Modern Ethiopian Monarchs Part Five

Lij Eyasu's repeated mission was conciliation between the state and Ethiopia's Muslims. He spent much time in the Muslim areas of the Empire meeting with their elders and nobles, addressing their concerns and winning affection. He ate with them, dressed like them, and visited their mosques and homes. To the modern eye, such action would likely appear to be an admirable effort to address the wrongs committed against a large group of Ethiopians, thereby making them feel a part of the larger Ethiopian family. However, Lij Eyasu coupled this with some behavior that simply was not acceptable with the Christian monarchs of the Ethiopian Empire. Blatta Tekle Hawariat, a Russian-educated noble and progressive who was initially very sympathetic to Eyasu, states in his unpublished autobiography that, in conversation with him, Lij Eyasu said that Christianity was "too difficult" a religion and that he preferred Islam or Atheism. The Blatta was shocked speechless by this statement. He also wrote that Lij Eyasu, during a visit to Dire Dawa, entered a Roman Catholic Church to attend Mass (itself an act that would outrage most of his nobles and the Orthodox Church hierarchy), but he then proceeded to horrify the Catholic clergy and faithful by lighting a cigarette and smoking it during the Mass. Ras Imiru Haile Selassie, in his unpublished autobiography, states that he and Lij Eyasu argued ferociously over the issue of Lij Eyasu's disdain for the Orthodox faith itself and his conduct. Lij Eyasu spent much of his time in Harrar and Dire Dawa meeting with undesirable elements and consuming large quantities of the locally-grown narcotic Khat. He made unannounced visits to French Somaliland and spent much time with the Muslim notables of Tadjura and Djibouti. During one visit, while consuming Khat, he completely emptied the funds of the Ethiopian legation there in order to indulge in his habits. His frequenting of Muslim homes and places of worship, his many wives and concubines, and his actions at the Turkish Embassy looked as if he was returning to his father's old roots and was converting to Islam. The Entente-allied powers (France, Britain, and Italy) did much to encourage this belief. They obtained pictures of Lij Eyasu in Muslim garb, some of which may have been doctored by them, and had them spread far and wide as evidence that Lij Eyasu was a secret Muslim. However, the evidence provided by the nobles who were close to him simply indicated a general lack of respect for any religious institutions or rules. In many respects, Lij Eyasu was comparable to the late Roman Emperors.

Lij Eyasu dressed in Islamic Harrari garb in the home of a Harrar noble. This picture, unlike some others, is authentic and not the result of European doctoring.

In February of 1915, Lij Eyasu marched north and ordered Ras Yimer, Ras Wolde Giorgis, and Wag Shum Gebre Hiwot to join him with their armies and cross the Mereb river, thereby invading Eritrea. He said the time had come to return Eritrea to her motherland. Not everyone was convinced that this was something that could be done, and there were many on both sides that were eager to avoid a confrontation. The Italians sent as an emissary to Lij Eyasu, the Italian-educated Ethiopian Afework Gebre Yesus, a man who had served the Italian power often and well in the past. Of course, it was Afework Gebre Yesus who had been studying in Rome when Ras Makonnen had arrived in Italy to witness the ratification of the Treaty of Wuchale and had warned him about the Italian interpretation of a protectorate over Ethiopia. Later, however, he had been key in convincing Lij Gugsa Darge to cooperate with the Italians when they invaded Ethiopia with hopes of placing him on the throne. Afework later returned to Ethiopia and had a huge falling out with Empress Taitu over the quality of religious paintings he had ordered for her from Italy, and he left Ethiopia in anger after the Empress cursed him by saying, "May you be crucified". He now approached Lij Eyasu at the behest of the Italians, convincing him that there was no way Eyasu could beat them and that he should instead try to encourage better ties. The crafty Afework Gebre Yesus, knowing Lij Eyasus's weakness, produced a photograph of Princess Jolanda Margherita of Savoy, Princess of Italy (who would later marry Count Carlo Calvi di Bergolo) and urged the Lij Eyasu to enter into marriage ties with the House of Savoy to cement a new friendship with Italy. It was then that the thought of marriage to an Italian princess was born in Eyasu's mind. He proclaimed himself in love with the Princess, raved about her beauty and goodness, and then ordered his troops back to their homes. He next made what he imagined to be subtle inquiries as to the possibility of asking for the hand of the Princess in marriage -- what his long-suffering current wife Seble Wongel thought of all this can only be imagined. His behavior angered his generals and nobles to no end while causing much giggling and laughter in the diplomatic circles in Addis Ababa -- as well as among Italian authorities in Asmara and Rome. Having made a fool of his monarch, Afework Gebre Yesus smugly scoffed at Eyasu's lack of sense and returned to his Italian friends to tell them their colony in Eritrea was safe for the time being, thanks largely to the beauty of Princess Jolanda.

Princess Jolanda of Savoy (later wife of Count Carlo Calvi di Bergolo); this photograph dissuaded Lij Eyasu from attempting to retake Eritrea

All these actions -- Lij Eyasu's repeated insults against the nobles of his grandfather, his irresponsible behavior, his flirtation (real or fabricated) with Islam, his inconsistency, his extended absences from his capital, and his humiliating conduct vis-à-vis the Italians all conspired towards his inevitable downfall. The biggest mistake, however, was in alienating two men. The first was Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis, the man who commanded loyalty in the Army and who had served Menelik II as a loyal and devoted officer. He had been the bulwark who had protected Eyasu from challenges. Now, however, insulted and relegated to a powerless position, he was determined to end the farce that Lij Eyasu's reign had become. The other man that Lij Eyasu should not have alienated was his cousin, Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen, who as the leader of the progressive elements of the nobility, separated Lij Eyasu from the only group that might have been his support.

Dej. Tafari, Lij Iyasu, Ras Beru (ca. 1914)

This picture is interesting in that it depicts Lij Eyasu with two men who he perhaps had reason to fear -- Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen, who had Imperial blood, and Ras Birru Wolde Gabriel, who was often whispered (though never confirmed) to have been the illegitimate son of Emperor Menelik II

