Mikael of Wollo | |
|---|---|
._King_of_Wollo.jpg) | |
| Ras ofWollo | |
| Monarchs | Yohannes IV Menelik II |
| Negus ofAbyssinia | |
| Monarch | Lij Iyasu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mohammed Ali 1850 Wollo,Ethiopian Empire |
| Died | 8 September 1918(1918-09-08) (aged 67–68) Holeta,Shewa Province, Ethiopian Empire |
| Children | Lij Iyasu, Woizero Sihin of Wollo, Ras Gebrehiwot |
| Occupation |
|
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo prev.Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ethiopian Empire |
| Battles/wars | First Italo-Ethiopian War
|
NegusMikael of Wollo (bornMohammed Ali, 1850 – 8 September 1918), was anarmy commander and a member of thenobility of theEthiopian Empire. He was the father of the "uncrowned" EmperorLij Iyasu, and the grandfather ofEmpress Menen, wife of EmperorHaile Selassie. He changed his name to Mikael upon converting toChristianity.
Ras Mikael had a strong relationship with bothYohannes IV (who became his godfather) andMenelik II (who became his father-in-law).
Ras Mikael had played a pivotal role in Ethiopian history. His Wollo army was one of the most powerful in Northern Ethiopia, and the Wollo cavalry was renowned throughout the empire. Ras Michael fought with Emperor Yohannes in theBattle of Gallabat against the Mahdist Sudanese. Loyal to the end, he held the dying Yohannes in his arms. Ras Mikael also led the Wollo Oromo cavalry during theBattle of Adwa fighting together with Menelik II, Ras Mekonnen, Ras Mengesha and Negus Tekle Haimanot.[1]
Ras Mikael was born in Wollo, and as a Muslim, he was named Mohammed Ali. His father wasImam Ali Abba Bula, an ethnic Oromo from the powerful Wallo dynasty. His motherWoizero Jeti (ጄቲ) was reportedly a Christian noblewoman who was of Oromo and Amhara descent. Mohammed Ali's lineage included both Oromo and Amharic speaking ancestors attesting to the multiethnic populace ofWollo.[2]
In the infamous "Council of Boru Meda," Emperor Yohannes forced Mohammed Ali and the Muslim aristocrats of Wollo to convert to Christianity within three months or renounce their positions. "Having concluded that Wollo was worth a mass," Marcus claims, "Mohammad Ali led his people to Christianity." Ali was baptized with the name "Mikael" and became aRas (equivalent to "Duke"). Nevertheless, while some of the leaders of Wollo converted to Christianity, the vast majority of the Muslim populace of Wollo refused to convert and revolted. InIfat province rebel leaderTalha Jafar led an insurgency in 1879 which defeated Mikael's forces.[3] As a consequence, Atse Yohannes campaigned throughout Wollo, massacring thousands of Wollo Muslims to break their resistance. Many Muslims from Wollo left for sanctuary inMetemma,Kingdom of Jimma, and theEmirate of Harar.[4]
Emperor Yohannes IV stood as his godfather at his baptism. Ras Mikael of Wollo, as he was now known, eventually married Shoaregga Menelik,[nb 1] Menelik's natural daughter, becoming the third of his four wives.
Mikael foundedDessie, the first town in Wollo and its new capital. It is claimed that Ras Mikael became a deeply devoutEthiopian Orthodox Christian, and a dedicated builder of churches.[citation needed]
In 1896, during theFirst Italo-Ethiopian War, Ras Mikael fought with Menelik and led the feared Wollo cavalry against theinvading Italians at theBattle of Adwa. 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!". The remains of the brigade's commander were never found.[5]
Following Menelik's death in 1913, Mikael's son and Emperor Menelik's grandson,Lij Iyasu. Per Menelik's wishes,RasTessema Nadew became theRegent 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 anointedNegus or king of Wollo and Tigray. Negus Mikael then became the power behind the throne.[6]
DuringWorld War I, concerns arose over Iyasu's ties to theCentral Powers, over his possible support forMohammed Abdullah Hassan, and over his potential conversion toIslam. 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,WoizeroZewditu, was pronouncedNegiste 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 proclaimed asRegent and Heir to the Throne, youngRasTafari Makonnen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie I. The new Regent and Heir Ras Tafari was married toWoizero (later Empress)Menen Asfaw, a granddaughter ofNegus Mikael by his daughterWoizero Sehin Mikael.
Negus Mikael's response to Iyasu being deposed was swift. On 7 October 1916, 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 theBattle 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.[7] 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.[8] Mikael was captured and put under the supervision ofFitawrari ("Commander of the Vanguard")Habte Giyorgis, who confined him on an island in Lake Chabo inGurageland. After two and a half years, Mikael successfully petitioned to Empress Zewditu to be moved from the island, and he was put underhouse arrest atHoleta Genet at a former country home of the late Emperor Menelik II, where he died six months later.[9] As the grandfather of the wife of the Crown Prince, Negus Mikael was given full mourning by the royal court.
Negus Mikael died on 8 September 1918. The body was then carried from Holeta (Menagesha) to Tenta for burial. The king was buried in Tenta St Mikael Church.
A mausoleum, with a dome shaped roofing, is found in the church's compound about 20 metres from the church's building. The king, Negus Mikael, was buried in this mausoleum. Together with the king, two family members are also buried there: his sons Gebrehiwot Mikael and Ali Mikael, together with Negus Mikael's sister, Yetemegn Mere'ed.
Media related toNegus Mikael of Wollo at Wikimedia Commons