Editing Haile Selassie (section)

== Personal life ==

=== Visual, performing, and literary arts ===

{{Further|Ethiopian art}}

In his private life, Selassie advocated the growth of Ethiopian art. He believed that arts could 'rebuild' the country. He was interested in a modern outlook towards traditional Ethiopian arts, including those of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He addressed [[Afewerk Tekle]], an Ethiopian laureate, when he left for Europe to gain skills to improve Ethiopian art. Later, Tekle created multiple artworks putting Ethiopian life on display.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite book|title=Oxford Reference|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|isbn=9780195382075|language=en|chapter=Afewerk, Tekle|chapter-url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195382075.001.0001/acref-9780195382075-e-0072?rskey=tT9iJU&result=69}}</ref> Selassie created an art program which enrolled multiple artists, including [[Agegnehu Engida]]. He gave a scholarship to [[Ale Felege Selam]]. Selassie travelled regularly to Bishoftu to see displays of paintings by Ethiopian artists such as [[Lemma Guya]]. Selassie was impressed by Guya's paintings of Ethiopian military aircraft. Guya later joined the Airforce but continued to paint with Selassie's support.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Lemma Guya {{!}} Jimma University Official Website|url=https://www.ju.edu.et/?q=lemma-guya|access-date=28 October 2020|website=ju.edu.et|archive-date=31 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531200108/https://ju.edu.et/?q=lemma-guya|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite journal|last1=Wondimu|first1=Elias|last2=Cortez|first2=Mayra|last3=Lawrence|first3=Simone|date=2016|title=Ale Felege Selam (1924–2016)|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26554858|journal=International Journal of Ethiopian Studies|volume=10|issue=1 & 2|pages=163–164|jstor=26554858|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=20 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120054308/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26554858|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite journal|last1=Nagy|first1=Rebecca Martin|date=2007|title=Continuity and Change: Three Generations of Ethiopian Artists|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20447829|journal=African Arts|volume=40|issue=2|pages=70–85|doi=10.1162/afar.2007.40.2.70|jstor=20447829|s2cid=57562278|archive-date=20 November 2023|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120070331/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20447829|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Abebe Bikila - Star of Ethiopia.jpg|thumb|230x230px|Awarding [[Abebe Bikila]] the [[Order of the Star of Ethiopia]], 1960, [[1960 Summer Olympics|after winning the Olympic Gold Medal]] ]]
Selassie commissioned the opening of Ethiopia's first [[Hager Fikir Theatre|Hager Fikir Theater House]] in 1935 and the [[Ethiopian National Theatre|National Theatre in Addis Ababa]] in 1955.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sira|first=Zerihun|date=6 July 2019|title=Ethiopian Theater: A Brief Introduction|url=https://thetheatretimes.com/ethiopian-theater-a-brief-introduction/|work=The Theater Times}}</ref>

Selassie wrote an autobiography, "[[My Life and Ethiopia's Progress]]", covering his years as ruler. He began the first volume while in exile during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. He allegedly wrote the second volume towards the end of the war, though it is widely believed that officials assembled the materials and constructed the book.<ref>Strang, G. Bruce (2013), "Select Biography", in Strang, G. Bruce (ed.), ''Collision of Empires: Italy's Invasion of Ethiopia and its International Impact'', Abingdon, UK: [[Routledge]], pp. 341–374, {{ISBN|978-1-4094-3009-4}}.</ref><ref>An English translation of Vol. 1 by [[Edward Ullendorff]] was published in 1976, {{ISBN|0-19-713589-7}}.</ref><ref>[https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/reviews/32703/mcclellan-marcus-my-life-and-ethiopias-progress-haile-sellassie-i-king Review by Charles W. McClellan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601192138/https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/reviews/32703/mcclellan-marcus-my-life-and-ethiopias-progress-haile-sellassie-i-king |date=1 June 2024 }} of "My Life and Ethiopia's Progress: Haile Sellassie I, King of Ethiopia". H-Africa, H-Net Reviews. September 1995. Retrieved 28 February 2015</ref>

