Home Region:  East Africa (Africa)

Kingdom of Kaffa

1390 CE 1897 CE
D G SC New EA  et_kaffa_k
Preceding Entity: Add one more here.
[elite migration; Mato Dynasty] [elite replacement]   Update here

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.


  General Description   The Kingdom of Kaffa held power in southwest Ethiopia. In the late fourteenth century, the Minjo kings of Kaffa took over the throne of the Mato Dynasty and formed the Kingdom of Kaffa in 1390 CE. In total, there were between sixteen to nineteen Kaffa monarchs during the existence of the kingdom. The capital of the Kingdom of Kaffa was at Bonga, and eventually the kingdom acquired a second capital at Anderacha. The Kingdom of Kaffa controlled vast areas of land, establishing trade networks as far as Gondar in the north of Ethiopia during the mid-nineteenth century. The kingdom was home to a diverse range of forty-eight clans who practiced Islam, Christianity and indigenous religions. Kaffa was also divided into eighteen districts which were organized under minor administrative figures. The kingdom finally collapsed in 1897 when the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II conquered Kaffa territory. [1]

[1]: (Orent 1970, 263-293) Orent, Amnon. 1970. ‘Refocusing on the History of Kafa Prior to 1897: A Discussion of Political Processes’. African Historical Studies. Vol. 3:2. Pp 263-293. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2A389XGK/collection

General Variables
Identity and Location
Temporal Bounds
Political and Cultural Relations
Language
Religion
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Settlement Hierarchy
- 1390 CE 1797 CE
3 1798 CE 1897 CE
Administrative Level
- 1390 CE 1797 CE
10 1798 CE 1897 CE
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Market
Unknown 1390 CE 1797 CE
Present 1798 CE 1897 CE
Communal Building
Unknown 1390 CE 1797 CE
Present 1798 CE 1897 CE
Transport Infrastructure
Road
Unknown 1390 CE 1844 CE
Present 1845 CE 1854 CE
Special-purpose Sites
Trading Emporia
Unknown 1390 CE 1844 CE
Present 1845 CE 1854 CE
Special Purpose Site
Unknown 1390 CE 1844 CE
Present 1845 CE 1854 CE
Information / Writing System
Written Record
Unknown 1390 CE 1499 CE
Present 1500 CE 1897 CE
Script
Unknown 1390 CE 1499 CE
Present 1500 CE 1897 CE
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Sacred Text
Unknown 1390 CE 1530 CE
Present 1531 CE 1897 CE
Religious Literature
Unknown 1390 CE 1530 CE
inferred Present 1531 CE 1897 CE
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.
Crisis Consequences Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k) was in:
Home NGA: None
General Variables
Identity and Location Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 37 N Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Original Name Kingdom of Kaffa Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Capital Anderacha Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Capital Bonga Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Alternative Name Kingdom of Kafa Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Temporal Bounds Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Peak Years [1798 CE ➜ 1821 CE] Confident
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Duration [1390 CE ➜ 1897 CE] Confident
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Political and Cultural Relations Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Succeeding Entity Ethiopian Empire Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity elite migration Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Preceding Entity
CE
elite migration; Mato Dynasty [elite replacement]    Update here
Confident
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Degree of Centralization unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1529 CE
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Degree of Centralization loose Confident 1530 CE 1897 CE
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Language Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Linguistic Family Afro-Asiatic Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Language Kafa Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Language Yemsa Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Religion Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Religious Tradition Ethiopian Religion Confident 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Hierarchical Complexity Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Settlement Hierarchy - Suspected 1390 CE 1797 CE
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Settlement Hierarchy 3 Confident 1798 CE 1897 CE
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Administrative Level - Suspected 1390 CE 1797 CE
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Administrative Level 10 Confident 1798 CE 1897 CE
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Professions Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Bureaucracy Characteristics Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Law Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Lawyer Absent Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Judge Absent Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Absent Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
Court Absent Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Market Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1797 CE
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Market Present Confident 1798 CE 1897 CE
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Communal Building Unknown Suspected Uncertain 1390 CE 1797 CE
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Communal Building Present Confident 1798 CE 1897 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Road Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1844 CE
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Road Present Confident 1845 CE 1854 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Trading Emporia Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1844 CE
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Trading Emporia Present Confident 1845 CE 1854 CE
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Special Purpose Site Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1844 CE
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Special Purpose Site Present Confident 1845 CE 1854 CE
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Information / Writing System Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Written Record Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1499 CE
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Written Record Present Confident 1500 CE 1897 CE
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Script Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1499 CE
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Script Present Confident 1500 CE 1897 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Sacred Text Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1530 CE
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Sacred Text Present Confident 1531 CE 1897 CE
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Religious Literature Unknown Suspected 1390 CE 1530 CE
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Religious Literature Present Inferred 1531 CE 1897 CE
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Information / Money Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Foreign Coin Present Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Article Present Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Information / Postal System Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Information / Measurement System Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Weight Measurement System Present Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Volume Measurement System Present Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Length Measurement System Present Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Area Measurement System Present Inferred 1390 CE  1897 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Military use of Metals Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Projectiles Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Handheld weapons Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Animals used in warfare Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Armor Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Naval technology Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Human Sacrifice Kingdom of Kaffa (et_kaffa_k)
Variable Coded Value Tags Year(s) See More
Crisis Cases
View all Crisis Cases
Instability Data
Power Transitions
View all Power Transitions