian Trade with Ethiopia, the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries, Cahiers d'Études Africaines Vol. 14, Cahier 55 (1974), pp. 453-497
Pankhurst, Richard. (2011). Slavery and Emancipation in Traditional Ethiopia: The Role of the Fetha Nagast, or Laws of the Kings. African and Asian Studies. 10. 32-40.
Sand, Peter H, LAW OF THE KINGS" (FETHA NAGAST) Roman Origins of the Ethiopian Law of the Kings,. Journal of Ethiopian Literature Volume 11, Issue 1, 1980, pp. 71 - 81
Strauss, Peter L& Tzadua. Abba Paulos (Eds. & transl.), 1968, The Fetha Nagast: The law of the kings. Addis Ababa publishing,
Vanderlinden, J., “An Introduction to the Sources of Ethiopian Law from the 13th to the 20th Century”, 3 Journal of Ethiopian Law 227 (1966)
#Ethiopia #Fetha_nagast #Africa #History #African_history #Ethiopian_history #eastafrica #Axum

[@theculturedjinni]

I hope you liked this video discussing this Ethiopian law code. Please, don't be afraid to comment or voice any questions as I love interacting with you my dear viewers and I will try to respond as quickly as possible to you (though currently due to internet issues this might take a while). Also, please like, subscribe & push the bell icon as those actions do help this channel to grow!

[@alerkablikim]

Great video! Keep up the fantastic work!

[@theculturedjinni]

👍 Thanks for the show of appreciation and I intend to keep it up!

[@user-qt7nq5xl1m]

The Jinn does it again 👍👍 very informative. I have learned something new again today courtesy of the cultured Jinni

[@theculturedjinni]

👍👍 Always glad to provide!