=== Sports ===

{{Further|Sport in Ethiopia}}

During his reign, Selassie expanded international Ethiopian sports, including the [[Ethiopian Football Federation]] and [[Ethiopia men's national basketball team|Ethiopian national basketball team]]. He awarded Ethiopia the [[AFCON]] award when it won its first title.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kushkush|first=Isma'il|date=15 January 2021|title=Afcon 2021: Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and the origins of the Nations Cup|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/59953105|publisher=BBC News|archive-date=29 December 2023|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229115844/https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/59953105|url-status=live}}</ref> He supported Ethiopia in the 1960 Olympics and gave Olympian [[Abebe Bikila]] with multiple national awards such as the [[Order of the Star of Ethiopia|Star of Ethiopia]] and the [[Order of Menelik II]]. He supported other Ethiopian athletes, such as [[Mamo Wolde]], by writing personal letters to them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Abebe Bikila|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abebe-Bikila|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|date=2 June 2024|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=15 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415123820/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abebe-Bikila|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Theodore|date=4 April 1965|title=Ethiopia Marathon Star Here for Fair|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E00E1D7153CE733A25756C1A9629C946491D6CF|url-access=subscription|access-date=26 January 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
[[File:Haile Selassie I with Orthodox Church Bishop.jpg|left|thumb|186x186px|With [[Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church|Pope]] [[Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria|Cyril VI]] of [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Alexandria]]]]
Selassie was an adherent of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]]. He was raised following Ethiopia's traditional Christian background. He was born Tafari Makonnen; after his coronation, he adopted his baptismal name as his official and legal name. He participated in the 1966 [[Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization#Berlin Congress on World Evangelism|Berlin Congress for World Evangelism]] organised by evangelist [[Billy Graham]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=10 October 2017|title=The World Congress on Evangelism 1966 in Berlin: US Evangelicalism, Cultural Dominance, and Global Challenges|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/abs/world-congress-on-evangelism-1966-in-berlin-us-evangelicalism-cultural-dominance-and-global-challenges/25673BDCEA9B8C12634F1B1B3DDA5909|journal=[[Journal of American Studies]]|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|volume=51|issue=4|pages=1171–1196|doi=10.1017/S0021875816001432|last1=Balbier|first1=UTA A.|archive-date=7 August 2024|access-date=7 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807070927/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/abs/world-congress-on-evangelism-1966-in-berlin-us-evangelicalism-cultural-dominance-and-global-challenges/25673BDCEA9B8C12634F1B1B3DDA5909|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=28 October 1966|title=Thirty Years Later: Haile Selassie in Berlin|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1966/october-28/thirty-years-later-haile-selassie-in-berlin.html|work=[[Christianity Today]]|archive-date=7 August 2024|access-date=7 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807070927/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1966/october-28/thirty-years-later-haile-selassie-in-berlin.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Infobox saint|name=Haile Selassie I|image=File:Haile Selassie Portrait.jpg|imagesize=100px|titles=[[Emperor of Ethiopia|Emperor]]|venerated_in={{plainlist|
[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I 1918–1967|date=2000|publisher=One Drop Books|location=New York|isbn=1-890358-01-0|pages=639–641}}</ref>}}
* [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
* [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]]
* [[Coptic Orthodox Church]]
* [[Indian Orthodox Church]]
* [[Syriac Orthodox Church]]|honorific_prefix=[[Defender of the Faith]]|resting_place=[[Addis Ababa]]
}}He tried to unify the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox community]] extending into [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Egypt]], [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenia]], and [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syria]]. Despite this, he did not try to stop the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] from having its own Patriarch when it was granted [[autocephaly]] by the Egyptian [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Church]]. He adhered to the intracontinental and overseas relations between the Orthodox churches, and believed that it would be reasonable to try to move unification forward.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 July 2014|title=Addis Ababa Conference Portal powered by OCP inaugurated at all UAE National Ethiopian Youth Conference: Ethiopian Orthodox Prelates Honored by OCP Society|url=http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2014/06/addis-ababa-conference-portal-powered-by-ocp-inaugurated-at-all-uae-national-ethiopian-youth-conference-ethiopian-orthodox-prelates-honored-by-ocp-society/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903083409/http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2014/06/addis-ababa-conference-portal-powered-by-ocp-inaugurated-at-all-uae-national-ethiopian-youth-conference-ethiopian-orthodox-prelates-honored-by-ocp-society/|archive-date=3 September 2014|website=theorthodoxchurch.info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/AddisAbabaConfReport|title=The Oriental Orthodox Churches: Addis Ababa Conference 1965|publisher=Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|year=1965}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Paulau|first1=Stanislau|url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/54656/9789004505254.pdf|title=Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity in a Global Context: Entanglements and Disconnections|last2=Tamcke|first2=Martin|date=2022|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-50434-9|series=Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity|location=Leiden, Netherlands}}</ref>
He maintained a good relationship with [[Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria]], Patriarch of the Coptic Church in Egypt. Pope Cyril was awarded the Star of Solomon by Selassie for his role in nominating [[Abuna Basilios]] as the first Ethiopian Patriarch of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Tewahedo Church]]. Christianity played an official role in the [[1955 Constitution of Ethiopia|Constitutional Monarchy]], but to a limited degree compared to his predecessors. Under Selassie's reign in 1942, [[Sharia#Court procedures|Islamic courts]] were allowed to have judicial power concerning Muslim matters. He also recognized concerns from the Muslim community and gave audiences to its respective leaders.<ref name=":05">{{Cite web|last=Abdo|first=Mohammed|title=Legal Pluralism Vs. Human Rights Issues: Sharia Courts and Human Rights Concerns in the Light of the Federal /constitution of Ethiopia|url=https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/3160168/file/5874552.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Religion of Ethiopia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopia/Settlement-patterns|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>

