Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, who was assassinated on this day in 1975! The descendent of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba who was exiled during WWII and became the world’s longest serving Head of State before being deposed by a Soviet-backed coup and assassinated, Emperor Haile Selassie awarded the historic Imperial Ethiopian Orders to Foreign Royalty and Heads of State during his illustrious reign!
Order of Solomon
Founded by Emperor Yohannes IV in 1874 as the highest imperial honour, containing five grades, the Order of the Seal of Solomon was split up by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930, with the highest grade, of the Gold Collar, becoming the separate Order of Solomon which was conferred upon Foreign Monarchs in addition to senior members of the Ethiopian Royal Family.
The Solomonic dynasty, the ancient Imperial House of Ethiopia, claims descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who said to have given birth to ancient King Menelik I after her visit to Solomon in Jerusalem
Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen Asfaw
Queen Elizabeth II (1954)
King Frederik X of Denmark (1954)
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1954)
King Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (1954)
King Paul of Greece (1954)
King Baudouin of Belgium (1959)
Emperor Akihito of Japan (1960)
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (1964)
King Olav V of Norway (1966)
King Hussein of Jordan (1966)
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand (1968)
King Juan Carlos of Spain (1972)
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1930)
Order of the Queen of Sheba
The Order of the Queen of Sheba was instituted as a ladies’ order by Empress Zewditu in 1922 and awarded by Emperor Haile Selassie to various Royal Ladies over the years, alongside various Ladies of the Ethiopian Royal Family, and also some male consorts.
Queen Louise of Sweden (1954)
The Duke of Edinburgh (1954)
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1958)
Our first evening was marked by a state banquet. While we were dressing for dinner, the Prime Minister arrived at our bedroom door with an Order for me from the Emperor – the Badge and Star of the Queen of Sheba – and said he must pin it on me personally. As I was only half-dressed this was out of the question; however he insisted till my maid, after a heated argument, somehow chivvied him into handing it over in the ru. sage. He retired disgruntled. The banquet proved a magnificent spectacle, with ninety-nine guests eating off a service of silver gilt from Aspreys – the food presented by footmen dressed in green jackets, maroon velvet breeches and white stockings.
Empress Michiko of Japan (1960)
Empress Farah of Iran (1964)
Queen Sirikit of Thailand (1968)
Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands (1969)
Queen Ingrid of Denmark (1970)
Queen Sofia of Spain (1972)
Thank You to Princess Asqual Teferi, who is married to Prince Yishaq Fikre Selassie, a great-grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie, for sending us the book on Ethiopian Orders!
