Ali II of Yejju
Encyclopedia
Ali II of Yejju was a Ras of Begemder
and Enderase (Regent) of the Emperor of Ethiopia
. He was the son of Alula of Yejju
, sometime governor of Damot
and then of Gojjam
, and Menen Liben Amede, later Empress of Ethiopia
, and grandson of Gugsa of Yejju
, by his fourth wife, Amata Selassie, daughter of Emperor Tekle Giyorgis
.
at the dynastic capital of Debre Tabor
in July 1831, - and for himself, a minor, a council of regents was appointed from these nobles. However, his mother Menen soon came to control this council and exerted much influence over political decisions for the next decade.
Ras Ali was officially a Christian
, but his contemporaries doubted the sincerity of his faith and suspected that he was a secret Muslim
; some modern scholars consider him as indifferent to religion as he was to the problems of ruling his portion of Ethiopia, although Trimingham observes that he attempted to revive the cult of Ahmad Gragn by requiring pilgrimages to his tomb. In any case, the morale of the Ethiopian Church reached its lowest point in the 1840s and 1850s.
For much his reign Ras Ali was constantly at war, either putting down rebellions in his core territories, or defending his territory from rival warlords. In one of these continual campaigns, Ras Ali II plundered the imperial capital Gondar
in 1838.
Ras Ali made Sahle Dengel
Emperor in 1832, but the clergy of Azazo disapproved of the new Emperor's religious beliefs, and convinced Ras Ali to remove him. Sahle Dengel was sent to Zengaj, and Ras Ali recalled Gebre Krestos
from Mitraha
, an island in Lake Tana
, and restored him as Emperor. However, Gebre Krestos died after three months, and Sahle Dengel met with Ras Ali in the village of Tsagur where he convinced Ras Ali to restore him to the throne once again (October, 1832).
and of Tigray
; when he placed her in the church of Mahdere Maryam for her safety before the Battle of Debre Tabor
(6 February 1842), his opponents violated the refuge of the church and kidnapped her. Their only daughter Tewabech
was married 1848 to Kassa Hailu of Qwara
, who in 1854 proclaimed himself a Negus
. They had no surviving issue.
's successful offensive in 1852/1853.
Future events were foreshadowed in October, 1846, when Kassa Hailu defeated detachments of Empress Menen's army at two separate battles in Dembiya
; at the time, Ras Ali was away in Gojjam
attempting to subdue the province's warlord, Birru Goshu, and unable to assist his mother. Kassa defeated the army of Empress Menen the following year on 18 June at Iloha, and took both Menen and her husband the former Emperor Yohannes III
captive, forcing Ras Ali to negotiate their release. After three months, in return for making Kassa Dejazmach over Dembiya, north of Lake Tana
the Empress and her powerless husband were released. Dejazmach Kassa later reconciled himself to Ras Ali in 1849, and Kassa remained loyal to Ali for the next three years.
However, the relationship between the two eventually deteriorated. Following a series of stunning victories by the Dejazmach, Ali II was decisively defeated by his son-in-law Dejazmach Kassa (who later assumed the throne name of Tewodros II
) in the Battle of Ayshal
on 29 June 1853, and he lost both the regentship and his territories. At first Ali fled to safety at a local church, then a few days later fled to the territories of his kinsmen in Wollo
province, where he disappeared to history. Sven Rubenson states that he advised Queen Worqitu of the Wollo Oromo to avoid a major battle with Tewodros when the Emperor marched through Wollo on his campaign against Shewa
in 1855. Both Proutky and Trimingham give the date of 1866 for his death, without further details.
Begemder
Begemder was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. There are several proposed etymologies for this name...
and Enderase (Regent) of the Emperor of Ethiopia
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
. He was the son of Alula of Yejju
Alula of Yejju
Alula of Yejju was the son of Gugsa of Yejju and Amata Selassie, the daughter of Emperor Tekle Giyorgis of Ethiopia. He was the first husband of Menen Liben Amede and father of her son, Ras Ali II while governor of Damot....
