The nobility of Ethiopia had grown uneasy with the rule of Emperor Iyasus V. At last, on 27 September, they had him excommunicated on the accusation of having converted to Islam, and announced that he had been deposed in favor of Empress Zawditu. Iyasus fled Addis Ababa into the Ogaden desert. Inexplicably passive during this sudden chain of events, his father, Negus Mikael of Wollo, did not march south upon the capital to restore Iyasus to the throne until the middle of the next month. Although he easily annihilated the garrison at Ankober and occupied the old Shewan capital, the nobles had been able to gather a sizable army, and under the command of Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis, this force marched north to do battle. Iyasu V (4 February 1887 - 25 November 1935) was the ruler of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916, when he was deposed. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Addis Ababa as seen from space. ... Iyasu V (4 February 1887 - 25 November 1935) was the ruler of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916, when he was deposed. ... Iyasu V (4 February 1887 - 25 November 1935) was the ruler of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916, when he was deposed. ... Iyasu V (4 February 1887 - 25 November 1935) was the ruler of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916, when he was deposed. ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 95 days remaining. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... Islam ▶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Empress Zaiditu of Ethiopia Zauditu (also known as Zawditu or Zewditu) (1876 - 1930) was reigning Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930. ... Addis Ababa as seen from space. ... Wollo was a province in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Dessye. ... Ankober is a town of Ethiopia, at one time the capital of the historical Shewa kingdom and later district. ... Shewa (also spelled Shoa) is a historical region of Ethiopia. ...

After manuevering for position over several days, the two armies faced each other at Segale. Afterwards, the then Ras Tafari stated that because "bloodshed among Ethiopians themselves is extremely saddening, I arranged that monks from the monasteries of Debre Libanos and Zequala ... [should] come with their crosses to request Negus Mikael to go back to Wollo without making war." Negus Mikael is said to have simply arrested these emissaries, ignoring their message.¹ Debre Libanos is a monastery in Ethiopia, lying north west of Addis Ababa in the Oromia region. ...

Negus Mikael opened the battle early in the morning, but his artillery was put out of commision by his opponent and his machine-gunners ran out of ammunition. Although both sides fought fiercely, by noon (five hours after the battle started) it was over and Negus Mikael was a prisoner. Casualties for both sides, according to Paul Henze, probably reached 10,000. Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... A U.S. 19th Special Forces Group soldier mans a M-60 machine gun on an HMMWV in Afghanistan, March 2004 A machine gun is a fully automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Amnesty was offered to the soldiers from the losing side, provided that they swear loyalty to the new Empress. As for the deposed Lij Iyasus, he had just reached Ankober by the time the battle ended; he led his small army of 6,000 into the desert back to Dessie, arriving there 8 November. When the Imperial army reached that town 10 December, he fled further north to the old stronghold of Magdala, further away from the center of power. Dessie or Dese is a city in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, with a population as of 1994 of 97,314 people. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Magdala (tower) a small village, apparently in Galilee, for it seems to have been the birthplace of Mary Magdalene called the Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala The name given in the Revised Version of Matthew 15:39 for Magdala is Magadan. ...

Henze states that "Segale was Ethiopia's greatest battle since Adwa."¹ As a result of this conflict, the young Ras Tafari secured his place on the upward path towards becoming Emperor Haile Selassie. Battle of Adowa Conflict First Italo-Abyssinian War Date March 1, 1896 Place Adowa, Ethiopia Result Ethiopian victory; end of First Italo-Abyssinian war The Battle of Adowa (also known as Adwa or sometimes by the Italian name Adua) was fought on March 1, 1896 between Ethiopia and Italy near... Haile Selassie Haile Selassie (Power of Trinity) (July 23, 1892 – August 27, 1975) was the last Emperor (1930–1936; 1941–1974) of Ethiopia, and is a religious symbol in the Rastafarian movement. ...

Notes

1. As quoted in Haile Selassie, My Life and Ethiopia's Progress (Chicago: Frontline Distribution International, 1999), pp. 54f.
2. Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 196.