Haile Selassie I


Hai·le Se·las·sie I

H0013000 (hī′lē sə-lăs′ē, -lä′sē) Title of Ras Tafari Makonnen. 1892-1975. Emperor of Ethiopia (1930-1974). After the Italian invasion of his country (1936), he fled to England, returned to Ethiopia with Allied troops (1941), and held the throne until deposed in a military coup (1974). He is regarded as a divine figure by the Rastafarians.

Hai•le Se•las•sie I

(ˈhaɪ li səˈlæs i, -ˈlɑ si)
n. (Ras Tafari), 1891–1975, emperor of Ethiopia 1930–74: in exile 1936–41.