, sometime governor of Damot
Damot
Damot was a medieval kingdom in what is now Ethiopia, and tributary to the Ethiopian Empire. Originally located south of the Abay and west of the Muger River, under the pressure of Oromo attacks the rulers were forced to resettle north of the Abay in southern Gojjam between 1574 and 1606.Its...
and then of Gojjam
Gojjam
Gojjam was a kingdom in the north-western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. This region is distinctive for lying entirely within the bend of the Abbay River from its outflow from Lake Tana to the Sudan...
, and Menen Liben Amede, later Empress of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and grandson of Gugsa of Yejju
Gugsa of Yejju
Gugsa of Yejju was a Ras of Begemder , and Inderase of the Emperor of Ethiopia. According to Nathaniel Pearce, he took the Christian name of Wolde Mikael. He was the son of Mersu Barentu and Kefey, the sister of Ras Aligaz. Both Bahru Zewde and Paul B...
, by his fourth wife, Amata Selassie, daughter of Emperor Tekle Giyorgis
Tekle Giyorgis I of Ethiopia
Tekle Giyorgis I was Emperor of Ethiopia intermittently between 20 July 1779 and June 1800, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
.
Appointment as ruler
After the death of his granduncle, Marye of Yejju, Ali was appointed Ruler of Begemder and Imperial Regent at the age of 12 in a meeting of the chief nobles of the Yejju OromoYejju Oromo
Yejju Oromo is a tribe of the Barentu branch of Oromo people. They are one of the northernmost tribes of the Oromo people, which is the second largest ethnicity in Ethiopia....
at the dynastic capital of Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor is a town and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, this historic town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2706 meters above...
in July 1831, - and for himself, a minor, a council of regents was appointed from these nobles. However, his mother Menen soon came to control this council and exerted much influence over political decisions for the next decade.
Ras Ali was officially a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, but his contemporaries doubted the sincerity of his faith and suspected that he was a secret Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
; some modern scholars consider him as indifferent to religion as he was to the problems of ruling his portion of Ethiopia, although Trimingham observes that he attempted to revive the cult of Ahmad Gragn by requiring pilgrimages to his tomb. In any case, the morale of the Ethiopian Church reached its lowest point in the 1840s and 1850s.
For much his reign Ras Ali was constantly at war, either putting down rebellions in his core territories, or defending his territory from rival warlords. In one of these continual campaigns, Ras Ali II plundered the imperial capital Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
in 1838.
Ras Ali made Sahle Dengel
Sahle Dengel of Ethiopia
Sahle Dengel was of Ethiopia intermittently between 1832 and 11 February 1855, towards the end of the Zemene Mesafint...
Emperor in 1832, but the clergy of Azazo disapproved of the new Emperor's religious beliefs, and convinced Ras Ali to remove him. Sahle Dengel was sent to Zengaj, and Ras Ali recalled Gebre Krestos
Gebre Krestos of Ethiopia
Gebre Krestos was of Ethiopia. He was the son of Gebre Mesay.He was a figurehead, set on the throne by the Enderase or Regent, Ras Ali II an Oromo princeling of the district of Yejju; but shortly afterwards Ali II deposed Gebre Krestos in favor of his brother Sahle Dengel...
from Mitraha
Mitraha Island
Mitraha Island is located in the northeastern part of Lake Tana in Ethiopia, about a mile from the lake's shore, and has a latitude and longitude of . The island contains the ruins of a number of churches. The first church built on the island, by the Ethiopian Emperor Dawit I was burnt by Imam...
, an island in Lake Tana
Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia...
, and restored him as Emperor. However, Gebre Krestos died after three months, and Sahle Dengel met with Ras Ali in the village of Tsagur where he convinced Ras Ali to restore him to the throne once again (October, 1832).
Marriage
Ras Ali married Hirut, the daughter of Dejazmach Wube Haile Maryam, warlord of SemienSemien province
Semien Province was a historical province of northwest Ethiopia, often called Gondar. It was located south and west of the Tekezé River, and north of Lake Tsana. It was south west of Enderta Province, west of Tembien Province, and east of the Sudan. To some extent it covered the territory of the...
and of Tigray
Tigray Province
Tigray was a province of Ethiopia. The Tigray Region superseded the province with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995. The province of Tigre merged with its neighboring provinces, including Semien, Tembien, Agame and the prominent Enderta province and towards the end of 19th century it...
