| List of Illustrations | |
| Introduction | |
| Pt. 1 | The Middle Ages | |
| I | Children | 3 |
| II | The Peasantry | 6 |
| III | The Soldiers | 13 |
| IV | The Nobility | 18 |
| V | Monarchs | 23 |
| VI | The Clergy and Religious Customs | 29 |
| VII | The Traders | 49 |
| VIII | Handicraft Workers | 58 |
| IX | Slaves | 64 |
| X | Women | 67 |
| Pt. 2 | The Gondar Period | |
| Introduction | 75 |
| I | The Peasantry | 77 |
| II | The Soldiers | 80 |
| III | The Nobility | 86 |
| IV | The Monarch | 89 |
| V | The Clergy | 93 |
| VI | The Traders | 100 |
| VII | Craftsmen | 105 |
| VIII | Slaves | 111 |
| IX | Women | 114 |
| Pt. 3 | The Early Nineteenth Century | |
| I | Children, Education and Literacy | 121 |
| II | The Peasants | 133 |
| III | The Soldiers | 148 |
| IV | The Nobility | 162 |
| V | Provincial Rulers | 169 |
| VI | The Clergy, The Church, and Religious Life | 178 |
| VII | The Traders | 207 |
| VIII | Handicraft Workers | 222 |
| IX | Slaves and Servants | 241 |
| X | Women and Gender Relations | 248 |
| Pt. 4 | Social Change and Attempted Reform | |
| I | Changing Features of Social Life | 273 |
| II | Attempted Reforms of Emperor Tewodros II | 317 |
| Bibliography | 333 |
| Index | 353 |