Menelik II (1844-1913) acceded to the imperial throne of Ethiopia (Abyssinia) with Italian support in 1889, succeeding John IV. He defeated an Italian invasion in 1896, effectively securing Ethiopian independence. Having proved himself a competent and bellicose ruler, he greatly expanded and modernized his empire, establishing a capital at Addis Ababa, increasing imperial power and constructing a railroad. Menelik descended from Asfa Nassen (d. 1807) and claimed to be a direct descendant of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba. Menelik married Taitu (b. 1854) in 1883. She was a princess of Tigré and exercised considerable influence.
From the description of [Portraits of Empress Taitu and Emperor Menelik of Ethiopia]. ca.1895. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 83460398
