Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
Zera Yacob Amha Selassie (/ˈzɪərə jæˈkoʊb/; Ge'ez: ዘርአ ያዕቆብ አምሃ ሥላሴ) (born 17 August 1953) is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie and son of Amha Selassie of the Ethiopian Empire. He has been head of the Imperial House of Ethiopia since 17 February 1997 as recognized by the Crown Council of Ethiopia.
| Zera Yacob Amha Selassie | |
|---|---|
| Head of the Imperial House of Ethiopia | |
| Tenure | 17 February 1997 – Present |
| Predecessor | Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia |
| Heir-Presumptive | Prince Pawlus Wossen Seged, Duke of Harar |
| Born | 17 August 1953 Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire |
| Spouse | Nunu Getaneh (divorced) |
| Issue | Princess Lideta |
| Dynasty | Solomonic |
| Father | Amha Selassie |
| Mother | Medferiashwork Abebe |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo |
| Imperial Family of Ethiopia |
|---|
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Prince Samson Fikre Selassie |
He was designated as "acting crown prince" and heir presumptive in 1974 by the Emperor Haile Selassie I close to the end of his reign; however, the Empire was overthrown in the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution by the Derg. As a result, Yacob never became a ruling Emperor of Ethiopia. Ethiopia became a Federal Democratic Republic in 1991.
Biography
Zera Yacob attended Eton College and graduated from Exeter College, Oxford and Sandhurst.[1] He was named Acting Crown Prince and heir presumptive to the Imperial throne of Ethiopia in 1974 by his grandfather, Emperor Haile Selassie, following his father's stroke a year earlier.[2]
After the fall of the Ethiopian monarchy, Zera Yacob completed his studies at Oxford in the 1970s and worked briefly as a banker in the United States. He then moved to London and was married to Princess Nunu (née Getaneh), and subsequently divorced. The marriage produced a daughter, Princess Lideta. In 1992 he accompanied his father Amha Selassie to Virginia, United States, where his father had a medical check-up. However, his father suffered a stroke and Zera Yacob stayed for two years. He then applied for a visa following his father's death in 1997 this was used as the reason to deny it him. He had returned to London, England, where he had settled in a modest dwelling on the Isle of Dogs.[1]
He had previously been named heir apparent by his father, who assumed the title of Emperor-in-Exile at that time in April 1989 in London.
Yacob is the Executive Director of the Ethiopian Peace Foundation (EPF) since 2002.
Crown Prince Zera Yacob is regarded as head of the Imperial Family of Ethiopia and currently lives in Addis Ababa.
Honours
Zera Yacob is the sovereign of the Imperial Ethiopian Order of Saint Mary of Zion and bestows awards to individuals for their outstanding service to the people of Ethiopia.
Honours Yacob have received himself include:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lazarus (Orléans-French Royal Family)[3]
Knight Grand Cordon with Collar of the Imperial Order of St. Andrew (Russian Imperial Family)[4]_-_ribbon_bar.gif)
Knight Grand Collar of the Royal Order of the Drum (Rwandan Royal Family)[5]
Ancestry
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References
- Cusick, James; Carlin, John (1997). "Lost: one Lion Emperor, last seen in the Isle of Dogs" (26 January 1997). Independent on Sunday.
- Charles Mohr (15 April 1974). "Haile Selassie Designates a Grandson as Eventual Successor". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- "Connaissance des Religions > Sommaires - 1985-1994". Cdr.religion.info. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- Imperial House
- Guidance for Honours in the De Jure Kingdom of Rwanda
External links
Zera Yacob Amha Selassie Born: 17 August 1953 | ||
| Titles in pretence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Amha Selassie |
— TITULAR — Emperor of Ethiopia 17 February 1997 – Present Reason for succession failure: Empire abolished in 1975 |
Incumbent Heir: Prince Paul Wossen, Duke of Harar |