Tigray was a province of Ethiopia. The Tigray Region superseded the province in 1995. By the time of its demise, Tigray had absorbed a number of its neighboring provinces, including Semien, Tembien, Agame and Endarta.

History

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Proto-Tigrayans (and Proto-Amharas were the main ethnicity of kingdom of Axum in the first millennium CE. Their language, in form of Ge'ez, remained the language of later Ethiopian imperial court as well as the Ethiopian Church.

From earliest times, a position called Bahr negus had overlordship of much of the Eritrean coast and of Tigrayans, also of highlanders. Another position, Tigray Mekonnen, became important in Eritrean and Tigrayan highlands and ultimately gained the overlordship earlier held by Bahr negus. At the time those positions existed simultaneously, their frontier seems to have been the Mareb River. Before the 19th century, both titles had sunken to practically nominal, and the lord who in his turn dominated the region, used (and received from Emperor) the title of either Ras or Dejazmach. Princes of Tigray alternated with others, chiefly those of Begemder or Yejju, as warlords to rule in reality the Ethiopian monarchy during the era of the princes.

In the mid-1800's, the lords of Tembien managed to create an overlordship of Tigray to their dynasty. One of its members, Dejazmach Kassai Mercha, ascended the imperial throne in 1872 under the name Yohannes IV. Following his death in the Battle of Metemma, the Ethiopian throne came under control of the king of Shewa, and the center of power was shifted south and away from Tigray.

Provinces of Ethiopia