In July of 1916, Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen was summoned to Addis Ababa from Harrar by Lij Eyasu, and he arrived promptly and went to the palace for his audience. Upon arriving, he was told Lij Eyasu was not at the Palace. He was told that the prince had gone to Entoto. Lij Eyasu had gone up to Mt. Entoto to pray at St. Mary's Church and pay a courtesy visit on Empress Taitu at the old Palace there. Empress Taitu ordered that the old mesob (elaborate free-standing basketwork table) that had been used by her late husband Emperor Menelik be set for Lij Eyasu's meal. When Lij Eyasu arrived for his visit, he heeded the dire warnings of his co-horts and refused to eat anything provided in the house for fear of poisoning. After a brief conversation, he returned to Addis Ababa, leaving behind a deeply insulted Empress. Almost as soon as he left, Dejazmatch Taffari, who had finally been able to evade the guards placed on him on Lij Eyasu's orders, arrived at Entoto Palace and paid his respects to the Empress. Once hostile to him, the Empress had later been won over by Taffari Makonnen's impeccable manners and his deep respect for her. She warmly urged him to eat the untouched food set out for Lij Eyasu. Dejazmatch Taffari demurred, saying he was surely not worthy of eating from the same mesob that Menelik the Great himself had eaten from. Taitu assured him that he was, and he complied. One might speculate that much was whispered between the two about the plight of the state and what could be done about it. Returning to his house in Addis Ababa, Dejazmatch Taffari was informed that Lij Eyasu had sent him a telegram from Harrar (where he had gone almost immediately after leaving Entoto), informing him that he was removed from the governorship of Harrar and had been made governor of the wealthy gold and coffee-producing province of Kaffa. Lij Eyasu also handed over the extremely-lucrative customs office to his good friend, the Syrian-born merchant Ydbilli, with the title of Bejirond, much to the anger of Taffari and much of the Ethiopian nobility. Dejazmatch Taffari was furious at the deception employed by Lij Eyasu and was angry at being deprived of his birthright. He found himself confined to the capital and unable to go anywhere without an armed escort guarding him under orders of Lij Eyasu; he was told that he would soon be escorted to take up his new post in Kaffa. The oath that he and Lij Eyasu made to support each other, given before the late Regent Ras Tessema, had been destroyed by Lij Eyasu himself. Lij Eyasu even traveled through the Ogaden and visited with the Qottu and Somali clans, assuring them that the Christian domination they had suffered under Dejazmatch Taffari was over. He entered Harrar city itself, staying at first with a wealthy Harrari merchant and ordering the return of property that St. Michael's church had received in the city from Muslim residents in a land swap. Dejazmatch Taffari asked to be able to return to Harrar where his wife (Lij Eyasu's neice) was about to give birth to their second child. Lij Eyasu refused permission. In the meantime, Lij Eyasu took up residence in the governor's palace and announced that henceforth he would govern Ethiopia 's leading Muslim city. He ordered Taffari's wife (his own neice) to vacate the governor's palace immediately. Woizero Menen was reaching the end of her pregnancy and begged her uncle for permission to deliver the child before having to move. Reluctant, but not wanting to hurt the feelings of his favorite sister Woizero Sehin (Menen's mother), Eyasu agreed. Dejazmatch Taffari and Woizero Menen became the parents of the future Crown Prince Asfa Wossen (Emperor-in-exile Amha Sellassie) in August of 1916. Lij Eyasu permitted Woizero Menen to remain in the house until the baby was christened, but on September 6, Woizero Menen, her little daughter Tenagnework, the infant Asfa Wossen, and Kegnazmatch (later Ras) Imiru were put on mules and sent to Dire Dawa to board the train to Addis Ababa. Now that the progressives in the Empire were disillusioned with Lij Eyasu, his break with Dejazmatch Tafarri provided this camp with a new progressive champion prince to support in his stead. The conservatives under Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis were just waiting for the the moment when Eyasu would be weakest. Without solid support from the progressive camp, Eyasu had virtually no chance. Little did Lij Eyasu realize that his days on the Throne of Solomon were numbered, and he had undercut himself.

Beginning on August 30, 1916, nobles under the leadership of Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis began to assemble to discuss the deposition of Lij Eyasu. Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen is often credited with "bringing down" Lij Eyasu, although the assembly of nobles was dominated by conservatives led by Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis, who was the real moving force and leader of this palace coup. However, the progressive camp which congregated around Dejazmatch Taffari had not yet acquired the necessary numbers, power, or savvy to pull off the dethronement of an Emperor. The government was run by the powerful Negadras Haile Giorgis, who has recently married Lij Eyasu's sister Woizero Sehin (mother-in-law of Dejazmatch Taffari) and was an Eyasu loyalist. He had got wind of the conspiracy and warned both the Coptic Archbishop Abune Mattiwos, and the second ranking church heirarch, Echege Welde Giorgis, not to attend the conspirators' meetings. However, further investigation revealed to the Negadras that the conspiracy included virtually the entire aristocracy of Shewa, Gojjam, Beghemidir, and Tigrai, and that only Wollo seemed resolutely loyal to Eyasu. The Negadras decided that he would prefer to be on the winning side in what was coming, so he showed up at the summoning of nobles that had suddenly been issued from the palace on September 28 by Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis. Upon arriving, however, the Negadras was told he could not enter unless he brought both the Archbishop and the Echege with him so that they could attend. He hurried off and returned with both clergymen. With the Orthodox church now represented, the assembly could now claim full legitimacy. A list of charges was read against Lij Eyasu and evidence submitted of his conversion to Islam. A message from the diplomatic representatives of France, Italy, and Britain (the Entente powers) had been circulated warning of the dangers to Ethiopia if Lij Eyasu allied the Empire with Germany, Austria, and Turkey. For the most part, the nobles seemed to care little about this message, but they were stirred more deeply by what was charged to be Eyasu's "Islamic behavior" and evidence that was provided by some of these same diplomats. His frequenting of homes of Muslims, eating their food, visiting and praying at their mosques, multiple marriages (in order to ensure the participation of Lij Eyasu's father-in-law, Ras Hailu, much was made of the insult to the honor of Woizero Seble Wongel and the House of Gojjam), his affection for wearing Muslim clothes, and related matters, were all discussed openly. The diplomats provided pictures of him in Muslim Afar and Harrari costumes. There is reason to believe that some of the pictures provided by the western diplomats were forgeries, but at least two of these pictures were genuine. Less emphasis was put on the radical progressive views of the Prince that galled the conservatives so much, as these would have lost them the support of Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen and his supporters. The Archbishop was clearly taken aback. He was dismayed at what was clearly a certain sympathy for Islam and Muslims on the part of Lij Eyasu. However, he at first stated that all this was not sufficient evidence to prove that Lij Eyasu had converted to Islam, even if it was highly disturbing -- Abune Mattiwos may have wanted to hear from Lij Eyasu himself whether or not he had become a Muslim. The nobles and the Ethiopian-born clergy were furious. They began to all talk at once, telling the Egyptian monk that this was more than enough evidence, and that he was making this more difficult than it had to be. The Echege declared (in violation of canon law) that he would excommunicate Lij Eyasu himself if the Archbishop did not. After some further argument, the Archbishop relented. The Echege propelled the Archbishop to his feet and to the center of the room, where he stood behind Abune Mattiwos with both clerics holding up their hand crosses. The somewhat reluctant Archbishop Mattiwos then declared, "From this day forth, you are all freed from your oath to the apostate Lij Eyasu, and I, the humble servant of God, hereby excommunicate him from the body of the Holy Church." The nobles kissed the crosses of the two clerics and began to rush about organizing the deposition of a monarch and the succession of another -- Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis had his triumph. However, the question as to who should inherit the Throne of Solomon was in the air. The person who was next in the direct male line after the late Menelik II, Dejazmatch Taye Gulilat, was eliminated from the succession because it had been made very clear that Menelik had been strongly against such an occurrence and the wishes of the late Emperor were important to the nobility. Ras Wolde Giorgis, the senior prince of the House of Shewa at the time, was considered too advanced in age and in uncertain health. Dejazmatch Taffari had been involved in the conspiracy to remove Eyasu, but he was a progressive, and the plot had been largely engineered by the conservative camp around Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis. But there were also several things working against Taffari Makonnen. First, the majority of the nobles were very conservative, while the Prince was a known progressive whose views they disliked. Ideas of educating the masses, modern administration, reducing the role of the nobility, centralizing all military functions under the central government, a written constitution, and the abolition of slavery and increasing contact with foreign powers were not to their taste. Second, there were other members of the Imperial family who could put forward as strong a blood claim to the throne as Taffari, in particular, Dejazmatch (later Ras) Kassa Hailu, son of Woizero Tisseme Darge, who was the daughter of Ras Darge Sahle Selassie and granddaughter of King Sahle Selassie of Shewa. Kassa's father Hailu Wolde Kiros was also the non-royal half-brother of Emperor Tekle Giorgis III. Dejazmatch Kassa Hailu, however, was not interested in being Emperor and refused to even be considered for the crown. A devout member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, he was a married priest and considered his priestly title to be higher and greater than his royal one. He also had generally conservative leanings but did share some views with the progressives. His friendship with his cousin Taffari was very firm, and he would be his closest confidant and advisor for almost half a century. Considered the senior Prince of the Blood after the death of his cousin Ras (later King) Wolde Giorgis and the long-time President of the Crown Council, he would become the second-most powerful person in the Empire after the Emperor during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. Another road block to Taffari's ascent to the throne was the same deep loyalty that the nobles felt to Menelik II and to his blood line, which was also a the deterrent to Taye Gulilat. Although he did not face the strong opposition of the late Emperor that Taye Gulilat faced, Taffari was faced with the fact that the late Emperor's wish that Lij Eyasu succeed him was being overturned by nobles who still remained passionately loyal to Menelik's memory. There was the nagging feeling on their part that they were violating the will of Menelik the Great -- the man whom they credited with making them the men that they were. Dejazmatch Taffari, however, was a gifted diplomat, and the nobles found him to be polite, courteous, attentive to their views, and appropriately respectful of the memory of Emperor Menelik -- all qualities that Eyasu lacked. He had Imperial blood (which was required), and they believed he was someone who would always take their views into account when making decisions, even if he was a progressive. Given all of this, a compromise was struck. The following day, at the celebrations of Meskel (Feast of the finding of the True Cross) on September 29, 1916, for the first time since the Queen of Sheba, a woman was proclaimed monarch of Ethiopia in her own right. Zewditu, daughter of Menelik II and Woizero Abechi, was proclaimed Empress, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of Judah, and Queen of Kings of Ethiopia. Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen was proclaimed Crown Prince, Heir to the Throne, and given the the title of Ras. Fitawrarri Hapte Giorgis, the ring leader of the plot to dethrone Eyasu, was proclaimed the supreme commander of the armed forces. Ras Wolde Giorgis Aboye, the senior Prince of the Blood, was made King of Gondar. In order to prevent a return to power of Empress Taitu and her family, her nephew Ras Gugsa Welle was compelled to accept his forced separation from his wife, the new Queen of Kings. He was restored to his governorship of Beghemidir, however, and sent to Gondar to govern that province from the ancient capital. Empress Zewditu also added to the charges against her nephew Lij Eyasu, claiming that he had denied her father, (his grandfather) Emperor Menelik, "a proper and fitting funeral... what was not even denied to a stranger murdered on the road..." She asked her subjects, "Have you heard of a Christian dying in the country where he lived, and it was forbidden to have his name said in church or celebrate his funeral?" She stated that for two years, three months and two days, she had held her father's corpse and wept in the palace until she had been driven away to Falle. This, of course, was a symbolic claim as she was indeed in the palace mourning her father deeply while under arrest, but his body had been buried in the Se'el Bet Kidane Meheret Church on the palace grounds. Empress Zewditu resolved to build the Ba'eta Le Mariam Monastery (Presentation of the Virgin Mary to the Temple Monastery, the feast day on which the Emperor had died) on the palace grounds and re-bury the late Emperor there in Imperial splendor. This did much to win over the immensely pro-Menelik population to her side and against Lij Eyasu, who had played gugs as his grandfather died and who had kept the news of Menelik's death from them so that they could not weep for their "father and Emperor". The people came out to bow and ulultate to the daughter of their beloved and much missed monarch of blessed memory -- the child of "Imiye Menelik" whose very name brought tears to their eyes. The response to Zewditu was imense and solidified the new government's position. The reign of Lij Eyasu, the unproclaimed and uncrowned Emperor Eyasu V, was over.

