The Ethiopian Empire was an East African empire which existed from 1270 to 1975, with Addis Ababa serving as its capital. It succeeded the Zagwe dynasty, with Queen Habesha establishing the Amharic "Ethiopian Empire". The rulers of Ethiopia claimed descent from King Solomon, but the rulers adhered to Miaphysite Christianity. The Ethiopians fought off Italians, Arabs, and Turks for most of their history, and allied with Portugal against the latter two in the 1500s. Ethiopia was occupied by Italy after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in the 1930s, but Emperor Haile Selassie returned to power during World War II with help from the United Kingdom. In 1975, the empire was overthrown in a communist revolution, resulting in the establishment of the Derg regime.
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