Ras Mengesha Yohannes

Ras Mengesha Yohannes
Ras Mengesha Yohannes.

Mengesha Yohannes (Amharic: መንገሻ ዮሐንነስ; 1868 – 1906) was the "natural" son of Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia, Ras of Tigray, and, as a claimant of the Imperial throne, is often given the title of Leul. Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes was his older half brother.

Contents

Biography

Prior to the Battle of Metemma, Mengesha Yohannes was considered to be a nephew of Emperor Yohannes IV. During the battle, the Emperor was mortally wounded and it was on his deathbed that Mengesha Yohannes was acknowledged as his "natural" son and designated as his heir. This created something of a succession problem.[1]

Fighting between various relatives of the slain Emperor split his camp and prevented Mengesha from making a viable bid for the Imperial throne. Instead, the throne was assumed by King Menelik of Shewa. Ras Mengesha refused to submit to Menelik and later even flirted with joining the new Italian colony of Eritrea. He hoped that the Italians would support his rebellion against Emperor Menelik. However, encroachments by the Italians into his native Tigray, their previous enmity to his father Yohannes, and recognition that the ultimate goal of the Italians was to conquer Ethiopia themselves, led Mengesha Yohannes to finally submit to Menelik II. On 2 June 1894, he and his three major lieutenants went to the new capital at Addis Ababa. Within the newly constructed reception hall of the Grand Palace, the Emperor awaited them. He was seated on his throne with a large crown on his head. Mengesha Yohannes and his lieutenants each carried a rock of submission on his shoulder. They approached, prostrated themselves, and asked for forgiveness. Menelik simply declared them pardoned.[2]

In 1896, Mengesha Yohannes and the forces of Tigray were to fight at the side of Menelik against the Italians at the Battle of Adowa.

In 1899, Mengesha Yohannes rebelled again against Menelik when he was denied the title of Negus of Zion (his descendants would be outraged decades later when Ras Mikael of Wollo was crowned with this title by Lij Iyasu). Emperor Menelik had Ras Mengesha captured and put under house arrest at the old Shewan royal palace at Ankober.

Ras Mengesha was married to Lady (Woizero) Kefey Welle, the niece of Empress Taytu Betul. Taytu Betul was the wife of Menelik.

Familial rivalry and division of Tigray

Even after the submission of Mengesha Yohannes, familial rivalry between the two lines of descent from Emperor Yohannes IV proved to be a difficult issue for Emperor Menelik II and his successors. Yohannes IV was survived by his elder "legitimate" son Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes and by his younger "natural" son Mengesha. Ras Araya's son Gugsa Araya, and Ras Mengesha's son Ras Seyoum would for a time divide Tigray between them, with Ras Gugsa Araya ruling the eastern half and Ras Seyoum the western half.

Eventually Mengesha's son Ras Seyoum was made Leul of all Tigray in succession to his father after the death of his cousin Ras Gugsa Araya and after the treason of Gugsa Araya's son, Dejazmatch Haile Selassie Gugsa. In 1935, Haile Selassie Gugsa joined forces with the Italian invaders when they conquered Ethiopia and occupied the country.

Ras Mengesha is regarded as the founder of one of the two senior cadet branches of the Ethiopian Imperial Solomonic Dynasty.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Marcus, A History of Ethiopia, pg.89
  2. ^ Marcus, A History of Ethiopia, pg.95

Sources

  • Marcus, Harold G. (1994). A History of Ethiopia. London: University of California Press. pp. 316. ISBN 0-520-22479-5. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mengesha Yohannes — ራስ መንገሻ ዮሐንስ Ras Mengesha Yohannes Ras Mengesha vers 1894 Nom de naissance Mengesha Yohannes Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yohannes IV — Yohannès IV d Éthiopie Pour les articles homonymes, voir Yohannès. ዮሐንስ አራተኛ Yohannes IV …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yohannes IV d'Ethiopie — Yohannès IV d Éthiopie Pour les articles homonymes, voir Yohannès. ዮሐንስ አራተኛ Yohannes IV …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yohannès IV — d Éthiopie Pour les articles homonymes, voir Yohannès. ዮሐንስ አራተኛ Yohannes IV …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yohannès IV d'Éthiopie — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Yohannès. ዮሐንስ አራተኛ Yohannes IV …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ras Makonnen — Ras Mäkonnen Wäldä Mika él, KCMG (May 8, 1852 ndash;March 21, 1906) was a general and the governor of Harar province in Ethiopia, and the father of Tafari Mäkonnen, later known as the Emperor Haile Selassie I. His father was Fitawrari Woldemikael …   Wikipedia

  • Yohannes IV of Ethiopia — Infobox Monarch name =Yohannes (John) IV title =Emperor of Ethiopia caption =Emperor Yohannes IV with his son and heir, Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes reign =1872 01 12 – 1889 08 27 coronation = othertitles =Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah,… …   Wikipedia

  • Yohannes IV d'Éthiopie — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Yohannès. ዮሐንስ አራተኛ Yohannes IV Yohannes IV Negusse Negest d Éthiopie Règne …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mangesha Yohannes — Mengesha Yohannes ራስ መንገሻ ዮሐንስ Ras Mengesha Yohannes Ras Mengesha vers 1894 Nom de naissance Mengesha Yohannes Naissa …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ras Alula — Alula Engida ራስ አሉላ እንግዳ Ras Alula Engida Surnom Abba Nega Naissance Région du Tembien (Tigray), Abyssinie Décès 1897 (à 60 ans …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”