Mikael of Wollo
Encyclopedia
Mikael of Wollo born Mohammed Ali, was an army commander
and a member of the nobility
of the Ethiopian Empire
. He was the father of the "uncrowned" Emperor Iyasu V
. He changed his name to Mikael upon converting to Christianity.
, was born in Wollo
. His father was Imam
Ali Abba Bula and his mother was Woizera
("Dame
") Getie.
Mohammed Ali was a relative of Queen Worqitu of Wollo. Queen Worqitu befriended the young Shewa
n Prince named Menelik when he escaped from Emperor
Theodore II
. In the mid-1850s, Theodore imprisoned the young man in his stronghold at Magdala
. The imprisonment was not harsh and, while imprisoned, Menelik had married one of Theodore's daughters.
Mohammed Ali became a close friend of Menelik who was six years older than he was and was shortly to be proclaimed King of Shewa. In time, Menelik was proclaimed Emperor
Menelik II and Mohammed Ali became one of his loyal supporters. As a result, by 1874 Menelik appointed Mohammed Ali as governor of Wollo. However, when Mohammed returned to Wollo from a campaign with Menelik in Gojjam
, he found his position threatened by an anti-Shewan revolt. He decided to forsake his friend to maintain his power base and sided with Yohannes IV
, who was about to march on Shewa and likely to defeat Menelik. "Although this political manoeuvre succeeded over the longer run," Harold Marcus observes, "Mahammad Ali immediately suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Shewan army."
Despite Menelik's victory over the Wollo, Emperor Yohannes induced him to submit 20 March 1878, which included transferring Mohammed Ali's allegiance from Menelik to Yohannes. Later that year, the Council of Boru Meda, held under the Emperor's direction, directed all Moslems holding office in Ethiopia convert to Christianity within three months or renounce their positions. "Having concluded that Wollo was worth a mass," Marcus writes, "Mohammad Ali led his people to Christianity." While he was baptized with the name "Mikael" and became a Ras (equivalent to "Duke
"), many of his fellow Wollo Oromo refused to forsake their faith and left for sanctuary in Metemma
, Jimma
, and Harar
. Mikael of Wollo, as he was now known, eventually would marry Shoaregga Menelik, Menelik's natural daughter, becoming the third of his four wives. Mikael founded Dessie
, the first town in Wollo and its new capital. Ras Mikael would become a deeply devout Orthodox Christian, and a dedicated builder of churches.
In 1896, during the First Italo-Ethiopian War, Mikael fought for Menelik and led the feared Oromo cavalry against the invading Italians at the Battle of Adowa. An Italian brigade began a fighting retreat towards the main Italian positions. However, the brigade inadvertently marched into a narrow valley where Mikael's cavalry slaughtered them while shouting "Reap! Reap!" (Ebalgume! Ebalgume!). The remains of the brigade's commander were never found.
Following Menelik's death in 1913, Mikael's son, Lij
Iyasu, ascended as Iyasu V. Per Menelik's wishes, Ras Tessema Nadew became the Regent
for Menelik's 18-year-old grandson. However, that same year, Tessema Nadew died. While Iyasu was now on his own, he was never fully accepted. More importantly, he was never formally crowned Emperor. However, on the instructions of Iyasu, his father Mikael was anointed Negus
. Mikael then became the power behind the throne.
During World War I
, concerns arose over Iyasu's ties to the Central Powers
, over his possible support for Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
, and over his potential conversion to Islam
. In response to these concerns, on 27 September 1916, Iyasu was deposed by a council of nobles and high clergy, and Mikael's sister-in-law, Woizero Zewditu, was pronounced Negiste Negest ("Queen of Kings") Zewditu I. Zewditu was another of Menelik's daughters, and at the same time that she was made Empress, the council also proclamed as Regent
and Heir to the Throne, young Ras Tafari Makonnen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie I. The new Regent and Heir Ras Tafari was married to Woizero(later Empress)Menen Asfaw
, a granddaughter of Negus Mikael by his daughter Woizero Sehin Mikael.
