Zacharias I of Makuria
Encyclopedia
Zacharias I was a ruler of the Nubia
n 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 word of God and the salvation of his soul" and appointed as king "a kinsman of his named Simon
". When Simon died, Zacharias then appointed Abraham
to replace him, and later deposed Abraham and replaced him with Markos
.
Severus does not mention Zacharias in his account of how Kyriakos
became king, so Zacharias may have died before that occasion.
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...
, Zacharias was the son of his predecessor, Merkurios
Merkurios of Makuria
Merkurios was ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria. Authorities believe that during his reign Makuria absorbed the Nubian kingdom of Nobatia....
.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 word of God and the salvation of his soul" and appointed as king "a kinsman of his named Simon
Simon of Makuria
Simon was ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria.According to Severus of El Ashmunein, Zacharias declined the kingship when his father Merkurios died, and appointed his kinsman Simon to server instead, so he could devote himself to a religious calling.1 After an unspecified period of time Simon...
". When Simon died, Zacharias then appointed 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...
to replace him, and later deposed Abraham and replaced him with Markos
Markos of Makuria
Markos was ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria. According to Severus of El Ashmunein, Markos ruled for only six months.1Markos 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...
.
Severus does not mention Zacharias in his account of how Kyriakos
Kyriakos of Makuria
Kyriakos or Cyriacus was a ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria. While some authorities place his reign between Merkurios and Zacharias I, according to Severus of El Ashmunein, Kyriakos succeeded Markos....
became king, so Zacharias may have died before that occasion.