Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam

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Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam
Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam.png
King of Gojjam
Reign20 January 1881 – 10 January 1901
Born1847
Died10 January 1901(1901-01-10) (aged 53–54)
SpouseLaqetch Gebre Mehdin
DynastyHouse of Solomon
FatherTessemma Goshu, King of Gojjam

Tekle Haymanot Tessemma, also known as Adal Tessemma,[1] Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, and Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam (1847 – 10 January 1901), was King of Gojjam, a member of the Solomonic dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire. He later was an army commander and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire.

Biography[]

Born Adal Tessemma, Tekle Haymanot Tessemma was the son of , Negus[nb 1] of Gojjam. Gojjam had long been a vassal kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The title "King of Gojjam" was an honorific title.

Under Tekle Giyorgis[]

Dejazmach[nb 2] Tessemma Goshu died during his son's minority. As a result, a rival, and Gojam prince, of the Gojam imperial house, named Ras assumed control in Gojjam and imprisoned Adal. Adal eventually escaped to the lowlands and raised an army. After returning to Gojjam and defeating Ras Desta, Adal submitted to Nəgusä Nägäst[nb 3] Tekle Giyorgis who confirmed him as the Shum[nb 4] of Gojjam and as Dejazmach. The Nəgusä Nägäst even allowed Adal to marry his paternal sister, .[2]

Under Yohannes IV[]

On 11 July 1871, Dejazmach Kassay Mercha defeated Nəgusä Nägäst Tekle Giyorgis and reinstated Ras Desta in Gojjam. On 21 January 1872, Kassay Mercha became Nəgusä Nägäst Yohannes IV and left Gojjam. Adal then returned to Gojjam and killed Desta.[2] At that point, Adal had consolidated all of Gojjam under his rule.[3] In 1874, Adal submitted to Nəgusä Nägäst Yohannes IV.[4] Adal was now Ras[nb 5] Tekle Haymanot Tessemma.

On 20 January 1881, in Debre Tabor, Nəgusä Nägäst Yohannes IV appointed Ras Tekle Haymanot Tessemma as Negus of Gojjam Province and as Negus of Kaffa Province. However, the latter province was only his if he was able to conquer it. Unfortunately for Ras Tekle Haymanot Tessemma, Ras Menelik, Negus of Shewa, was also interested in Kaffa Province. Yohannes provided Tekle Haymanot with 8,000 rifles to help with the conquest.[5]

The Battle of Embabo[]

Main article: Battle of Embabo

The followers of Negus Tekle Haymanot Tessemma attempted to extend his control over the Kingdom of Kaffa. But, on 6 June 1882, his forces were defeated at the Battle of Embabo by the superior forces of Negus Menelik. Tekle Haymanot Tessemma was captured and Menelik gained the upper hand in Kaffa. But Yohannes intervened and, while allowing Menelik to have Kaffa, he made Menelik give Wollo Province to Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes, his legitimate son.[5]

Destruction and submission[]

in January 1887, Negus Tekle Haymanot attacked the Mahdists in the city of Metemma, He defeated the Mahdist army and sacked the city. As a revenge, the next year the Mahdists under campaigned out of Metemma into Ethiopia with a large army; their objective was the Historical town of Gondar. Tekle Haymanot confronted him at on 18 January 1888, but was defeated.[2] As a result of this loss, northwestern Ethiopia was open to the Mahdists who followed up their victory by entering, sacking, and burning Gondar. Large numbers of Christians were captured, enslaved, and marched off to Metemma.[6]

Emperor Yohannes IV ordered Negus Menelik and his Shewan army into Gojjam and Begemder. Sensing a shift in power, Negus Tekle Haymanot Tessemma negotiated a defensive alliance with Menelik. After Menelik secured Gojjam and Begemder, Yohannes ordered him to return to Shewa.[6]

In September 1888, when Tekle Haymanot Tessemma refused to contribute forces to the efforts of Yohannes against Mahdist who had re-entered western Gojjam, Yohannes suspected Tekle Haymanot and Menelik of plotting against him. To destroy the power of Tekle Haymanot, the army of Yohannes laid waste to much of Gojjam.[2] As a result of the destruction, Tekle Haymanot submitted to Yohannes.[6]

Under Menelik II[]

In 1889, soon after the death of Yohannes at the Battle of Gallabat, Menelik proclaimed himself Nəgusä Nägäst Menelik II. Negus Tekle Haymanot pledged his allegiance to the new Nəgusä Nägäst.[7] Menelik reinstated Tekle Haymanot as Shum of Gojjam and named him as an advisor.

Battle of Adwa[]

Main article: Battle of Adwa

Negus Tekle Haymanot was one of the main commanders in the Battle of Adwa and fought alongside Emperor Menelik, and was a hero of that action.

Death[]

The Tekle Haymanot Arch in Debre Markos

Ultimately Emperor Menelik determined that Gojjam was too valuable a province to be held by one man and, upon the death of Tekle Haymanot, Menelik divided Gojjam into three parts. He assigned the three parts to different men responsible to him. One of the men came from Shewa.[3]

Tekle Haymanot Tessemma was the father of at least three sons and four daughters. His sons were as follows: , Hailu, and . One of his sons, Ras Hailu Tekle Haymanot, succeeded him as Hailu II of Gojjam.

See also[]

Notes[]

Footnotes
  1. ^ Roughly equivalent to King.
  2. ^ "Commander of the Gate", roughly equivalent to Count.
  3. ^ "King of Kings", usually translated as Emperor.
  4. ^ Equivalent to Governor.
  5. ^ Roughly equivalent to Duke.
Citations
  1. ^ Shin, Historical dictionary of Ethiopia, pg. 67
  2. ^ a b c d Shin, Historical dictionary of Ethiopia, pg. 368
  3. ^ a b Gebru Tareke, Ethiopia: Power and Protest, p. 163
  4. ^ Marcus, A History of Ethiopia, pp. 73-74
  5. ^ a b Marcus, A History of Ethiopia, p. 80
  6. ^ a b c Marcus, A History of Ethiopia, p. 86
  7. ^ Mockler, Haile Sellassie's War, p. 385

References[]

  • Marcus, Harold G. (1994). A History of Ethiopia. London: University of California Press. pp. 316. ISBN 0-520-22479-5.
  • Mockler, Anthony (2002). Haile Sellassie's War. New York: Olive Branch Press. ISBN 978-1-56656-473-1.
  • Shinn, David Hamilton, Ofcansky, Thomas P., and Prouty, Chris (2004). Historical dictionary of Ethiopia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 633. ISBN 0-8108-4910-0.
  • Tareke, Gebru (1996). Ethiopia, Power and Protest: Peasant Revolts in the Twentieth Century. Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press.
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