=== Family ===

{{Further|Crown Council of Ethiopia}}[[File:Ethiopian_Royal_Family.jpg|thumb|225x225px|His son [[Amha Selassie|Prince Asfaw Wossen]] and other members of the Royal Family of Ethiopia]]

Selassie, being the head of the Royal Family, legally had precedent over all matters within his household. He contrasted with the [[Solomonic dynasty]] and gave more political powers, dukedoms, and government offices to members of his immediate family, including his grandson [[Iskinder Desta|Rear Admiral Iskinder Desta]]. An individual source according to Paulos Milkias, a professor at Montreal, Canada, claimed that Desta threatened his grandfather with death at gunpoint unless he changed the successional line (although this was never definitively confirmed). Selassie only wanted to give him an apolitical position as a commissioned officer in the Ethiopian military, and Iskinder was made deputy commander of the [[Imperial Ethiopian Navy]] in 1958.<ref name="Paulos">{{cite book|last1=Milkias|first1=Paulos|title=Haile Selassie, Western Education, and Political Revolution in Ethiopia|date=2006|publisher=Cambria Press|isbn=1-934043-20-6}}</ref><ref name="HD">{{cite book|last1=Shinn|first1=David H.|title=Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia|last2=Ofcansky|first2=Thomas P.|date=2004|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=0-8108-4910-0|chapter=Iskander Desta (1934–1974)}}</ref>

In 1963, [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] is said to have helped Haile Selassie to put his grandson in the elite [[Gordonstoun|Gordonstoun school]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Marc|first=Horne|date=30 December 2023|title=Prince Philip 'pulled strings' to get Haile Selassie's grandson into Gordonstoun|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/prince-philip-pulled-strings-to-get-haile-selassies-grandson-into-gordonstoun-3vnp0d37x|work=[[The Sunday Times]]}}</ref> Selassie was able to put his other grandchildren into top schools throughout the U.S. and Europe, such as [[Columbia University]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 October 1963|title=Return Visit, The Visit of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I to the United States, 1 October 1963|url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/usg-01-s|website=[[National Archives and Records Administration]]}}</ref>