Understanding Fifteenth Century Ethiopia from the Unusual Perspective of Eleni

by Derek Dwight Anderson

This volume in a series of world history case studies reveals the life of an Ethiopian woman who personifies a time and place same way that Catherine de Medici does for sixteenth century France and Cixi does for nineteenth century China. Eleni served as regent three times in forty years in the fifteenth century, continually guiding her nation towards European alliances to help her resist Muslim expansion in the Horn of Africa. Eleni’s steadfast rule and vision helped her to overcome fractious court, a divided Orthodox Church, and fraught diplomatic challenges. Her life also helps us to understand an often-overlooked region of the world in a new way.

This book is a volume in the Understanding World History Through Biography series.

35 pages, Paperback

Published December 5, 2022

About the author

Derek Dwight Anderson is an independent high school history teacher and librarian with almost 40 years of teaching experience. He is also a dedicated world traveler who loves museums, large and small. Improbable Voices is Anderson's first book and represents the cumulative integration of his professional and personal interests.

Anderson holds a B.A. from Bates College and a Master of Library and Information Science from San José State University. He also studied at the University of Edinburgh. A senior full time faculty member at Marin Academy in San Rafael, California, Anderson lives with his partner in Sausalito. He is currently teaching an interdisciplinary world history course that integrates history, art history, and studio art.