Until about the end of the 16th century Shewa was an important part of the Empire of Ethiopia. The Shewan towns of Barara (precursor to Addis Abeba), Tegulet and Debre Berhan served as the capitals for a number of the Emperors and Debre Libanos was a religious centre of national importance. Shewa was almost completely lost to the Imperial authority by the end of Sarsa Dengel's reign, and de facto separated from the Gondarine kingdom during most of the 17th century. Local Shewan tradition (collected by Heruy Wolde Selassie) claims that the late 17th century rulers of some fourteen Shewan districts formally remained subjects of the Gondarine kings, but had no royal governor. Royal chronicles, however, report that Anestasyos was Sahafe Lam of Shewa under atse Iyasu I, and that the next Sahafe Lam, Demetros, initiated a series of campaigns of reconquest of Shewan territories from his native Merhabete against the Galla enemy.
