ABSTRACT
Immediately after Zara Yaeqob's death, the nobility abolished or eroded the remnants of his reforms. Moreover, the clash with the feudal administrative-military system led rather to a decline of the power and prestige of the monarchy. Fearing the rise of another strong monarch, who would again attempt to eliminate their privileges, the feudal nobility consolidated its position vis-à-vis that of the king and until the rise of Ahmad Gran in the sixteenth century contrived to select only relatively weak or young monarchs, who were dominated by their regents. Consequently, the struggle for power among the chief nobles and courtiers was also intensified. All this undoubtedly further undermined the power of the kingdom and helped to prepare the ground for the great victory of the coastal Muslims led by Gran.
