Markos of Makuria
Encyclopedia
Markos was ruler of the Nubia
n kingdom of Makuria
. According to Severus of El Ashmunein
, Markos ruled for only six months.1
Markos was made king by the former king Zacharias
after he had deposed Abraham
and exiled him to an island in the middle of the Nile
. According to Severus, this was not sufficient for "the friends of Mark", who decided to "secretly with guile, to slay Abraham in his place of exile. But, when the partisans of king Abraham learnt this, they conspired against king Mark; and, while he was praying in the church before the sanctuary, they slew him".
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
n kingdom of Makuria
Makuria
The Kingdom of Makuria was a kingdom located in what is today Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt. It was one of a group of Nubian kingdoms that emerged during the decline of the Aksumite Empire, which it had been part of from approximately 4BC to AD 950...
. According to Severus of El Ashmunein
Severus Ibn al-Muqaffa
Severus ibn al-Muqaffaʿ or Severus of El Ashmunein was a Coptic Bishop, author and historian. In Arabic, his name is spelled Sawires ساويرس. Severus is sometimes confused with Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa.He was bishop of Hermopolis Magna , in Upper Egypt, around the end of the tenth century...
, Markos ruled for only six months.1
Markos was made king by the former king Zacharias
Zacharias I of Makuria
Zacharias I was a ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria.According to Severus of El Ashmunein, Zacharias was the son of his predecessor, Merkurios.1 Severus gives the impression that his reign was brief, for he states that "Zacharias did not choose to become king, but occupied himself with the...
after he had deposed Abraham
Abraham of Makuria
Abraham was ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria.According to Severus of El Ashmunein, upon the death of king Simon, Zacharias the son of king Merkurios then appointed Abraham, "a valiant youth attached to the palace" to succeed Simon.1 However, Abraham proved to be an unsatisfactory ruler, and...
and exiled him to an island in the middle of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
. According to Severus, this was not sufficient for "the friends of Mark", who decided to "secretly with guile, to slay Abraham in his place of exile. But, when the partisans of king Abraham learnt this, they conspired against king Mark; and, while he was praying in the church before the sanctuary, they slew him".