Zewditu (also spelled Zawditu or Zauditu; Ge'ez ዘውዲቱ; April 29, 1876 - April 2, 1930) was Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930. The first woman head of an internationally-recognized state in Africa in the 1800s and 1900s, she was noted for opposing the reforms of Tafari Makonnen (later Emperor Haile Selassie) and for her strong religious devotion. Early life Baptised as Askala Maryam ("Askal of Mary," a type of flower), the future Zewditu was the eldest daughter of the… (More on Zewditu)