Haile Selassie - Inspiration for Ethiopia’s Royalty Stamps

The rise to power and prominence of Prince Tafari Makonnen was one for the books, and his story started on July 17, 1891. He was born in Harar and was sent at an early age to receive private education. In July 1912, the prince married Princess Menen and after four years, his first son was born.

Haile Selassie Assuming Power in Ethiopia

This was also the time when he started his march to power. During this time, Lej Yasu was no longer in power and Zauditu, his daughter was declared the empress. This was the opportune time for the prince to show his worth and he was soon appointed as the regent and assumed the title of 'Prince of Princes'. It was on April 3, 1930 that he was declared the Emperor of Ethiopia and soon assumed the name ‘Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings'. The prince also soon changed his name, this time to Haile Selassie that translates to 'Might of the Trinity'.

From the very onset of his time as ruler, he learned that his interaction with Europeans was met with some problems. For example, his country was in a state of conflict with Italy. In December 1934 Ethiopian soldiers and Italian soldiers clashed near the Italian Somaliland, a clash that triggered Benito Mussolini. It was under this environment that Haile Selassie decided to call on his army even though they were improperly equipped and unprepared for such an encounter. In just a few months, the foreigners were already charging into the capital. Because of this, Haile decided to leave the country and by May 1936 the capital fell. He tried to bring his case to the League of Nations but failed. The exiled ruler soon moved to England and started to plot his return to power. The British entered the picture in 1941 when a rebellion against the Italians was initiated, backed by some British offices and Sudanese soldiers. This rebellion was a success and soon Haile was back in his land. On April 8, the capital was freed from the control of the Italians.

Stamps of Ethiopia and Haile Selassie

Once conquered by Italy, in 1935, King Victor Emmanuel III was declared Emperor of Ethiopia. In May of 1936 Italy issued a set of seven colonial stamps, which were labeled "ETIOPIA", all depicting the image of the new Emperor, King Victor Emmanuel III.
The first stamps printed after the liberation of Ethiopia, in 1942, were a series of 3 stamps depicting Haile Selassie, on which the denomination was printed all in lower case. These were re-issued a few months later as a set of eight, this time printing the denomination in all capitals.
Later issues of Ethiopian stamps were mostly printed with the portrait of Haile Selassie incorporated into their design, at least up to the 1960's, at which point Ethiopia proceeded to issue commemorative and definitive stamps, as is the general custom to this day.