Taytu Betul

Taytu Betul was empress of Ethiopia and wife of Menelik II. She was politically influential at court and is remembered for her role in resisting Italian expansion, including the crisis that culminated at Adwa.

Taytu Betul also held the offices or ranks of Emperor of Ethiopia. Taytu Betul belonged to the House of Solomon. Taytu Betul was born in Semien Province and died in Addis Ababa.

Wilbur Smith’s King of Kings places Empress Taytu Betul within Menelik II’s Ethiopian court as foreign interests, mining ambitions and the growing confrontation with Italy converge around Addis Ababa. Her presence anchors the fictional Courtney and Ballantyne story in the politics of an imperial couple whose resistance to Italian expansion culminates in the struggle to preserve Ethiopian independence.