Negus Mikael's response to Iyasu being deposed was swift. On 7 October, Mikael set out from Wollo at the head of an army of 80,000 men to invade Shewa and to reinstate his son; Iyasu would join him there with an army of his own. On 27 October, Negus Mikael confronted the main body of the forces supporting Zewditu in the Battle of Segale
. Mikael attacked first, but ammunition for his machine guns ran out early and his artillery was silenced quickly. His infantry and cavalry assaults ran directly into the murderous fire of an enemy ready for his attacks. Iyasu was detoured on his way to the battlefield and arrived too late to help. He was only able to see that his father was defeated, and fled the battlefield and went into hiding. Mikael was captured and put under the supervision of Fitawrari
("Commander of the Vanguard") Habte Giyorgis
, who confined on an island in Lake Chabo in Gurageland. After two and a half years, Mikael successfully petitioned to Empress Zewditu to be moved from the island, and he was put under house arrest
at Holeta Genet
, where he died six months later. As the grandfather of the wife of the Crown Prince, the court went into full mourning for Negus Mikael.
Army of the Ethiopian Empire
Armies of the Ethiopia have existed since earliest times. Ethiopia maintained a sizable contingent of her forces in her Sabbean Garrisons which expanded out to project power over colonies in Yemen and to protect Caravans or trade routes....
and a member of the nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
of the Ethiopian Empire
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...
. He was the father of the "uncrowned" Emperor Iyasu V
Iyasu V of Ethiopia
Iyasu V , also known as Lij Iyasu was the designated but uncrowned Emperor of Ethiopia . His baptismal name was Kifle Yaqob...
. He changed his name to Mikael upon converting to Christianity.
Life
Mohammed Ali, an OromoOromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
, was born 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...
. His father was Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Ali Abba Bula and his mother was Woizera
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...
("Dame
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
") Getie.
Mohammed Ali was a relative of Queen Worqitu of Wollo. Queen Worqitu befriended the young Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
n Prince named Menelik when he escaped from 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...
Theodore II
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
. In the mid-1850s, Theodore imprisoned the young man in his stronghold at Magdala
Amba Mariam
Amba Mariam is a village in central Ethiopia. It was known as Magdala or Meqdela during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia...
. The imprisonment was not harsh and, while imprisoned, Menelik had married one of Theodore's daughters.
Mohammed Ali became a close friend of Menelik who was six years older than he was and was shortly to be proclaimed King of Shewa. In time, Menelik was proclaimed 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...
Menelik II and Mohammed Ali became one of his loyal supporters. As a result, by 1874 Menelik appointed Mohammed Ali as governor of Wollo. However, when Mohammed returned to Wollo from a campaign with Menelik 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...
, he found his position threatened by an anti-Shewan revolt. He decided to forsake his friend to maintain his power base and sided with Yohannes IV
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV , born Lij Kassay Mercha Ge'ez, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death.-Early life:...
, who was about to march on Shewa and likely to defeat Menelik. "Although this political manoeuvre succeeded over the longer run," Harold Marcus observes, "Mahammad Ali immediately suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Shewan army."
Despite Menelik's victory over the Wollo, Emperor Yohannes induced him to submit 20 March 1878, which included transferring Mohammed Ali's allegiance from Menelik to Yohannes. Later that year, the Council of Boru Meda, held under the Emperor's direction, directed all Moslems holding office in Ethiopia convert to Christianity within three months or renounce their positions. "Having concluded that Wollo was worth a mass," Marcus writes, "Mohammad Ali led his people to Christianity." While he was baptized with the name "Mikael" and became a Ras (equivalent to "Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
"), many of his fellow Wollo Oromo refused to forsake their faith and left for sanctuary in Metemma
Metemma
Metemma is a town in northwestern Ethiopia, on the border with Sudan. Located in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Metemma has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 685 meters above sea level. Across the border is the corresponding Sudanese village of Gallabat...
, Jimma
Jimma
Jimma, also Jima, is the largest city in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of . The town was the capital of Kaffa Province until the province was dissolved. Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administratively as a...
