Emperor Yohannis IV and The Italian War

Emperor  Yohannis IV of the Ethiopian Empire

Emperor Yohannis IV was born Kassa Mercha,  he was a decendant of the Ras Michael Sihul, who had became Enderase of the Empire during the reign of Emperor Eyoas. Ras Michael would later order the murder of that Emperor and rise to such power that some date the begining of the Zemene Mesafint to this event. Dejazmatch Mercha's mother was therefore a member of the House of Solomon,

Kassa became Shum of Tembien upon the death of his father, with the title of Dejazmatch. However, Dejazmatch Kassa was in constant rebellion against Emperor Tewodros II, a man of relatively low birth who had risen as a great warlord, to unite the fragmenting empire under his rule

Kassa Mercha(Yohannis IV) was one of Ethiopians that helped General Napier  a British  that was on a  rescue missions to free British captives. Yohannis only helped because the British Genral promised he would leave after the rescued the hostages. After Tewodros death they made sure that their friend Kassa Mercha was rewarded with many modern weapons.

Immediately, Gobezze, who was descended from the Zagwe Emperors on his father's side, and the Solomonic Emperors on his mother's side, proclaimed himself as Emperor Tekle Giorgis II.He was already a ruler ,Wagshum and was married to Kassa Mercha's (Yohannis IV)sister, Empress Dinkinesh. This did not however gain Kassa's acceptance of the proclamation.

Emperor Tekle Giorgis tried to appease Dejazmatch Kassa with the title of "Re'ese Mekwanint" or "Chief of the Nobles", and although Kassa used the title, he refused to recognize his brother-in-law as Emperor. Tekle Giorgis tried to gain the acceptance by marriage ties with his relatives and opposing warlords  and Kings relatives. Tekle Giorgis II, who could not be crowned because a new bishop had not arrived from Alexandria.

Before this could happen, his forces were crushed at the Battle of Assam just outside Adowa, on July 11th, 1871, after fighting for only two hours. Tekle Giorgis's army had outnumbered Kasa Mercha's by two thirds. However, Kassa's forces had the benefit of the advanced artillery left to them by the British, and training by foriegn military experts.

Emperor Tekle Giorgis was deposed and imprisoned, and his rival and brother-in-law, Kassa Mercha was proclaimed Emperor Yohannis IV, King of Kings of Ethiopia.

Tekle Giorgis II

Emperor Yohannis IV was at a great military advantage over his remaining internal rivals. It was therefore not suprising that King Menelik of Shewa would re-evaluate any claims he may have had. Emperor Yohannis was trying to cut into King Menelik's hegemony over the south by proclaiming one of Menelik’s nobles King Kaffa ,King of Gojjam.  The Gojjames were already deeply involved commercially among the Oromo monarchies of Wellega and the Gibe river area. Here was considerable reluctance however on the part of Menelik of Shewa to submit.Menelik’ sarguement was that he was a direct decendant of Emperor Libne Dingil in the male line, while both the Houses of Tigrai and Gojjam were decended in the female line.

Moreover, the Shewans had invested much effort and blood in their military and missionary campaigns in the south, bringing this area under their direct hegemonic rule, so the awarding of the title "King of Kaffa" to the Gojjame King was widely regarded as an insult to Menelik. However events in the north would be decisive in making Menelik step back from his claims.

There were very serious external threats, namely Egypt under Khedive Ismael. The Khedive had extended his sway far down the Nile Valley, and saw the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia as vital to his interests. Tewodros had managed however to instill the belief that Ethiopian identity and Yoahhins inherited an Ethiopia that was modernized in weaponry,had pride, put the emperor before regional interests and feudal alliegence to princelings and were ready for war.

Yohannis IV ordered all Roman Catholic missionaries out of Ethiopia .The Jesuits had been banned since the fall of Emperor Susneyos, but the French Lazarists had been increasingly active in Ethiopia since the early 1800's. J.A. Werner Muzinger, who was serving as French consul in Massawa sent an insulting letter to the Emperor threatening him with the same fate as Emperor Tewodros unless he treated the Catholic missionaries with more dignity

Muzinger turned to Khedive and was granted Pasha.

Muzinger was granted the Egyptian title of Pasha, and began to strategize about Egyptian expansion in the Horn of Africa. First, he engineered the capture of the district of Bogos, and claimed that it was a rebelious Egyptian posession to begin with, even though it had long been paying taxes to the Ethiopian governor of Hamasien.

the Egyptians would earn Menelik's anger with their next move Muzinger  then summoned all the elders and chiefs of the Kottu Oromo tribes that surrounded Harrar to a meeting outside the city-state walls, and proceeded to massacare them, ending any posibility that they might support the remnants of the Emirate with whom they had been living in peace for centuries. Menelik of Shewa had long regarded Harrar as his own

Simultaniously, Muzinger Pasha himself, architect of the Khedive's dream of Empire, led another force west from the port of Tajura towards the Shewan highlands. He hoped that the rivalry between Emperor Yohannis and Menelik of Shewa would make both ripe for defeat at the hands of the Egyptian army. He calculated badly. Muzinger Pasha and his entire force was anihilated by Afar tribesmen who seldom alowed foriegners to cross their lands into the highlands.

