Nathan Levy relates some results of his recent university research
Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1975, is probably one of the most curious characters of 20th-century history.
Most people recognise that he greatly influenced the course of Ethiopian and wider African history, but to some 1 million people he is the Lord incarnate. Contrarily, and above all things, however, this was a national figurehead of immense faith, who would have rejected – and did reject – any such notion that he was the Messiah.