, and Harar
Harar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
. Mikael of Wollo, as he was now known, eventually would marry Shoaregga Menelik, Menelik's natural daughter, becoming the third of his four wives. Mikael founded Dessie
Dessie
Dessie is a city and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located on the Addis Ababa - Asmara highway in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 2,470 and 2,550 meters above sea level.Dessie has postal service , and telephone...
, the first town in Wollo and its new capital. Ras Mikael would become a deeply devout Orthodox Christian, and a dedicated builder of churches.
In 1896, during the First Italo-Ethiopian War, Mikael fought for Menelik and led the feared Oromo cavalry against the invading Italians at the Battle of Adowa. An Italian brigade began a fighting retreat towards the main Italian positions. However, the brigade inadvertently marched into a narrow valley where Mikael's cavalry slaughtered them while shouting "Reap! Reap!" (Ebalgume! Ebalgume!). The remains of the brigade's commander were never found.
Following Menelik's death in 1913, Mikael's son, Lij
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...
Iyasu, ascended as Iyasu V. Per Menelik's wishes, Ras Tessema Nadew became the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for Menelik's 18-year-old grandson. However, that same year, Tessema Nadew died. While Iyasu was now on his own, he was never fully accepted. More importantly, he was never formally crowned Emperor. However, on the instructions of Iyasu, his father Mikael was anointed 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...
. Mikael then became the power behind the throne.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, concerns arose over Iyasu's ties to the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
, over his possible support for Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan was a Somali religious and patriotic leader...
, and over his potential conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. In response to these concerns, on 27 September 1916, Iyasu was deposed by a council of nobles and high clergy, and Mikael's sister-in-law, Woizero Zewditu, was pronounced Negiste Negest ("Queen of Kings") Zewditu I. Zewditu was another of Menelik's daughters, and at the same time that she was made Empress, the council also proclamed as Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
and Heir to the Throne, young Ras Tafari Makonnen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie I. The new Regent and Heir Ras Tafari was married to Woizero(later Empress)Menen Asfaw
Menen Asfaw
Empress Menen Asfaw was the wife and consort of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. Empress Menen was the daughter of Asfaw, Jantirar of Ambassel...
, a granddaughter of Negus Mikael by his daughter Woizero Sehin Mikael.
Negus Mikael's response to Iyasu being deposed was swift. On 7 October, Mikael set out from Wollo at the head of an army of 80,000 men to invade Shewa and to reinstate his son; Iyasu would join him there with an army of his own. On 27 October, Negus Mikael confronted the main body of the forces supporting Zewditu in the Battle of Segale
Battle of Segale
The Battle of Segale, fought on 27 October 1916, defeated the supporters of Emperor Iyasu V of Ethiopia and secured the effects of the palace coup that led to Zawditu being proclaimed Empress. Henze states that "Segale was Ethiopia's greatest battle since Adwa."- Background :The nobility of...
. Mikael attacked first, but ammunition for his machine guns ran out early and his artillery was silenced quickly. His infantry and cavalry assaults ran directly into the murderous fire of an enemy ready for his attacks. Iyasu was detoured on his way to the battlefield and arrived too late to help. He was only able to see that his father was defeated, and fled the battlefield and went into hiding. Mikael was captured and put under the supervision of Fitawrari
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...
("Commander of the Vanguard") Habte Giyorgis
Habte Giyorgis
Fitawrari Habte Giorgis Dinagde was the Ethiopian Minister of War during the reigns of Menelik II, Iyasu V, Zauditu and Haile Selassie . He is from the Oromo people of Ethiopia and played a leading role in several battles...
, who confined on an island in Lake Chabo in Gurageland. After two and a half years, Mikael successfully petitioned to Empress Zewditu to be moved from the island, and he was put under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
at Holeta Genet
Holeta Genet
Holeta Genet is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Mirab Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of and an altitude of 2391 meters above sea level....
, where he died six months later. As the grandfather of the wife of the Crown Prince, the court went into full mourning for Negus Mikael.