Encyclopaedia Africana

Encyclopaedia Africana

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Mikael Aragawi (circa 1848-1931) was the first Ethiopian Protestant missionary. Born a Falasha, or Ethiopian Jew, he grew up with the family of Joseph Martin...

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Mentewab (circa 1706- June 27, 1773), empress, was the de facto ruler of Ethiopia during the reign of her son Emperor Iyasu II [reigned 1730-1755],...

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Menilek II (August 17, 1845- December 12/13, 1913), Negusa-Nagast (King of Kings), was one of the three great sovereigns who rebuilt the Ethiopian empire in...

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Abuna Matewos (circa 1842-December 4, 1926), was the Metropolitan of Ethiopia (head of the Ethiopian church) and an influential councillor of Emperor Menilek II [reigned...

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Matewos (14?- May 23, 1520), or Matthew, was a merchant of Armenian descent, born in Cairo, who, in 1512, was sent to Portugal on an...

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Cardinal Gugliemo Massaia (June 8, 1809- August 6, 1889), born Lorenzo Antonio Massaia, was an Italian Catholic missionary who worked for 35 years in Ethiopia,...

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Robert Hutchison (June 23, 1828- June 13, 1863) was a wealthy merchant, the first mayor of Cape Coast, and an African unofficial member of the...

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Ntim Gyakari (about 1670 to November 1701) was Denkyerahene (ruler of Denkyera) from about 1692 to 1701. Having provoked a war with the Asante states,...

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Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford (September 28, 1866- August 11, 1930), writer, journalist, politician, and lawyer, helped to lay the foundations of a united Gold Coast,...

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Nur ibn Mujahid ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah al Duhi Suha, of the Ahl Suhawyan clan of the Somali tribe of Marehan, Darod group, was...

Editor’s Note

This website features a collection of articles largely from previously published volumes of the Encyclopaedia Africana, specifically the Encyclopaedia Africana Dictionary of African Biography, which highlights notable individuals from various regions of Africa. Please note that in these volumes, some names of people, towns, and countries were spelled differently than they are today. We have retained these historical spellings to preserve the integrity of the original publications. In some instances, the current spellings are also provided for easy reference.
Please report errors to: info@encyclopaediaafricana.com / research@encyclopaediaafricana.com

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Encyclopaedia Africana