The Coptic Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Mattiwos, who was pursuaded to excommunicate Lij Eyasu and release the Nobility from its Oath of Loyalty

Every effort was made to avert an angry reaction from Lij Eyasu's father, King Michael of Wollo, as he had a Wollo army comprised of tens of thousands of troops. Public statements of Lij Eyasu's crimes always included phrases that Lij Eyasu had done everything he did against the advice and urging of his father, who had tried his best to set Eyasu on the right path. It was of no use. Michael of Wollo was furious at the deposition of his son by the Shewans, and he promptly made preparations for war. In Harrar, news of his deposition reached Lij Eyasu and utterly shocked him. He ordered that seven priests from the Church of St. Gabriel at Kulibi be brought before him. As they stood before him, he placed his hand on a bible and a silver cross and swore that he was and always had been a faithful Christian and son of the Orthodox chruch. Although this act shook the clerics into doubting the story of his conversion to Islam, it did not help him -- he was told that a force of soldiers was headed to Harrar to seize him. He called on the Muslim population to defend the city against the government, and soon atrocities were being commited by the Harrari Muslims on Christians and anyone who remained loyal to Ras Taffari. This did not last long, as Eyasu and his loyalists realized that they could not hope to hold on to Harrar as their military force was dwindling -- soldiers were leaving by the minute to join the government forces. It was decided that Lij Eyasu should leave Harrar and join what was left of his force with that of his father in Wollo and march on Addis Ababa from there. It was a sensible plan, and had he been able to get a message to King Michael, his chances might have been better. Instead, he was barely able to leave the city before the forces of the Imperial government swept in. In fact, an advance force approached the town of Meisso and were about to enter when suddenly Lij Eyasu with his escort came out of the town and passed directly in front of them on his mule. Without specific instructions to arrest him and probably in awe and instinctive respect for the heir of Menelik, the officers and soldiers that had been sent out to fight and capture him instead fell to their knees and kissed the ground as the ex-monarch passed after a very brief shoot-out. Lij Eyasu had escaped. The government forces entered the city of Harrar, which was now in open rebellion. An angry battle followed and Eyasu's loyalists were defeated. Hundreds died, and many fled into the Ogaden desert to disappear forever or to engage in banditry for a while before fading away. Eyasu cut through the Afar lowlands northwards to Wollo, but he would arrive too late. What he hadn't realized was that the trusted noble he had sent to Wollo to tell his father to wait for his arrival before marching on Shewa had been attacked by a swarm of bees and was forced to take to bed to receive treatment; he had never made it to Desse. Eyasu's father had already mobilized a huge force of close to 80,000 troops and marched south from Desse. An army was quickly assembled by the government under Ras Leul Seged Atnaf Seged, former husband of Ras Taffari's wife, Woizero Menen, the Crown Princess. Ras Leul Seged and King Michael met in battle at Tora Mesk on October 17, 1916. The army of Wollo was victorious, and Ras Leul Seged was killed in battle. Panic spread among the nobles in Addis Ababa. Thoughts of defeat and being charged with treason must have cast fear into all their hearts. However, Fitawrarri Hapte Giorgis was determined -- he sent conciliatory letters to the King of Wollo to buy time and quickly assembled a new army. The Wolloyes and the Shewans met for the second time in battle at Segelle on October 27. More Ethiopian blood would be shed here, and the death toll exceded that even of Adwa. The forces of Wollo were utterly crushed; King Michael was captured, and Lij Eyasu's chances of restoration were reduced to ashes. In November of 1916, the King of Wollo, with gold chains (marking his royal status) shackled to his arms and legs, was made to march through the crowded streets of Addis Ababa carrying a rock of repentance on his shoulders. The King went into the throne room of the Imperial Palace and kissed the floor before his enthroned sister-in-law, the new Empress of Ethiopia, and asked for her mercy. Ras Tafari was not at the submission ceremony in consideration of the feelings of his wife Menen, who was the granddaughter of the King of Wollo. Thus, publicly humiliated, the king was placed under house arrest at Emperor Menelik's country house at Holeta with his close relatives. He would die there in 1918.

