The Solomonid dynasty is the traditional royal house of Ethiopia, claming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is said to have given birth to the traditional first king Menelik I after her Biblically-described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem. The identification of Ethiopia with Biblical Sheba, and particularly the traditional accounts of the dynasty's founding are not universally acknowledged.
The dynasty, a bastion of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, came to rule Ethiopia in 1270 when Yekuno Amlak overthrew the last ruler of the Zagwe Dynasty. It continued to rule Ethiopia until 1974, when the last emperor, Haile Selassie, was deposed. The royal family is currently in exile but still claims authority.