Haile Selassie GugsaCBE (1907–1985)^[1] was an Ethiopianarmy commander and member of theImperial family fromTigray. He is known for siding withItaly instead of theEthiopian Empire during theSecond Italo-Ethiopian War and becoming afascist collaborator.

Haile Selassie Gugsa
Dejazmatch of Ethiopia
Gugsa (left) with Italian GeneralEmilio de Bono
Born	1907[1] Tigray,Ethiopian Empire
Died	1985(1985-00-00) (aged 77–78) Ambo,Ethiopia
Burial	Holy Trinity Cathedral
Spouse	Princess Zenebework
House	House of Solomon
Father	Leul RasGugsa Araya Selassie
Religion	Oriental Orthodox Christianity

Haile Selassie Gugsa was the son ofLeul^{[nb 1]}Ras^{[nb 2]}Gugsa Araya Selassie. Gugsa Araya Selassie was theShum^{[nb 3]} of easternTigray Province as well as the great grandson of EmperorYohannes IV.^{[citation needed]}

In April 1932, Gugsa Araya Selassie died and Haile Selassie Gugsa replaced him asShum of eastern Tigray with the title ofDejazmatch.^{[citation needed]}

On 15 June 1932,^{[citation needed]}Dejazmatch Haile Selassie Gugsa marriedLeult^{[nb 4]}Zenebework Haile Selassie, Emperor Haile Selassie's second daughter.^[2] He was about 25 years old and she was not quite 14 years old.Leult Zenebework died in 1934. Relations between Emperor Haile Selassie andDejazmatch Haile Selassie Gugsa became quite cold after this. The strain between them was especially apparent when the Emperor insisted on bringing his daughter's body back toAddis Ababa for burial rather than allowing her husband to bury her in the capital of eastern Tigray,Mek'ele. This was a clear sign of Emperor Haile Selassie's unhappiness with his son-in-law.Dejazmach Haile Selassie on his part was very bitter that he was not elevated to the titles ofLeul andRas which had been held by his father before him, and were held by his rival Seyum Mengesha of western Tigray.

At the same time as the marriage of Haile Selassie Gugsa to Zenebework Haile Selassie,Crown PrinceAsfaw Wossen marriedLeultWolete Israel Seyum, the daughter ofRasSeyum Mangasha of western Tigray Province. He was 16 years old and she was about 26 years old. The two marriages were meant to cement ties between the reigningShoa branch of theImperial Ethiopian dynasty with both rival sides of theTigrean branch of the dynasty. The death of Princess Zenebework and the chill in relations between Haile Selassie Gugsa and Emperor Haile Selassie signalled the failure of this policy at least with the Eastern Tigrean branch of the dynasty.^{[citation needed]}

On 3 October 1935, asDejazmatch,^{[nb 5]} Haile Selassie Gugsa was the commander in the Mek'ele sector when theItalians invaded Ethiopia. As theItalians advanced, Emperor Haile Selassie orderedRas Seyum Mangasha, the Commander of the EthiopianArmy of Tigre, to withdraw a day's march away from theMareb River. Later, the Emperor orderedRas Seyum to move back fifty-five miles from the border.Dejazmach Haile Selassie Gugsa, who was also in the area, was ordered to move back thirty-five miles. This was to demonstrate to theLeague of Nations that Italy was clearly the aggressor.^{[citation needed]}

On 10 October, Haile Selassie Gugsa went over to the advancing Italians and announced his submission to Italian rule. The Italians immediately released photographs of Haile Selassie Gugsa participating in war councils with the Italian commander on the northern front, General de Bono. Furious Ethiopian patriots in Mek'ele promptly set fire toDejazmach Haile Selassie Gugsa's home in the town. On 8 November, Mek'ele fell.^[3]

Some sources indicate that Haile Selassie Gugsa and his forces played an active part in aiding the Italian invasion.^[4] Other sources indicate his men were soon disarmed. Either way, Haile Selassie Gugsa remained loyal to the Italians who, at a minimum, used him for propaganda purposes during the balance of the invasion and during thefive years of occupation. He was honoured by the Italians with the title ofRas which had been denied him by Emperor Haile Selassie, as well as an Italian pension, and recognition as the senior Tigrean prince over his rival Seyoum Mengesha.^{[citation needed]}

