Mangasha Seyum
Encyclopedia
Ras Mengesha Seyoum GCVO (born 1926) is a member of the imperial family of the Ethiopian Empire
. In 1974, the monarchy was abolished by the Derg
, a communist
military
junta
.
) (Ras
) Mangasha Seyum was born in 1926 in Dengolat, a village in Enderta
county, a part of Tigray. He is the son of Ras Seyum Mangasha
, the grandson of Ras Mangasha Yohannes
, and the great grandson of Emperor
Johannes IV
. Yohannes IV was the only Emperor of the Tigrayan cadet branch of the Solomonic dynasty (being descended in female lines from Emperors Yohannes I and Eyasu I. Emperor Menelik II of Shoa
came to power after the Battle of Metemma when Yohannes IV was killed and the male line of the Solomonic Dynasty was re-established on the Imperial throne. Mangasha Seyum is the heir to the Tigrean royal line and a rival to the Shoan emperor. Ras Mangasha Seyum's grandfather, Mangasha Yohannes was raised as the nephew of Yohannes IV. However Yohannes IV announced on his deathbed that Mangasha was his "natural
" son and designated heir. It is still disputed among Tigrean royal descendants whether Mangasha Yohannes was indeed an actual son of Yohannes IV, or a nephew that Yohannes adopted on his deathbed in order to name him as his successor as his legitimate son Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes
had died previously. There was a long standing rivalry between the descendants of Ras Araya Selassie and Ras Mangasha Yohannes over the rule of Tigrai and precedence.
With the title of Leul Dejazmatch
Mengesha Seyoum was Governor of Arusi
from 1952 to 1955. He was Governor of Sidamo
from 1955 to 1958. In 1946, Mangasha Seyum married one of Haile Sellassie's granddaughters, Princess Aida Desta
. They are the parents of five sons Lij Michael Sehul, Lij Yohannes,Lij Stephanos, Lij Jalye,Lij Seyoum and a daughter Imebet Menen. Mengesha Seyum was also the father of the late Imebet Rebka from his first marriage to Abonesh Demisse cousin of HRH Princess Atsede Asfaw who was also Mengesha Seyum's stepmother. After his father was murdered during the unsuccessful 1960 coup
against Emperor Haile Selassie, Mengesha Seyoum was elevated to the title of Leul Ras
and became Prince and Governor of Tigray Province
. He governed from his capital in Mek'ele
and held this position until 1974 when the monarchy was abolished.
In 1965, he was awarded the Knight Grand Cross
of the Royal Victorian Order
(GCVO) by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
In October 1974, after the monarchy was toppled, representatives of the Derg ordered Seyum Mangasha to the capital to face charges of corruption, but instead he fled to the hills. There Mengesha Seyoum helped to found a group that eventually became the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU). The EDU is conservative and pro-monarchy and is the oldest of the Ethiopian political parties. The EDU later merged with the Ethiopian Democratic Party and formed the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party
(EDUP), which later was one of the parties that joined to form the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces
, one of the two largest opposition parties in Ethiopia. In 2000, the EDU reorganized in Addis Ababa
as a legal opposition party after the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front
led the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
to power. His wife, Princess Aida Desta, and his daughter were arrested by the Derg in 1974. Although his daughter would eventually escape abroad, his wife remained in prison for 14 years. Ras Mengesha has retreated from all involvement in the political affairs of this party and its successor organizations.
Mengesha Seyoum lives partly in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and partly in the Washington D.C. area with his wife Princess Aida
. He maintains a close relationship with his nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is regarded as the senior surviving nobleman of the Ethiopian Empire, and the senior Prince of a cadet branch of the Imperial dynasty. Although for a significant period during the 1970s and 1980s he was regarded as a possible candidate for the succession by many monarchists, in 1989 he accepted the proclamation of Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen as Emperor in Exile of Ethiopia under the name Amha Selassie. Leul Ras Mengesha was prominent at the funerals of Emperor in Exile Amha Selassie, the reburial of Emperor Haile Selassie, Princess Tenagnework (who was his mother-in-law) and Empress Medferiashwork. With the death of Emperor Amha Selassie, Ras Mengesha is considered the elder member of the extended Imperial family, and at public events where members of the Imperial family appear, such as royal funerals, is given precedence over all male members of the family except Crown Prince Zera Yacob Amha Selassie.
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
. In 1974, the monarchy was abolished by the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
, a communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
junta
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
.
Biography
(LeulEthiopian aristocratic and court titles
Until the end of the monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia: the Mesafint or princes, hereditary nobles, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class; while the Mekwanint were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the nobility...
