Na'od () was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1494 to 31 July 1507, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His regnal name was Anbasa Bazar. His reign was marked by internal tension between territories with the assistance of Queen Eleni. He began construct an extravagant church in Amhara province, called Mekane Selassie. The church was completed by his successor Dawit II in 1530.
Reign Na'od was the second son of Baeda Maryam I and his second wife Kalyupe (also called "Calliope"), and was born at Gabarge.James Bruce, Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1805 edition), vol. 3, p. 148
Like Eskender before him, he relied on the counsel of the Queen Mother Eleni. Despite her help, his reign was marked by internal dissension.
Na'od was very talented in Amharic and Ge'ez poetry. He was also a notable author who wrote a number of religious books.Taddesse Tamrat, State and Church in Ethiopia, (Oxford: University Press, 1972), pp. 560-570
Na'od began construction on a lavish church in the Amhara province, which was decorated with gold leaf and known as Mekane Selassie (Amharic መካነ ሥላሴ meaning "abode of the Trinity"). However, he died before it was completed, and he was buried in a tomb inside the church. His son Emperor Lebna Dengel completed the construction in 1530.Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, Futuh al-Habasa: The Conquest of Ethiopia, translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), pp. 231f Francisco Álvares records seeing the church as it was being constructed, and mentions that he was kept from entering it by the local clergy.C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, The Prester John of the Indies (Cambridge: Hakluyt Society, 1961), pp. 360f, 582 However, not long after its completion, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim pillaged the structure and set it afire on 3 November 1531.Sihab ad-Din, Futuh, pp. 245ff
Emperor Na'od was killed by Imam Mahfuz of the Adal Sultanate in battle.
Military career The defence of the Empire was very strong during the reign of Na'od as he scored many victories over the Muslims. According to G.W.B Huntingford claims that Na'od was killed near Jejeno (possibly Mekane Selassie) while campaigning against Muslim forces. However Taddesse Tamrat states that Na'od died on his way to repulse a Muslim raid in the eastern provinces.Taddesse Tamrat, State and Church in Ethiopia, pp. 58, 581Futuh Al-Habasha, pp. 164-168
Family Na'od had five sons: Lebna Dengel – Succeeded Na'od as Emperor of Ethiopia Victor – Half-brother of Lebna Dengel, was slain in battle Jacob – Predeceased Na'od Claudius Minas
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