Lij Eyasu realized that his cause was lost. He knew that nothing could restore him now that his father was defeated and Wollo crushed. Lij Eyasu would roam the Afar lowlands for years, eluding capture with a small band of followers. He even fortified Magdalla at one point to make a great last stand in a Theodorean fashion, but he had to retreat when his position there became untenable. He entered Tigrai secretly under the protection of the hereditary Prince, Ras Seyoum Mengesha. However, the Prince got wind of the fact that the government had learned he was protecting Lij Eyasu -- once again Eyasu had to flee. He entered Eastern Tigrai, the domain of the other Tigrean hereditary prince, Dejazmatch Gugsa Araya. However, one of Lij Eyasu's entourage betrayed his location and, on January 11, 1921, Lij Eyasu was surrounded in the Church yard he was hiding in by the soldiers of Dejazmatch Gugsa Araya. Before he could even put up a fight, it was over. Dejazmatch Gugsa, grandson of Yohannis IV, walked into the presence of Eyasu Michael, grandson of Menelik II. Gugsa was so overcome with being in the presence of the man who might have been his Emperor that he fell to his knees and kissed Eyasu's shoes before arresting him. Four months later, Gugsa handed him over to the government. The Empress rewarded her former step-son Gugsa (his father had been her first husband) with the title of Ras, and the Crown Prince would give him his neice, Princess Yeshashework Yilma, as his wife. Eyasu himself was placed in the comfortable custody of his cousin Ras Kassa Hailu at Fiche, where he would remain. Empress Zewditu, in spite of her acceptance of the throne, seems to have been wracked with guilt for violating her father's will by going along with the deposition of Eyasu. She also seems to have had much personal affection for her nephew even though he had treated her abominably for years. However, Zewditu would die in 1930, and she was succeeded by Nigus Taffari Makonnen, who became Emperor Haile Selassie. The new Emperor bore Esayu deep resentment for not only violating their mutual oaths but also for treating his wife and newborn son with such disregard. Eyasu did not help matters by escaping from Fiche in 1931. He was quickly re-captured and a plot was uncovered that angered the Emperor deeply. The plot was an intriguing one. Apparently, Ras Hailu Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam was angry at not having been made King of Gojjam by Haile Selassie. He resented the fact that he had gone against his son-in-law Eyasu and supported his deposition while he personally didn't get anything out of it. Negotiations to marry Crown Prince Asfa Wossen to Hailu's daughter Dinkinesh had fallen through and the Prince had married Princess Wolete Israel Seyoum of Tigrai instead. Now he decided that one way or another, he would become King of Gojjam and a daughter of his would be an Empress, so he arranged for Lij Eyasu's escape from Fiche. Money was paid to an Italian adventurer (with the knowledge of the Italian colonial government in Eritrea) to fly an airplane full of weapons to a field between Holeta and Addis Alem. Lij Eyasu would escape from Fiche and come to this location, and he and the weapons would be flown to Debre Marcos in Gojjam and Ras Hailu, where Eyasu would be proclaimed Emperor Eyasu V, and Seble Wongel Hailu restored as his only and legitimate wife and Empress (which would have required something be done about her new husband, Dejazmatch Yigezu Behapte). Ras Hailu would be proclaimed King of Gojjam and they would march on Addis Ababa and depose Haile Selassie. Unfortunately for Eyasu, he was unable to escape on the planned day, and by the time he reached the rendezvous with the plane, the nervous Italian pilot had taken off and returned to Eritrea. Eyasu had then tried to make it to Gojjam by horse, but he was quickly captured and taken to Addis Ababa. Ras Hailu was arrested, found guilty of treason, and sentenced to die. The Emperor commuted the sentence to life imprisonment and confiscated Ras Hailu's considerable property. Lij Eyasu was put on a special train in Addis and taken to Harrar, where he was imprisoned in a specially-constructed prison in Garra Muleta in conditions much less comfortable than before -- but still far from uncomfortable. It is said he now had to live with bars over his windows but that beautiful young women continued to be brought to him for his pleasure. Eyasuism would continue to raise its head in small outbursts of rebellion here and there, especially in Wollo during the rest of Eyasu's life. However, upon the fascist Italian invasion in 1935, leaflets were said to have been dropped by Italian airplanes over Addis Ababa and Wollo announcing that Italy only wanted to restore "the legitimate Emperor Eyasu V". Only a short time later, it was announced that Abeto-hoi Lij Eyasu Michael, grandson of Menelik II, had died. Stories of his death are plentiful, but none can be confirmed. One states that Emperor Haile Selassie's father confessor, Abba Hanna Jimma, came to Garra Mulleta and personally strangled Lij Eyasu, and that his remains were tossed into the Shebele River or left somewhere in the open in the Ogaden desert. Another story, advocated by Lij Eyasu's grandson, Lij Girma Yohannis, maintains that shortly before the Emperor was to leave for the northern front, he had Lij Eyasu brought to Addis Ababa (specifically to his Guenete Leul Palace, which is now the campus of the Addis Ababa University). He claims that Lij Eyasu was killed there and buried in the yard of St. Markos Church in the palace compound with Empress Menen (Lij Eyasu's neice) and some of her Wollo relatives in attendance at the burial. Others maintain that Eyasu was poisoned and buried near Garra Mulleta. None of these stories can be confirmed and are all rather farfetched. What is certain is that Lij Eyasu died sometime in late 1935. His legal wife, Seble Wongel Hailu, remarried Dejazmatch Yigezu Behapte and would live a relatively peaceful and uncomplicated life as a respected senior member of the aristocracy and granddaughter of a king -- if never an Empress.