) (Ras
Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles
Until the end of the monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia: the Mesafint or princes, hereditary nobles, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class; while the Mekwanint were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the nobility...
) Mangasha Seyum was born in 1926 in Dengolat, a village in Enderta
Enderta
Enderta may refer to:* Enderta province, a historic subdivision of Ethiopia* Enderta, a woreda within the Tigray Region of Ethiopia...
county, a part of Tigray. He is the son of Ras Seyum Mangasha
Seyum Mangasha
Seyum Mangasha KBE was an army commander and a member of the Royal family of the Ethiopian Empire.-Biography:...
, the grandson of Ras Mangasha Yohannes
Ras Mengesha Yohannes
Mengesha Yohannes 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.-Biography:Prior to the Battle of Metemma, Mengesha Yohannes was...
, and the great grandson of Emperor
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...
Johannes IV
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV , born Lij Kassay Mercha Ge'ez, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death.-Early life:...
. Yohannes IV was the only Emperor of the Tigrayan cadet branch of the Solomonic dynasty (being descended in female lines from Emperors Yohannes I and Eyasu I. Emperor Menelik II of Shoa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
came to power after the Battle of Metemma when Yohannes IV was killed and the male line of the Solomonic Dynasty was re-established on the Imperial throne. Mangasha Seyum is the heir to the Tigrean royal line and a rival to the Shoan emperor. Ras Mangasha Seyum's grandfather, Mangasha Yohannes was raised as the nephew of Yohannes IV. However Yohannes IV announced on his deathbed that Mangasha was his "natural
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
" son and designated heir. It is still disputed among Tigrean royal descendants whether Mangasha Yohannes was indeed an actual son of Yohannes IV, or a nephew that Yohannes adopted on his deathbed in order to name him as his successor as his legitimate son Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes
Araya Selassie Yohannes
Araya Selassie Yohannes was an army commander and a member of the Royal family of the Ethiopian Empire.- Biography :Leul Araya Selassie Yohannes was born in Enderta, Tigray in 1867, the legitimate son of Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia...
had died previously. There was a long standing rivalry between the descendants of Ras Araya Selassie and Ras Mangasha Yohannes over the rule of Tigrai and precedence.
With the title of Leul Dejazmatch
Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles
Until the end of the monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia: the Mesafint or princes, hereditary nobles, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class; while the Mekwanint were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the nobility...
Mengesha Seyoum was Governor of Arusi
Arsi Province
Arsi was a province of Ethiopia with its capital at Asella. The province was reduced to a Zone of the Oromia Region with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995....
from 1952 to 1955. He was Governor of Sidamo
Sidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
from 1955 to 1958. In 1946, Mangasha Seyum married one of Haile Sellassie's granddaughters, Princess Aida Desta
Aida Desta
Princess Aida Desta is the daughter of Ras Desta Damtew and Princess Tenagnework, granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. She is the wife of Leul Ras Mangasha Seyum, Prince of Tigray, son of Seyum Mangasha, and claimant to the abolished Ethiopian crown.Princess Aida was incarcerated...
. They are the parents of five sons Lij Michael Sehul, Lij Yohannes,Lij Stephanos, Lij Jalye,Lij Seyoum and a daughter Imebet Menen. Mengesha Seyum was also the father of the late Imebet Rebka from his first marriage to Abonesh Demisse cousin of HRH Princess Atsede Asfaw who was also Mengesha Seyum's stepmother. After his father was murdered during the unsuccessful 1960 coup
1960 Ethiopian coup
The 1960 Ethiopian coup was the coup d'etat staged in Ethiopia on 13 December 1960 to overthrow Emperor Haile Selassie. While he was away on a state visit to Brazil, four conspirators, led by Germame Neway and his older brother Brigadier General Mengistu Neway, who was commander of the Kebur...
against Emperor Haile Selassie, Mengesha Seyoum was elevated to the title of Leul Ras
Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles
Until the end of the monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia: the Mesafint or princes, hereditary nobles, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class; while the Mekwanint were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the nobility...
and became Prince and Governor of Tigray Province
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...
. He governed from his capital in Mek'ele
Mek'ele
Mek'ele , also transliterated as Makale, is a city in northern Ethiopia and the capital of the Tigray Region. It is located some 650 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa, at latitude and longitude with an elevation of 2084 meters above sea level...
and held this position until 1974 when the monarchy was abolished.
