Theodore II

Theodore II, emperor of Ethiopia

Theodore II, emperor of Ethiopia: see Tewodros II.

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Theodore II, Byzantine emperor of Nicaea

Theodore II (Theodore Lascaris), 1222–58, Byzantine emperor of Nicaea (1254–58), son and successor of John III. He fought the Bulgarians and temporarily regained parts of Thrace. He made Nicaea a cultural center. His son, John IV, succeeded him.

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Tewodros II

 or Theodore II

(born c. 1818—died April 13, 1868, Magela, Eth.) Emperor of Ethiopia (1855–68). Often called Ethiopia's first modern ruler, he came to the throne through the conquest of other chiefs. He reunified the various Ethiopian kingdoms into one empire, attempted to focus loyalty around the government rather than the Ethiopian church, and worked to abolish the feudal system. Though he failed in his aims, his example was followed by his successors. His reign ended when a British force under Robert Napier attacked in response to the imprisonment of several British citizens.

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Theodore II 

(Tewodros II; known as Kassa before his accession to the throne). Born 1818 in Kwara; died Apr. 13, 1868, in the fortress of Magdala. Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855.

Theodore was the son of a minor feudal lord in Kwara. As emperor, he tried to transform Ethiopia into a strong centralized state by introducing a series of reforms to concentrate political power in the hands of the sovereign. Theodore took personal control of all state revenue, created a unified army, and prohibited the slave trade. His reforms met with stubborn opposition from the most powerful feudal lords and from Great Britain, whose plans of colonial expansion were hindered by the emergence of a strong Ethiopia. With the support of the feudal lords, Britain started the Anglo-Ethiopian War of 1867–68. When the British took the fortress of Magdala, Theodore committed suicide to avoid capture.