Eyasuist Claimants

Lij Eyasu's daughter, Alem Tsehai Eyasu, the only legitimate great-granddaughter of Menelik II, was given the title of Emebet-hoi by Emperor Haile Selassie, married a nobleman, and remains in Ethiopia. She was largely ignored through the governments of Emperor Haile Selassie, the Dergue, and the current Federal Republic of the EPRDF, even though she is the elderly matriarch of the Eyasuist house. She has never claimed the Imperial throne for herself or her heirs. The same cannot be said of all her half-brothers and nephews. Lij Yohannis Eyasu, son of Lij Eyasu by the daughter of the Sultan of Jimma, was closely watched by Emperor Haile Selassie. Upon the fascist invasion, he led a guerilla band of soldiers against the Italians and corresponded regularly with the exiled Emperor. This won him a degree of favor from the Emperor and when Haile Selassie returned to Addis Ababa in triumph on May 5th, 1941, Lij Yohannis Eyasu was riding in an open car, alone and immediately behind the Emperor. Given the title of Dejazmatch, he fell back out of favor, suspected of being involved in a host of anti-government plots and ended his days quietly banished from court in Jimma. Another son, Lij Menelik Eyasu, was the son of Eyasu by the daughter of the Afar Sultan. He lived most of his early life in exile in the French territory of Afars and Issas (French Somaliland), which is the Republic of Djibouti today. Upon the news of the death of his father, the Italians had approached him about accepting the Ethiopian throne as a puppet monarch when their defeat of Haile Sellassie at Maichew made victory probable for them. Lij Menelik refused, saying that Ethiopia had only one Emperor. Emperor Haile Selassie was grateful that he received Menelik in audience after the restoration. Lij Menelik lived quietly, acting as an occasional emissary of the Emperor to the Afars. Two other sons and a grandson have been much more aggressive with their claims. Lij Meleke Tsehai Eyasu was a boy of 16 when, in 1936, Balambaras Abebe Aregai and other notable guerilla leaders assembled on Amba Aradam and crowned him "Emperor of Ethiopia" as a symbol to rally the people against the Italians. In return, "Emperor" Meleke Tsehai bestowed the title of Ras on Abebe Aregai. The Italians mobilized a huge force to hunt down this "Emperor" or the "little Nigus", as the Italians called him, and pitched battles were fought all over northern Shewa to find the pretender. Emperor Haile Selassie was furious at this afront to his title as well. However, it was not the exiled Emperor or the Italian occupiers that did Meleke Tsehai in -- it was malaria, which also killed Lij Eyasu's son later that same year. Emperor Haile Selassie resented Abebe Aregai for this action for a long time, and it was only under the strong urging of his British allies that he desided to recognize and confirm the title of Ras for him in order to co-opt his soldiers into the liberation forces in 1941. Ras Abebe knew the Emperor was resentful and angry over this episode, but he won him over with a spontaneous gesture. Shortly before the Emperor was about to board his car to re-enter his liberated capital from Mt. Entoto, Ras Abebe arrived with a huge guard of honor for the Emperor, rushed up to him and with tears streaming down his face, said in very simple language, without using words like Emperor or Majesty, "I never thought I would live to see your face again!" and fell to his knees and embraced the Emperor's shoes, moving Haile Selassie deeply. All was forgiven, but it was not forgotten. Eyasuist pretenders and their supporters did not generate much sympathy from Emperor Haile Selassie. Another Eyasuist claimant was Lij Mesfin Eyasu. Unknown before the 1974 revolution, he claimed that he had been confined to a monastery by Emperor Haile Selassie and had only been able to leave because of the revolution. His arrival in Addis at the height of the Red Terror was interesting in that he would attend Mass at Holy Trinity Cathedral and cry out the full titles of the Emperor of Ethiopia in the places where the Emperor's name had now been omitted from the service. Even Lij Eyasu's known descendants voiced doubts as to the truth of whether or not he was a true son of Eyasu, and, in fact, they never acknowledged him as such. Although he started out poor in Addis Ababa in the mid-seventies, he ended up quite wealthy by the time the Dergue fell. When a demonstration was held to ask the new transitional government to demolish the statue of Emperor Menelik II in Addis Ababa by revisionists, Lij Mesfin conspicuously paid for the statue of his great grandfather to be guilded with silver (much to the chagrin of many who thought this ruined a beautiful statue). Lij Mesfin also personaly wrote a letter to then Transitional-President (later Prime Minister) Meles Zenawi requesting that the wall built across the main entrance to Holy Trinity Cathedral by the Dergue be removed. The government printed his letter in the newspapers and then dismantled the wall the following week, much to the jubilation of Addis Ababa's Christian population. When the Emperor-in-Exile, Amha Selassie (former Crown Prince Asfa Wossen) announced from Washington D.C. the formation of the Moa Anbessa monarchist movement and gave some interviews to the press, Lij Mesfin made his own pretentions official by giving an interview to the Ethiopian Review Magazine and stating that, "Prince Asfa Wossen is welcome to return to Ethiopia" but that "I (Lij Mesfin) am the legitimate and true Emperor of Ethiopia." His public behavior was reduced to theatrics as he insisted people bow to him, kiss his hand, and refer to him as "Majesty". He ran afoul of the EPRDF government and rumors spread that he was to be arrested (although he remained free). He died in 1999 and was buried at the Bale Wold Church (Church of the Feast of God the Son, also known as the Church of the Four Heavenly Creatures), which is part of the complex of Holy Trinity Cathedral. The next Eyasuist pretender to the imperial throne of Ethiopia is Dr. Girma Yohannis Eyasu, known also as Lij Girma Yohannis Eyasu. Lij Girma is listed in the Almanach de Bruxelle as the Eyasuist claimant, with the claimed title of Crown Prince of Ethiopia, and his German wife, Claudia Bertram, with the claimed title of Princess Claudia Iyasu Menelik. Like Lij Mesfin, Lij Girma also claims to have been confined to a monastery (in his case Asebot Monastery) during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. He insists on carrying the style and titles Abeto Lij Girma Eyasu Menelik, Crown Prince of Ethiopia (both the name and titles other than the title of Lij are not legitimate, as they imply he is the son of Eyasu and that Eyasu is the son of Menelik, when in fact they are the grandson of each). Lij Girma Yohannis claims that all the post-1917 governments in Ethiopia are illegitimate. Eyasuist claimants have seen much of their support dwindle from broad support in the mid-twenties to virtually nothing today. They are outside of the mainstream monarchist movement in Ethiopia.

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Zewditu of Ethiopia

ANCESTRY & BACKGROUND

Empress Zewditu was the daughter of Emperor Menelik II by Woizero Abechi, a woman of mid-level nobility, born shortly after Menelik returned to Shewa following his captivity at Magdalla. Woizero Abechi died while Zewditu was still a very young child, so Zewditu was raised by her father, in the care of nannies, and was closer to him than any other person save his wife Empress Taitu. Zewditu also had a half-sister, Woizero Shewaregga Menelik, the mother of Lij Eyasu, and a half-brother, Prince Asfaw Wossen Menelik, who died in 1888 while still a child. She was often referred to by her close relatives by the nickname of "Mamite" which translates to "Baby". Unlike most of the rest of the Shewan aristocracy, Zewditu had very good relations with Empress Taitu. Although Taitu was brusque and a stern mistress of Menelik's household, Zewditu had deep affection for her step-mother. Taitu returned Zewditu's affection, although often despairing over her behavior. She believed that Zewditu was overly familiar with the palace serving maids saying, "It's impossible to separate Mamite from the servants". She often scolded her for not maintaining the dignity of a daughter of the House of Solomon. Zewditu had earned a reputation of kindness and completely lacked the haughty and imperious attitude of her step-mother and other female relatives. Zewditu treated everyone with the same sweet friendliness whether they were royalty or simple servants. Underlying these traits was a truly innocent naivete that endeared her to many, but this would perhaps be a drawback to her eventually. Zewditu was married in 1882 at the age of nine to Ras Araya Selassie Yohannis, son and heir of Emperor Yohannis IV, in order to cement the agreement between her father and the Emperor when Menelik (then King of Shewa) submitted to Yohannis. However, Ras Araya Selassie died in 1888, and Zewditu, who had not produced any children, returned to Shewa. Ras Araya fathered a son, Gugsa, by another woman. Zewditu maintained very warm relations with her father-in-law, who was, in turn, very fond of Zewditu. Yohannis IV was angered when Zewditu's father rebelled against him shortly after the death of Ras Araya Selassie. Zewditu, upon receiving news that her father had rebelled against the Emperor, is said to have wept bitterly, saying "My father and the Emperor would never have quarelled if only my husband had lived." When the Emperor's informants told Yohannis IV of Zewditu's comments, he was much moved and had her summoned, and the two of them wept over the cruel fate of Ras Araya together. The Emperor then returned Zewditu to Shewa, even though her father was still defying him, along with a huge gift of cattle and property in 1889. Emperor Yohannis IV continued to hold Zewditu in deep affection until his death. Zewditu did not stay a widow for long. In 1891, Zewditu married Dejazmatch Gwangul Zegeye. The marriage was short-lived, not more than a few months, but Zewditu did have a daughter by him, who died in 1895 at the age of four. Zewditu then married Wube Atnaf Seged, an unhappy marriage that ended in divorce after two-and-a-half years. In 1900, at the suggestion of her step-mother, Zewditu married Ras Gugsa Welle, son of Ras Welle Bitul and nephew of Taitu. Ras Welle was ruler of Simien and Yejju and younger brother of Empress Taitu Bitul. This marriage bound the princess even more closely to her stepmother, and the marriage proved to be a generally happy one. Zewditu had no children who survived to adulthood.