In 1965, he was awarded the Knight Grand Cross
Knight Grand Cross
Knight Grand Cross is the most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are obsolete. The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(GCVO) by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
In October 1974, after the monarchy was toppled, representatives of the Derg ordered Seyum Mangasha to the capital to face charges of corruption, but instead he fled to the hills. There Mengesha Seyoum helped to found a group that eventually became the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU). The EDU is conservative and pro-monarchy and is the oldest of the Ethiopian political parties. The EDU later merged with the Ethiopian Democratic Party and formed the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party
Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party
The Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party is a political party in Ethiopia.At the legislative elections held on 15 May 2005, the EDUP was part of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces, that won 52 out of 527 seats in the Council of People's Representatives.- History :The Ethiopian Democratic Union or...
(EDUP), which later was one of the parties that joined to form the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces
United Ethiopian Democratic Forces
The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces is a coalition of several existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005....
, one of the two largest opposition parties in Ethiopia. In 2000, the EDU reorganized in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
as a legal opposition party after the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front
Tigrayan People's Liberation Front
The Tigrayan People's Liberation Front , known more commonly and sometimes pejoratively in Ethiopia as Woyane or Weyane is a political party in Ethiopia...
led the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization , the Amhara National Democratic Movement , the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's...
to power. His wife, Princess Aida Desta, and his daughter were arrested by the Derg in 1974. Although his daughter would eventually escape abroad, his wife remained in prison for 14 years. Ras Mengesha has retreated from all involvement in the political affairs of this party and its successor organizations.
Mengesha Seyoum lives partly in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and partly in the Washington D.C. area with his wife Princess Aida
Aida Desta
Princess Aida Desta is the daughter of Ras Desta Damtew and Princess Tenagnework, granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. She is the wife of Leul Ras Mangasha Seyum, Prince of Tigray, son of Seyum Mangasha, and claimant to the abolished Ethiopian crown.Princess Aida was incarcerated...
. He maintains a close relationship with his nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is regarded as the senior surviving nobleman of the Ethiopian Empire, and the senior Prince of a cadet branch of the Imperial dynasty. Although for a significant period during the 1970s and 1980s he was regarded as a possible candidate for the succession by many monarchists, in 1989 he accepted the proclamation of Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen as Emperor in Exile of Ethiopia under the name Amha Selassie. Leul Ras Mengesha was prominent at the funerals of Emperor in Exile Amha Selassie, the reburial of Emperor Haile Selassie, Princess Tenagnework (who was his mother-in-law) and Empress Medferiashwork. With the death of Emperor Amha Selassie, Ras Mengesha is considered the elder member of the extended Imperial family, and at public events where members of the Imperial family appear, such as royal funerals, is given precedence over all male members of the family except Crown Prince Zera Yacob Amha Selassie.
See also
- Monarchies of EthiopiaMonarchies of EthiopiaThis is a list of Monarchies that existed throughout the history of Ethiopia. This list is divided into kingdoms that were subdivisions of Ethiopia, and kingdoms that were later conquered by Ethiopia...
- Line of succession to the Ethiopian ThroneLine of succession to the Ethiopian ThroneThe line of succession to the Ethiopian throne is described in the first section of the 1955 Revised Constitution of Ethiopia.In brief, the title of Emperor may pass only through male descendants of HIM Haile Selassie I, through the oldest male line before the younger...
- Ethiopian aristocratic and court titlesEthiopian aristocratic and court titlesUntil the end of the monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia: the Mesafint or princes, hereditary nobles, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class; while the Mekwanint were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the nobility...
- List of honorary British Knights
- Aida DestaAida DestaPrincess Aida Desta is the daughter of Ras Desta Damtew and Princess Tenagnework, granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. She is the wife of Leul Ras Mangasha Seyum, Prince of Tigray, son of Seyum Mangasha, and claimant to the abolished Ethiopian crown.Princess Aida was incarcerated...
- Wife - Stefanos Mangasha SeyumStefanos Mengesha SeyoumPrince Stefanos Mengesha Seyoum is a member of the Royal Family of Ethiopia. He serves as the Imperial Chancellor of Imperial Ethiopian Order of Saint Mary of Zion. He is the son of Ras Mangasha Seyum and Princess Aida Desta...
- Son - Wolete Israel SeyumWolete Israel SeyoumPrincess Wolete Israel Seyoum , was the daughter of Leul Ras Seyoum Mengesha, Prince of Tigray, and great-granddaughter of Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia. She was thus the sister of Leul Ras Mengesha Seyoum. She was first married to the much older Dejazmach Gebre Selassie Baria Gabr of Adwa by...
- Sister
Further reading
- Charles B. Rosen: "The Governor-General of Tigre Province: Structure & Anti-Structure", Proceedings of the First United States Conference on Ethiopian Studies, (1973), p. 171-183