Re-imagining Empire: the coronation of Yohannis IV as an expression of historical memory

The authoress investigates how the historical memory the Ethiopian Empire was used to further the task of imperial reconstruction and form an ideological underpinning for the monarchy of Yohannis IV. She utilizes hitherto unexplored Ethiopian chronicles that provide new insights into the dynamics of late nineteenth-century Ethiopian kingship and pays particular attention to Yohannis' coronation ceremony in 1872 as an example of the mobilization of imperial ideology. Attention is drawn to the fact that Yohannis mobilized a range of historic symbols derived from the glorious past of the Ethiopian monarchy and the church. His policy was a response to a need for new ideology adapted to the challenges of the late 19th century. It was re-imagined from the memory of what was believed to be ancient customs. The pageantry of the Axumite ritual displayed symbols, slogans and ideas of the past that Yohannis mobilized to legitimize his imperial project.