Ras Gugsa Welle of Simien and Yejju, husband of Empress Zewditu; he was later Governor of Amhara Sayint, and then Beghemidir

Upon the death of Emperor Menelik II, Lij Eyasu, the designated heir, ordered Zewditu to be placed under arrest and she was rusticated with her husband to the small town of Falle -- part of Zewditu's personal estates. The reasons for her banishment were never explained. After a brief and controversial tenure on the throne, Lij Eyasu was deposed by the nobility and the church. Zewditu was proclaimed Empress, Queen of Kings, Elect of God, and Lion of Judah, the first woman to sit on the Imperial Throne in her own right since the Queen of Sheba. Her cousin Dejazmatch Taffari Makonnen was declared Heir to the Throne with the title of Ras at the same time. A delegation of nobles was sent out to bring the Empress to Addis Ababa from her estate at Falle. When she first saw the huge force of troops and high nobles that had gathered at her country home, she thought that she was being moved to a new location on her nephew's orders. When she was told that the nobility and the Church had decided that she was to sit on her father's throne as Empress, she was quite stunned and unable to grasp what they were saying. She is said to have asked, "But if I am Empress, what is to happen to my lord Eyasu?" When she was told that her nephew had been dethroned and excommunicated for apostacy and conversion to Islam, she burst into tears and continued to weep until her shema (thin cotton shoulder wrap) was soaked with her tears. The shock of being told she was now Empress was now overshadowed in her mind by the fate of her only nephew, the son of her long-dead only sister. Although she accepted the crown, to the end of her life, she continued to refer to Lij Eyasu as "my lord". Zewditu was crowned Empress and Queen of Kings at the Cathedral of St. George in November, 1916. However, the nobility was reluctant to give further influence to the family of the Dowager Empress Taitu, the widow of Menelik II. As Ras Gugsa was Taitu's nephew, and the relationship between the new Empress and the Dowager Empress had always been close, the aristocracy decided that some distance was now called for. Therefore, in one of the more cruel acts of political convenience, Empress Zewditu was compelled to separate from her husband, who was to be sent to govern a province. Ras Gugsa had hoped to be crowned at his wife's side and was deeply resentful of the Shewan aristocracy whom he blamed for not only his own forced separation, but the downfall of his aunt Empress Taitu and the fortunes of their family. Gugsa expected to be compensated with the governorship of Beghemidir with the title of King of Gondar. However, the new powers that be thought that their interests were better served by giving that title to Ras Wolde Giorgis Aboye, grandson of Sahle Selassie of Shewa and first cousin to the late Emperor Menelik II. Wolde Giorgis had felt slighted when Menelik had made Ras Tessema regent and guardian of Lij Eyasu, and so the government sought to compensate for that oversight. Wolde Giorgis received his crown from Empress Zewditu and went to Gondar , while Gugsa had to settle for Amhara Sayint, which angered him deeply. When King Wolde Giorgis died only a year later, Zewditu succeeded in getting her husband approved as governor of Beghemidir, but without the title of King of Gondar. Ras Gugsa was again insulted that while the Shewan-born Wolde Giorgis was made a King over Gonder, he, a Beghemidir native and a man with just as illustrious an Imperial ancestry, was denied the title of King. Although Empress Zewditu invited her step-mother to return to the palace in Addis Ababa, Dowager Empress Taitu declined, preferring to remain on Mt. Entoto near St. Mary's Church (which she had founded). At the time of her coronation, Zewditu found the cabinet appointed by her father Menelik II still in place, led by Fitawrarri Hapte Giorgis Denagde, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and minister of war. The Fitawrarri was the architect of the coup that had removed her nephew, placing her on the Imperial throne and her cousin Ras Taffari Makonnen as her Heir and Regent.

Empress Zewditu of Ethiopia as she appeared in an issue of a Paris magazine in 1917

The political order that emerged with the crowning of the Empress was anything but comfortable. The original plans seem to have been that Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis would preside over the cabinet, the Crown Prince would be in charge of all Government Affairs, and that the Empress would reign as a symbol over it all. The Empress and the Fitawrari were conservatives, strongly backed by the feudal aristocracy and the heirarchy of the Orthodox church and the Coptic Archbishop Abune Mattiwos. They all believed in an insular empire, regarding all things foreign with suspicion and the maintenance of a traditional way of life. Ras Taffari Makonnen, however, was of the belief that modernization and opening up to the outside world were essential in preserving the independence of the country and in bettering the lives of the people. The Empress began with much goodwill towards the Crown Prince (for whom she had deep affection), and she sought to support his innovations as much as possible, although she had many misgivings about his progressive agenda. The Fitawrarri was not as enamoured of the Crown Prince and often openly opposed his policies. Yet he firmly believed that Ras Taffari was the best option for Ethiopia 's future. As the years went by, the split between the conservative camp and the reformer camp widened. The Crown Prince, whose supporters included many younger nobles, most of the small group of foreign-educated Ethiopians, and most of the diplomats of the western powers, was able to convince more and more powerful figures that his was the way to preserve the country's independence in the face of a colonized continent. The Empress was a deeply religious woman, and her interests lay more with prayer and fasting and less with the maneuvering and court politics that surrounded her throne. The Empress was said to be wracked with guilt over having defied her father's stated wish that Lij Eyasu succeed him. Zewditu had lost her mother at an early age, and her love for her father was deep and paramount in her life. In spite of his rather harsh and cavalier treatment of her, she also had affection for Lij Eyasu. The forced separation from her husband Ras Gugsa was also a bitter pill, but she accepted it as part of the punishment for her defiance of the will of her father. She retreated into a world of constant prayer and penance. She was clearly a supporter of conservative causes, but as she was raised amongst the Imperial and aristocratic women of that era, she was not one to intrude willingly into the power games of men. However, conservative elements within the nobility stressed that it was not right that she was not even consulted regularly by the Crown Prince, and it would be preferable for Ras Taffari to hold back on his reforms until he himself was on the throne. During her reign, Ethiopia gained entry to the League of Nations and abolished slavery. Both these acts were largely the work of the Crown Prince and were of little intrest to the Queen of Kings. Zewditu was out to please God and only God. She is responsible for building several churches, including the present building of Yeka Michael Church, which claims to be the second-oldest church in Ethiopia after St. Mary of Zion in Axum. The cornerstone of Holy Trinity Cathedral was laid during her reign as well. She visited her step-mother Empress Taitu on Entoto often, and when the old Empress died, she sat as chief mourner and held a state funeral for her. She also hosted a visit by the Patriarch of Alexandria, which is only the second time in the history of the Empire that this had happened. She received the crown of Emperor Tewodros from the British to mark the visit of the Crown Prince to Great Britain.

