Kingdom of Aksum

====Gudit's invasion====
{{main|Gudit}}
[[File:ET Axum asv2018-01 img45 Dungur.jpg|alt=Aksum Dongur Palace in Aksum|thumb|Ruins of [[Dungur]] (also known as Queen of Sheba's Palace) in Aksum, Tigray Region, Ethiopia]]
[[File:AXUM. Ezanas. Circa 330-360.jpg|thumb|upright|Coins of King [[Ezana]], 330–360 AD. ]]
Local history holds that, around 960, a Jewish Queen named Yodit (Judith) or "[[Gudit]]" defeated the empire and burned its churches and literature. While there is evidence of churches being burned and an invasion around this time, her existence has been questioned by some western authors. [[Gudit]] sacked Aksum by destroying churches and buildings, persecuted Christians and committed Christian [[iconoclasm]]. Her origin has been debated among scholars. Some argued that she had a [[Jewish]] ethnicity or was from a southern region. According to one traditional account, she reigned for forty years and her [[dynasty]] lasted until 1137 AD, when it was overthrown by [[Mara Takla Haymanot]], resulting in the inception of the [[Agaw people|Agaw]]-led [[Zagwe dynasty]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Henze |first=Paul B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzwoedwOkQMC&pg=PA49 |title=Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia |date=2000 |publisher=Hurst & Company |isbn=978-1-85065-393-6 |language=en}}</ref>

According to an oral tradition, Gudit rose to power after she killed the [[Beta Israel]] king and then reigned for 40 years. She brought her Jewish army from [[Semien Mountains]] and [[Lake Tana]] to orchestrate the pillage against Aksum and its countryside. She was determined to destroy all members of the Aksumite dynasty, palaces, churches and monuments in [[Tigray Province|Tigray]]. Her notorious deeds are still recounted by peasants inhabiting northern Ethiopia. Large ruins, standing stones and stelae are found in the area.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Childress |first=David Hatcher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4pXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT207 |title=Ark of God: The Incredible Power of the Ark of the Covenant |date=2015-10-27 |publisher=SCB Distributors |isbn=978-1-939149-60-2 |language=en}}</ref> Gudit also killed the last emperor of Aksum, possibly [[Dil Na'od]], while other accounts say Dil Na'od went into exile in [[Shewa]], protected by Christians. He begged assistance from a [[African Greeks#Ancient Nubia|Nubian Greek]] ruler, King [[Moses Georgios of Makuria|Moses Georgios]], but remained unanswered.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jewel |first=Lady |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vx_N_bEKNj8C&pg=PA246 |title=Keeper of the Ark (a Moses Trilogy): For the Love of Moses, for the Children of Moses, for the Children of God |date=August 2012 |publisher=WestBow Press |isbn=978-1-4497-5061-9 |language=en}}</ref> She was said to have been succeeded by Dagna-Jan, whose throne name was Anbasa Wudem.<ref name=":0" /> Her reign was marked by the displacement of the Aksumite population into the south. According to one Ethiopian traditional account, she reigned for forty years and her dynasty was eventually overthrown by [[Mara Takla Haymanot|Mara Tekla Haymanot]] in 1137 AD, who ushered in the formation of the [[Zagwe dynasty]] by bearing children with a descendant of the last Aksumite emperor, Dil Na'od.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mekonnen |first=Yohannes K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q0pZPp032c0C&pg=PA288 |title=Ethiopia: The Land, Its People, History and Culture |date=April 2013 |publisher=New Africa Press |isbn=978-9987-16-024-2 |language=en}}</ref>

It is clear from contemporary sources that a female usurper did indeed rule the country at this time, and that her reign ended some time before 1003. After a short Dark Age, the Aksumite Empire was succeeded by the [[Zagwe dynasty]] in the 11th or 12th century (most likely around 1137), although limited in size and scope. However, [[Yekuno Amlak]], who killed the last Zagwe king and founded the modern [[Solomonic dynasty]] around 1270 traced his ancestry and his right to rule from the last emperor of Aksum, [[Dil Na'od]]. It should be mentioned that the end of the Aksumite Empire didn't mean the end of Aksumite culture and traditions; for example, the architecture of the Zagwe dynasty at [[Lalibela]] and [[Yemrehana Krestos Church]] shows heavy Aksumite influence.<ref name="Munro-Hay57" />