Yohannis sent letters to countries of Europe but would not receive help not even with Queen Victoria.Yohannis IV had his negarit war drums beaten and ordered a general mobilization. Within two weeks he had assebled over 20,000 troops and had begun to march to meet the enemy. The Egyptians on the other hand numbered 2,000. The Egyptians employed officers from the former Confederate Army of the American civil. as well as many Danes and Germans who were military experts

Yohannis IV had shown he could lead his country to victory against invasion, and his stock was raised considerably, not only in Egypt, but all over the Ethiopian Empire.

The Egyptians were tricked into marching into a narrow and steep valley and were virtually wiped out by Ethiopian gunners surrounding the valley from the heights their weapons and modern training became useless.

Instead, Khedive Ismael quickly raised a new 15,000 man army, armed it to the teeth and sent it off to exact revenge. This new army was led by Mohammed Ratib Pasha who was assisted by a veteran of the Confederate army of the American Civil War, General Loring. The Egyptian and Ethiopian armies met at Gura on March 7th, 1876 and fought a long and bitter battle that didn't end till March 9th. Although the Egyptians were able to fight longer and better than they had at Gundat, they were again defeated and suffered vast losses. This finally nailed the lid on the coffin of Egyptian ambitions in East Africa.

In addition, a large amount of Turkish gold was captured. Emperor Yohannis sent this gold to Jerusalem to help support the impoverished monks who lived difficult lives at the Dur Sultan Ethiopian Monastery on the roof of the Holy Sepulcher. Menelik of Shewa now recognized that he had little choice but to submit to the Emperor and was Emperor Yohannis recognized in return, the hereditary right of Menelik and his heirs to the throne of Shewa. He also recognized him as overlord of Wollo.

                       Menelik II

Now the Sost Lidet was another religious Christian doctrine Yohannis was trying to irradicate.The Sost Lidet Monks appeared at the Council of Boru Meda, and were ordered to recant their teachings. Those that did were restored to their posts, but those who did not had their tounges cut out to prevent them from disrupting the unity of the Church with their teachings. Yohannis ordered Menelik to suppress the Sost Lidet vigorously and stringently. Emperor Yohannis IV was also anti-Roman Catholic, and couldn't abide the existance of Catholic missionaries in his Empire.

Yohannis ordered Menelik to suppress the Sost Lidet vigorously and stringently along with aiding expulsion of catholic missionaries in Shewa, including Menelik's good friend Father Massias (later Cardinal). Menelik was much more reluctant to execute this particular order since the Catholics had been rendering valuable medical service, and many had become his personal friends.

Yohannis' most repressive act however was reserved for the Moslems of Wollo. All the moslems of Wollo were given six months to convert to Christianity or lose their property. Mohammed Ali, the ranking Moslem leader in Wollo did so promptly, and was Baptised as Michael Ali and granted the title of Ras(later King Michael of Wollo). The Emperor stood as his godfather. His rival, Abba Watew also converted and Menelik of Shewa stood as his godfather.

In most matters other than religion, Emperor Yohannis was much more flexible. His approach to the unity of the Empire was much more federal than the vision of Tewodros II. He was known as a man who trusted others easily, and who was very charitable and generous in his personal life. He was even known to have not only forgiven a man who had been an avowed enemy of his father's, but had appointed this man to high office, earning his undying loyalty.This would prove not to work in his favor. His nephew Dejazmatch Dabbab Araya would rebel against him and join the Egyptians in Massawa. Other such abbsynian nobles fled to Egypt.

The first challenge to the new order was Menelik's refusal to aknowledge Tekle Haimanot as king of Kaffa. This resulted in the Battle of Embabo (in northern Wellega) in which the King of Gojjam and his sons were all captured by the Shewans. Menelik insisted that Tekle Haima(King of Kaffa)not recieve all the respect and dignity due to a king. hat developed was a firm personal freindship between the two men that would last to the end of their lives, a rarity in the ruling circles of the day. As the two kings developed a strong relationship at Entoto, the Emperor steamed in rage at Adowa.

Menelik was made to hand over all captured weapons and valuables to the Emperor. He was also told that he would be stripped of his overlordship of Wollo as punishment.

Yohannis did not want to alienate the two kings too much however, so he resupplied Tekle Haimanot with some new weapons, and arranged for the marriage of Menelik's daughter Zewditu to his own son Ras Araya Sellassie, and gave them Wollo to rule. These gestures would encouraged them to enter into a secret pact to rebel against Yohannis.

Empress Zewditu

Emperor Yohannis favoured the town of Adowa, and spent much time there. However, he built a large castle at Mekele, and it was there that he established his capital. He conducted a correspondence with Lord Napier, whom he considered a friend,he was also aligned with the British,and had deep respect for them although they had  burned churches,killeing monks,and also took priceless teasure one belived to be the “THORN CROWN OF CHRIST’’ in which Ethiopians hekd with high reguard.