Although a staunch supporter of the conservative cause, she had left active leadership of the conservative view to the Archbishop Abune Mattiwos and to Supreme Commander Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis until these powerful men died. By that time, the power of the conservatives had eroded so much, and Ras Taffari and the reformers had gained so much momentum, that there was little that she could do to stop the progression of the modernist's assumption of power. Among the first acts of the Crown Prince upon hearing of the death of Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis was to quickly hire and recruit almost the entire staff and retainers of the old nobleman into his own household, thereby incorporating Hapte Giorgis' vast personal military forces into the central army and his own personal guard. Upon the death of the aged Archbishop, the Crown Prince took the opportunity to ask the Coptic Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria to appoint an Ethiopian to the position of Archbishop of the Empire for the first time, knowing that the Patriarch would not readily agree. As lengthy negotiations were undertaken, the church was led temporarily by the Echege of Debre Libanos, an Ethiopian, and a strong conservative supporter of the Empress, but a man much more easily influenced by the Crown Prince than the late Coptic Archbishop. These moves served to greatly enhance the power of the Prince Regent at the expense of the Empress and her conservative camp. In order to end conservative attempts at sabotaging the Crown Prince's efforts by involving the Empress, the progressive elements and the "Mahil Sefari" division again launched an insurrection and demonstration in support of Ras Taffari following a conservative palace coup that tried to remove the Prince from power in 1928. This time, the Empress was compelled to agree to crown Taffari King following this unprecedented public demonstation. Ras Taffari was pleased with the outcome of the demonstation as it consolidated his power, but he voiced alarm at the methods used by his supporters, particularly when the Queen's announcement that she would crown him were responded to by the "Mahil Sefari" with a demand that it be done immediately. Public demonstrations forcing the Empress into concessions seemed to him a very dangerous precedent. In his message to his supporters following this latest victory, the new King thanked them, but he warned them that the methods they had used were not in keeping with the character of Ethiopians as respect for the anointed monarch was paramount. He warned them in a written statement of the dangers of their actions, reminding them of the horrors of the recent Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the ruin it had brought that country upon the loss of its crown. The Empress would crown him when preparations were complete, and no more demands were to be made of the Queen. Although he was a progressive in the context of the times, he was still a firm monarchist and a believer in "change from above" -- not "revolution". Nigus Taffari, as he was now called, was not given a set territory as a kingdom, so it was assumed that he was now king of all Ethiopia. This was in addition to his titles as Regent and Heir to the Imperial Throne. This was an unprecedented event and caused much anger and resentment among traditionalists that continued to attempt to thwart the reformist programs of the government. All sides continued to profess loyalty to the Empress, but she was undoubtedly against the forces of reform. The conservative traditionalists would not simply bow and accept the ascent of the King-Regent and his followers. Soon after Taffari Makonnen was crowned king-regent, Dejazmatch Abba Watew, commander of the Empress' Imperial Guard, reported to the Empress that he had evidence that the King-Regent was about to have her deposed and that he was about to fortify the Imperial Palace to protect her crown. The Empress ordered the Dejazmatch to stand down and to do nothing until the King-regent arrived; they could all sit down and discuss these stories that she found to be far-fetched. Instead, Abba Watew took a force of his followers, occupied Emperor Menelik II's mausoleum, the Church of Ba'eta Le Mariam, and fortified it, threatening to open fire on the King-regent's forces. The King-regent determined that force would have to be used, but the Empress pleaded that Abba Watew be given a chance to surrender as he was acting out of a misguided sense of protecting her person. She sent messengers to the church to get him to surrender, but he refused to do so unless he heard this request from the Empress herself. The King-regent expressed outrage that Abba Watew would be impertinent enough to demand that the Empress herself appear and persuaded the Empress that she could not go to the Church in person as it was beneath her dignity to appear at the demand of a subject in this manner. Finally, a telephone line had to be laid to the church so that the Empress could order Dejazmatch Abba Watew to surrender, as he would not obey anyone but the Empress herself. The Dejazmatch was tried for treason and insubordination, and the Regent and his supporters demanded that the harshest penalties be administered. The Empress, however, would not hear of it, and she only had the Dejazmatch confined to his home on a country estate. This was only the beginning of the unrest caused by the crowning of the new King-regent. Dejazmatch Balcha Saffo, an Oromo eunich who had been raised by Emperor Menelik and placed in various powerful governorships over the years, now the powerful Governor of the wealthy province of Sidamo, arrived in Addis Ababa with a very large number of well-armed men. He had repeatedly refused the summons of the new King to come to the capital, saying he was ill and only obeyed now because he had received a summons from the Empress herself. It is said that the delivery to him of a diamond ring from her finger was regarded by him as a signal from her to come to her rescue. It is not known if this in fact happened or if it was a trick to get him to Addis Ababa. No evidence exists that would indicate that this ring story is even true, but Dejazmatch Balcha and his army encamped at Nifas Silk, just outside the city, and the presence of Balcha's Army was openly regarded as being a direct challenge to the King-Regent, and in support of the Empress and her conservative partisans. On the second evening after his arrival, Dejazmatch Balcha and his leading officers were invited by King Taffari to come to the Imperial Palace for dinner. They arrived to find a fine feast prepared for them and much to drink. The Empress did not preside at this dinner, but the King-Regent was there and was quietly affable. As the evening wore on, and the officers of Dejazmatch Balcha grew more and more intoxicated, they also grew more and more insulting to the King and his supporters as they sang self-composed warrior songs of bravery (as was customary after the meal). The King and his followers were oddly quiet and did not respond at all to this provocation, causing Balcha and his men to scoff and feel utter contempt for them. When the Dejazmatch and his followers finally returned to his Nifas Silk camp, they were stunned to find that their entire army had vanished. While they had been eating and drinking at the palace, Ras Kassa Hailu and several other officials had arrived at Nifas Silk with a bag of Silver Maria Theresa Thallers and another bag of whips. They announced to Balcha's army that a new governor, Ras Birru Wolde Gabriel, had been appointed over Sidamo and that they were to report to him at once. They were to immediately accept payment in the silver coins, surrender their weapons and go home to their farms and await the orders of their new governor. The bag of whips was left in clear view to show what would happen to anyone who did not obey. Within a short time, the soldiers had surrendered their weapons, received their payment, and were headed back to their farms and families in the south. When Dejazmatch Balcha realized what had happened, he knew he had been outmaneuvered by a master -- he had grossly underestimated the young King-Regent. Dejazmatch Balcha and a few of his officers fled to the Raguel Church on Mt. Entoto and rang the bell of the Church, a traditional plea for royal mercy that monarchs are required to accept and honor. The King-Regent confined Balcha to a monastery and deprived him of his governorship, but he did not punish him further -- again, the Empress acted to protect one of her father's loyal men. Two rival courts developed, and as young King Taffari had time on his side, his supporters grew in numbers and strength in relation to the camp of the Empress (which reeled with the sudden elimination of her champions Dejazmatch Abba Watew and Dejazmatch Balcha). The King-Regent began an aggressive restructuring of the government. The abolishing of slavery was a great blow to the feudal nobility; he next moved to consolidate their regional armies into centralized military forces. He equipped his own central government troops with the latest in weapons, training, and uniforms that he could obtain (in light of the fact that a treaty between the Great Powers prevented the sale of new weaponry to African states). Education was opened up to more and more people, and the Regent seemed to prefer to educate and promote people of non-noble and non-aristocratic background as he believed that these people would be more loyal to him personally and the Ethiopian state, unlike the nobles who would be more loyal to their own ambitions and regional interests. This caused deep resentment among the many nobles and aristocrats who believed that ruling Ethiopia was their birthright and didn't like to see some upstart commoners sit in positions of power over them. Additionally, taxation was made uniform across the land and its collection handed over to officials appointed by Addis Ababa rather than by the regional rulers. This cut into their income and caused great fury. The most resentful was clearly Ras Gugsa Wele, who had much to be angry about.