In May 1938, Haile Selassie Gugsa was inItaly to welcomeGerman dictatorAdolf Hitler when the Nazi leader paid a state visit to KingVictor Emmanuel III. Hitler was visiting at the invitation of the Italian dictatorBenito Mussolini in Rome. Haile Selassie Gugsa watched as Mussolini's son,Bruno, led a squadron of twenty-eight bombers that sank two 23,000-ton empty freighters in theTyrrhenian Sea.^[5]

By 27 September 1939, during theFeast of Maskal in Addis Ababa,Ras Haile Selassie Gugsa,RasHailu Tekle Haymanot, andRas Seyum Mangasha sat withAmedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta, the Viceroy and Governor General ofItalian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI).^[6] All three Ethiopian leaders had submitted to Italian control of what had been their homeland and what was now the AOI colony.^{[citation needed]}

In 1941, towards the end of theliberation of Italian East Africa by British,Commonwealth, and EthiopianArbegnoch^{[nb 6]} forces, Haile Selassie Gugsa was temporarily placed in power in Tigray by the British. BritishBrigadierMaurice Stanley Lush, Deputy Chief Political Officer for Ethiopia, placed him back in command of eastern Tigray Province, with the intention of separating Tigray from Ethiopia, joining it to Eritrea and establishing a new "Greater Tigray/Tigrign" monarchy under either Haile Selassie Gugsa or Ras Seyum Mangasha. This plan had the support of many British colonial officers, but not of the British High Command nor of the British government, and Ras Seyum proved to be cold towards any plan of dismembering the Ethiopian Empire. The Lush group had hoped that Haile Selassie Gugsa would be more accommodating. However, Haile Selassie Gugsa was soon caught corresponding with the Italians. As a result, the British took him into custody and kept him first in British heldAsmara. The government of Emperor Haile Selassie I approached the British administration and listed the crimes and treason of Haile Selassie Gugsa and requested his extradition. The British indicated that they would extradite him only after obtaining a promise that his punishment would not include death. However, the British ultimately removed Haile Selassie Gugsa from Asmara and sent him to theSeychelles for safe keeping.^[7]

In 1946, after continued requests for extradition, Haile Selassie Gugsa was returned to the Ethiopians. In 1947, he stood trial and was declared a fascist collaborator and a traitor. Haile Selassie Gugsa then threw himself on the mercy of the Emperor. As a result, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He was placed under house arrest atGore, and later at Ambo for twenty-eight years.^[7] His Italian-supplied honorific title ofRas was not recognised and he reverted to his old title ofDejazmach.^{[citation needed]}

In 1947, eastern Tigray was incorporated into western Tigray and was governed byRas Seyum Mangasha as hereditary prince of all Tigray.Dejazmach Haile Selassie Gugsa and his side of the family of Emperor Yohannes IV fell from grace. They no longer enjoyed favour either from the Emperor in Addis Ababa or fromRas Seyum Mangasha in Tigray.^{[citation needed]}

In 1974, theDerg toppled theEthiopian monarchy andDejazmach Haile Selassie Gugsa was freed. However, even after he was released, the Derg continued to regard him as a fascist collaborator and as a traitor to his country. Haile Selassie Gugsa remained under effectivehouse arrest atAmbo in western Ethiopia from that point on although technically no longer a state prisoner. Haile Selassie Gugsa died in early 1985.^[7]

• Monarchies of Ethiopia
• Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles
• Desta Damtew – Another son-in-law of Haile Selassie
• Beyene Merid – Another son-in-law of Haile Selassie

Footnotes

Citations

• Haile Selassie I (1999). Marcus, Harold (ed.).My Life and Ethiopia's Progress: The Autobiography of Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Volume II. Translated by Gebions, Ezekiel. Chicago: Research Associates School Times Publications. p. 190.ISBN 0-948390-40-9.
• 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.
• Nicolle, David (1997).The Italian Invasion of Abyssinia 1935-1936. Westminster, MD: Osprey. pp. 48 pages.ISBN 978-1-85532-692-7.

• Time magazine, Monday, 18 November 1935,Gugsa Makes Good
• Time magazine, Monday, 16 May 1938,Germany/Italy: $20,000,000 Visit
• Newspaper clippings about Haile Selassie Gugsa in the20th Century Press Archives of theZBW=