He could not understand how Britain, a Christian Empire like his own, could possibly firmly ally itself with a moslem enemy of Ethiopia's like Egypt. The Egyptians had inherited Massawa from the Turks, and had later occupied Harrar as stated above. Both cities had long been claimed by Ethiopia. In addition to Massawa, the Egyptians had occupied the district of Bogos, and encouraged the rebelion of Ras Wolde Michael Ras Welde Michael, given the title of Ras and the nom-du-guerre of Aba Nega, he founded the city of Asmara, and favoured trying to force the Egyptians from Bogos and eventually Massawa. Solomon of Hamasein against the Emperor.

Suddenly, in 1881, the Mahdist rebelion swept through the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. One by one, the Egyptian garrisons in the Sudan were falling to the forces of the Mahdi, and it was swiftly turning into a complete military disaster over the following two years. Cut off from retreating north from the Sudan into Egypt, the Egyptian forces realized that their only hope was to retreat to Massawa through Ethiopia. The British, who as the true rulers of the Sudan through their Egyptian surrogates, were truely alarmed. They realized that Yohannis would not be very freindly towards the desires of the Egyptians having fought them twice in the previous years.

Yohannis recieved the emissary of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, with as much pomp and lavish display he could muster so that Ethiopia would allow the Egyptian army to retreat from the Sudan through Ethiopian territory, and allow them to pass through to the Egyptian colony at Massawa.

The Egyptian army to retreat from the Sudan through Ethiopian territory, and allow them to pass through to the Egyptian colony at Massawa. In exchange, the Egyptians would immediately scede the district of Bogos and the lowlands they occupied, to the Emperor of Ethiopia, "to whom they rightly belonged". This was to be guaranteed by the British government. his earned Yohannis the everlasting hatered of the Sudanese Mahdists that would eventually cost him his life. Egypt was indeed planning to withdraw from Massawa to consolidate it's forces in order to keep the Mahdist movement from spilling north into Egypt itself. Egypt was prepared to cede the port to the British, or whomever the British designated. Unwilling to overextend themselves in the region, the British however where afraid that France would take advantage of a vacuum and seize the port from Ethiopia if Massawa were returned to Yohannis. Therefore, following secret communications with the Italian government, a ship bearing a unit of Italian troops was secretly passed through the Suez canal without the French knowing, and docked at Massawa. The Egyptians handed over the fortress to the Italians who had been sent in by the British, and withdrew. The Italians raised their flag over Massawa, and the long confrontation between Italy and Ethiopia began.

Emperor Yohannis IV Recieves an Italian Delegation

Note that the lower portion of the Emperor's face is covered, a sign of Imperial displeasure.

Menelik tried to half heartedly convince the Emperor that Italy would be a friendly neighbor at the behest of Count Antonelli, but it was only the begining of the long trail of blood that continues to this day. Menelik remained Italy's friend, but he was now a bit more wary about their long term intentions. A few years earlier, the Afar Sultan of Ausa, Mohammed Hanferi had sold the port of Asab to an Italian missionary, Father Guissepe Sapeto, who in turn sold it to an Italian commercial shipping company when he along with all other Catholic priests were expelled by Yohannis IV. After an initially frigid reaction from the Emperor, he grudgingly accepted the seizure of the ports as something he could do little about.

However, the Italians found the port of Massawa to be extremely inhospitable. The sea port is the hottest on earth, and at certain times of the year the heat is unbearable. talians decided to establish an outpost in the highlands for them to retreat to when the port got too hot they also expanded along the coast, seizing the port of Zula. They had crossed the line at Saati however, and came into direct conflict with Ras Alula.

Ras Alula by now had had enough. His army suprised the Italian forces at Dogali and crushed them in battle. The Italians called it a massacre. owever, the huge Ethiopian army rose up and left much to the suprise of the Italians. The Mahdists had decided to seek vengance and had attacked Ethiopia in the west.

The Mahdists had begun to raid Dembia, had instructed King Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam to march against  but he was badly beaten and fled the battle. The Emperor ordered Menelik of Shewa to come to Tekle Haimanot's aid, which he did. The two kings met and decided to openly announce their rebellion against the Emperor. Yohannis was enraged.

Leaving the siege against the Italians  he swept south through Begemidir into Gojjam and he launched a brutal campaign against Tekle Haimanot, distroying all in his path. Once the submission of Gojjam was achieved, Yohannis sent a message to the Shewans. The Mahdists had marched into Gondar and sacked the city, The distruction was complete. Aroused by his deep devotion to his Orthodox Church, Yohannis abandoned his plans to protect his throne by invading Shewa, and instead marched north to avenge his faith. Yohannis together with his leading nobles marched against the Mahdist Sudanese at Mettema and clashed on March 10th, 1889.Yohannis was . Yohannis insisted on fighting at the head of his troops against the advice of his generals. It was a key mistake. A Mahdist sniper shot and wounded him badly.

One by one, Yohannis' generals and various relatives began to squable over whether or not to recognize Ras Mengesha Yohannis as their ruler, and their infighting helped to accelerate the disintigration of Yohannis' great army. Emperor Yohannis IV, Elect of God, King of Zion, King of Kings of Ethiopia died at Mettema on March 11th, 1889.