Empress Zewditu with her attendants

Although he had been made governor of Beghemidir, Ras Gugsa felt greatly slighted by the Shewans and in particular by King Taffari. The Shewans and Tigreans had been responsible for the removal from state responsibility of his aunt Empress Taitu. They had later conspired to remove Lij Eyasu and place his own wife on the throne on the condition that he separate from her, and he sent to Gondar to remove him from proximity to the throne. He perhaps believed that he was rightfully the person most entitled to be regent for his wife. He was assured that if he rose up in rebellion, he would probably be able to count on the support of the two Princes of Tigrai, Ras Seyoum and Ras Araya, as well as the Prince of Gojjam, Ras Hailu. As a result, Ras Gugsa corresponded with Ras Hailu Tekle Haimanot, and the two princes agreed in principle to march on Addis Ababa and remove the King-regent from power. Gugsa's letters to the Tigrean Princes remained unanswered, and, indeed, neither of these princes had any intention of joining him in his rebellion. Seeing the attitude of the Tigrean princes, and realizing that he would get no direct benefit out of the removal of King Taffari and the empowering of Ras Gugsa, Ras Hailu also backed out of the rebellion. Ras Gugsa's resentment against Addis Ababa and the King increased as time went by, and in 1929, he gathered together a huge army of Beghemidir, Simien, and Yeju loyalists of his family, and marched on Shewa. As news of his preparations reached Addis Ababa, the Empress frantically tried to broker a truce and tried to dissuade her husband from marching on the capital. He ignored her pleas. "In the name of your father Menelik II and your mother Empress Taitu, by their bones I beg you, for the sake of the Savior of the World whom you love, I beg you!" pleaded Empress Zewditu to her husband. When he failed to listen to her pleading, she sadly gave up and granted her political support and blessing to the forces of the central government. The government of the King-regent ordered an Army north to meet Ras Gugsa and do battle, and the two forces met at Anchiem plain on April 30, 1930. Before the battle began, the government engaged in a first for Ethiopia -- the use of airplanes in battle. Two short flights took place; the first flight was used to drop leaflets on Ras Gugsa's army, which bore messages from the newly arrived Coptic Archbishop Kyrilos excommunicating anyone who was found to have fought against the government, and another that bore letters from the King-Regent and the Empress that declared Ras Gugsa a rebel. This psychological warfare worked on some of Ras Gugsa's forces, and they began to desert. The second flight then took place, in which a bomb was dropped on Ras Gugsa's forces and caused widespread panic as such a thing had never before been seen in Ethiopia. Thus, the bitter battle of Anchiem began. By the end of the day, Ras Gugsa was dead and his army crushed. The conservatives, having lost every attempt at removing the Regent and his party from the road to power, now saw their last hopes dashed. The victory of the progressive party was definitive, and the only thing that stood between them and complete victory was the person of the Empress of Ethiopia, Zewditu, Queen of Kings.

News of the defeat of Ras Gugsa Welle at Anchiem had barely begun to circulate in Addis Ababa when suddenly the capital was plunged into mourning with the death of Empress Zewditu on March 1, 1930. The fact that the Empress died the very next day, and the lack of transparency as far as the announcement of her death, would lend the event an air of sinister mystery that would never be removed. Recent revelations from unpublished first hand accounts have revealed that Empress Zewditu was never actually told that her husband was dead. A few days earlier, the Empress had taken to her bed with a high fever and what appeared to be symptoms of the flu. The devout Empress was also fasting for Lent and refused to eat before 3:00 P.M. (when mass was over), as was the practice during Lent. Her doctors insisted that she had to eat and particularly they wanted her to drink milk in order to strengthen. But both the Empress and her confessor were adamant that she would not violate the prohibition against meat and dairy products during Lent. The Empress began to weaken as her fever continued to rage. It had been a palace secret that the Empress had long suffered from diabetes and that, in addition to western medicine, she also took traditional folk treatments and visited shrines to bathe in holy water and holy springs. The tradition of keeping the physical ailments of the monarchs secret was an ancient one in Ethiopia, and it often served to fan rumors of poisoning when the news of the monarch's death was made public. On the morning of her death, Holy water from the Kidane Meheret (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy) Church was placed in a large container and the Empress was immersed in it for a cure. The Empress became unconscious, possibly from the shock of having her feverish body placed in the frigid water, and she died late that day. There are those who believe that the Empress was poisoned as soon as news of her husband's defeat was certain in order to clear the way for the progressive camp to power and the King-Regent to the Imperial Throne. These people claim that the timing of her death, immediately after the defeat of her husband, was just too coincidental. They ask why there had been no public sign that the Empress was ill. However, Zewditu's illness was a closely guarded secret which only the top ministers and close relatives were aware of. Members of the diplomatic corps reported to their home governments that the Empress had been taken early that morning to be immersed in a container of frigid holy water for her ailments and that she had promptly gone into shock and died. Members of the government were possibly intent on keeping this information from leaking out as they wouldn't want to be held responsible for allowing this immersion in her poor state of health. The diplomats reported that she had not been told of her husband's death. The recently revealed first-hand accounts that have been quoted and published in the Amharic book -- "Taffari Makonnen, the Long Journey to Power." by Ambassador Zewde Retta -- confirms this account. However, popular legend states that the Empress fainted upon hearing of the death of her husband and had then died of the shock of the news. Popular myth likes to paint the picture of the pious Empress dying of a broken heart -- the romantic couple forced apart finally united in death. Romantics and conspiracy theorists aside, no firm historic evidence has ever been brought forward to back these theories. Her Swiss doctor would report years later that her cause of death was diabetes, and it is this that is stated in Emperor Haile Selassie's autobiography and in a book by General Virgin, a Swedish military advisor. Nevertheless, the death of the Empress continues to be the subject of speculation. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Zewditu, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of Judah, Queen of Kings of Ethiopia, was laid to rest in the Mausoleum Church of St. Mary Ba-eta, a facility that she had built to house the remains of her father Menelik II. The Empress was placed in an ornate sarcophagus next to those of her father and his wife Empress Taitu. She was the only monarch in over a century to receive a state burial at the time of her death -- and also the last one. As her coffin was carried in her final grand procession around the Church before her burial, Abune Abraham, the Archbishop of Gojjam is said to have said to the wailing crowds, "The Orthodox Church wails with you at the death of our good and great Queen". Empress Zewditu is remembered largely for her piety, her gentleness, her generosity, her lack of airs, and her devotion to her father's memory.

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Zewditu of Ethiopia

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