Tatadim was negus

Negus

Negus is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature...

of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty

Zagwe dynasty

The Zagwe dynasty was an historical kingdom in present-day Ethiopia. It ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 1137 to 1270, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the forces of Yekuno Amlak...

. His name appears in second place in the long lists of the Zagwe kings. Taddesse Tamrat states that he was the oldest known son of Mara Takla Haymanot

Mara Takla Haymanot

Mara Takla Haymanot was Nəgusä nägäst of Ethiopia, and the founder of the Zagwe dynasty. Some King Lists give his name simply as "Mararah", and other King Lists as "Takla Haymanot"....

.

According to the Gadla Yemrehana Krestos, Tatadim made efforts to secure the succession of kingship for his sons, taking actions against his brothers Jan Seyum

Jan Seyum

Jan Seyum was negus of Ethiopia, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty. Taddesse Tamrat states that he was a son of Mara Takla Haymanot, a younger brother of king Tatadim, and the father of Yemrehana Krestos.1 His name does not appear in the longer king lists....

 and Germa Seyum

Germa Seyum

Germa Seyum was negus of Ethiopia, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty. Taddesse Tamrat states that he was a son of Mara Takla Haymanot, the younger brother of king Tatadim, and the father of Kedus Harbe and Gebre Mesqel Lalibela. His name does not appear in the longer king lists.- References :...

. The Agaw law of inheritance

Inheritance

Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...

 dictated that his brothers should be his successors

Hereditary monarchy

A hereditary monarchy is the most common type of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies.Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family...

, a problem that plagued the Zagwe kings.