; when he placed her in the church of Mahdere Maryam for her safety before the Battle of Debre Tabor
Battle of Debre Tabor
The Battle of Debre Tabor was a conflict during the Zemene Mesafint in 1842 initiated by Dejazmach Wube Haile Maryam to overthrow Ras Ali II as Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia and gain control of Ethiopia...
(6 February 1842), his opponents violated the refuge of the church and kidnapped her. Their only daughter Tewabech
Tewabech Ali
Tewabech Ali was the first wife of Kassa Haile, better known as Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. They were married in 1848....
was married 1848 to Kassa Hailu of Qwara
Qwara Province
Qwara was a province in Ethiopia, located between Lake Tana and the frontier with Sudan, and stretcing from Agawmeder in the south as far north as Metemma...
, who in 1854 proclaimed himself a Negus
Negus
Negus is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature...
. They had no surviving issue.
End of reign
Although his reign was punctuated by recurrent rebellions, Ali managed to keep all of the major lords subject to his rule until the final years. Shiferaw Bekele asserts that "it is to his credit" that there were only two major wars while he was Ras Bewodded: the Battle of Debre Tabor in 1842, and Kassa HailuTewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
's successful offensive in 1852/1853.
Future events were foreshadowed in October, 1846, when Kassa Hailu defeated detachments of Empress Menen's army at two separate battles in Dembiya
Dembiya
Dembiya is a historic region of Ethiopia, intimately linked with Lake Tana. According to the account of Manuel de Almeida, Dembiya was "bounded on East by Begemder, on South by Gojjam, on West by Agaws of Achefer and Tangha...
; at the time, Ras Ali was away in Gojjam
Gojjam
Gojjam was a kingdom in the north-western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. This region is distinctive for lying entirely within the bend of the Abbay River from its outflow from Lake Tana to the Sudan...
attempting to subdue the province's warlord, Birru Goshu, and unable to assist his mother. Kassa defeated the army of Empress Menen the following year on 18 June at Iloha, and took both Menen and her husband the former Emperor Yohannes III
Yohannes III of Ethiopia
Emperor Yohannes III was the last of the elder "Gondar" line of the Solomonic dynasty to reign over Ethiopia. He was the son of Tekle Giyorgis. He was largely a figurehead, with real power in the hands of the Enderase or Regent, Ras Ali II a princeling of the Oromo ruling family of the district of...
captive, forcing Ras Ali to negotiate their release. After three months, in return for making Kassa Dejazmach over Dembiya, north of Lake Tana
Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia...
the Empress and her powerless husband were released. Dejazmach Kassa later reconciled himself to Ras Ali in 1849, and Kassa remained loyal to Ali for the next three years.
However, the relationship between the two eventually deteriorated. Following a series of stunning victories by the Dejazmach, Ali II was decisively defeated by his son-in-law Dejazmach Kassa (who later assumed the throne name of Tewodros II
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
) in the Battle of Ayshal
Battle of Ayshal
The Battle of Ayshal was fought on June 29, 1853, between the forces of Kassa Hailu and the forces of Ras Ali II, in Ayshal, in eastern Gojjam. Kassa's forces won the battle....
on 29 June 1853, and he lost both the regentship and his territories. At first Ali fled to safety at a local church, then a few days later fled to the territories of his kinsmen in Wollo
Wollo
Wollo was a historical region and province in the northeastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Dessie. The province was named after the Wollo Oromo, who settled in this part of Ethiopia in the 17th century...
province, where he disappeared to history. Sven Rubenson states that he advised Queen Worqitu of the Wollo Oromo to avoid a major battle with Tewodros when the Emperor marched through Wollo on his campaign against Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
in 1855. Both Proutky and Trimingham give the date of 1866 for his death, without further details.