Empress Zaiditu of Ethiopia

Empress Zauditu (also known as Zawditu or Zewditu) (April 29, 1876 - April 2, 1930) was reigning Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930. She was noted for opposing the reforms of Tafari Makonnen (later Emperor Haile Selassie) and for her strong religious devotion. Image File history File links Ethiopia-zauditu. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Emperor of Ethiopia (Amharic ንጉሠ ነገሥት, niguse negest, King of Kings) was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. ... 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. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Haile Selassie Emperor Haile Selassie I (Power of Trinity) (born Lij Tafari Makonnen, July 23, 1892 – August 27, 1975), styled His Imperial Majesty (or HIM), was the Emperor (1930–1936; 1941–1974) of Ethiopia, and is the religious symbol for God incarnate among the Rastafari movement. ...

Early life

Zauditu was the eldest daughter of Emperor Menelek II of Ethiopia. Her mother, Woizero (Lady) Abechi, was a Shoan noblewoman. Abechi had died when Zauditu was very young, and so Zauditu was raised mainly by her father who was then King of Shoa. Menelek later married Taytu Betul, but had no children by his Empress. Menelek had three aknowleged children, Zewditu, a son Asfaw Wossen who died in infancy, and another daughter Shewa Regga, mother of Lij Iyasu his eventual heir. The Emperor however remained closest to Zauditu. Zauditu also had good relations with her step-mother Empress Taytu. Emperor Menelek II (August 17, 1844 – December 12, 1913), Conquering Lion of Judah, Elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia was negus negust (emperor) of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death. ... Shoa may have the following meanings Shoah, or Holocaust Shoa, Ethiopia Part of a famous quote by Brandon ripper Vedas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Taytu Betul (c. ... Iyasu V (4 February 1887 - 25 November 1935) was the ruler of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916, when he was deposed. ...

In 1882, Zauditu was married to Ras Araya Selassie Yohannis, son and heir of Emperor Yohannis IV. The marriage was political, having been arranged when Menelek agreed to submit to Yohannis' rule. Yohannis and Menelek eventually fell into conflict again, however, with Menelek launching a rebellion against Yohannis' rule. Zauditu's marriage was childless, although her husband had fathered a son by another woman. When Zauditu's husband died in 1888, she returned to her father's court. Despite the hostility between Menelek and Yohannis, Zauditu managed throughout the conflict to maintain good relations with both. 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Emperor Yohannes IV (c. ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

Zauditu had two further marriages, both brief, before marrying Ras Gugsa Welle. Gugsa Welle was the nephew of Empress Taytu, Zauditu's stepmother. Zauditu had already been on good terms with Taytu, but the establishment of a direct tie between the two helped cement the relationship. Unlike her prior marriages, Zauditu's marriage to Gugsa Welle is thought to have been happy.

Ascent to power

Upon the death of Emperor Yohannis IV at the battle of Mettema against the Mahdists of the Sudan, Menelek assumed power and become Emperor of Ethiopia in 1889. This restored the direct male succession of the dyansty, as Emperor Yohannis's claim to the throne was through a female link to the line. As the daughter of Menelik II, Zauditu would be the last monarch in direct male line decent in the Solomonic dynasty. Her successor Haile Selassie was also linked in the female line. In 1913, Menelek died. Lij Iyasu, the son of Zauditu's half-sister Shewa Regga, had been declared heir apparent in 1909. Iyasu considered Zauditu a potential threat to his rule, and exiled her and her husband to the countryside. 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 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. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Iyasu (Joshua) (4 February 1887 - 25 November 1935) was the ruler of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916, when he was deposed. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Iyasu was officially proclaimed as Emperor Iyasu V, but quickly encountered problems with his rule. He was widely disliked by the nobility for his unstable behavior, and the church held him in suspicion for his alleged Muslim sympathies. He was never officially crowned. After a troubled few years, Iyasu was removed from power. Zauditu was summoned to the capital, and on September 27, 1916, the Council of State and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church officially deposed Iyasu in favour of Zauditu. Zauditu's official title was Negiste Negest (Queen of Kings), a modification of the traditional title Negus Negest (King of Kings). Islam ▶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 95 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. ... The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Church until it was granted its own Patriarch by Cyril VI, the Coptic Pope, in 1959. ...

Initially, Zauditu was not permitted to exercise power herself. Instead, her cousin Ras Tafari Makonnen was appointed regent, and her father's old loyal general, Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis Dinagde was made commander in chief of the army. Ras Tafari was also made heir apparent to Zauditu - none of Zauditu's children had survived to adulthood. In 1928, after an attempt to remove Ras Tafari Makonnen from power failed, the Empress was compelled to crown her cousin Negus or King. // High public office A regent, from the Latin regens who reigns is anyone who acts of head of state, especially if not the Monarch (who has higher titles). ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Negus is the Amharic word for king. The term negus negust means king of kings, or Emperor. ...

Reign

Political maneuvering

While the conservative Ethiopian aristocracy was generally supportive of Zauditu, it was less enthusiastic about many of her relatives. Zauditu's stepmother and the aunt of her husband, Dowager Empress Taytu, had withdrawn from the capital after Menelik's death, but was still distrusted somewhat due to her well known nepotism she had practiced during the reign of her late husband Menelik II. In an attempt to limit her influence, the aristocracy arranged for her nephew (Zauditu's husband Ras Gugsa Welle) to be appointed to a remote governorship, removing him from court. This move, while intended as a strike against Taytu rather than against Zauditu, is believed to have upset Zauditu considerably. Zauditu also suffered guilt for taking the throne from Lij Iyasu, who her father had wanted to succeed him - while she believed that Iyasu's overthrow was necessary, she had admired her father greatly, and was unhappy at having to disobey his wishes. Her separation from her husband and her guilt about Iyasu's overthrow combined to make Zauditu not particularly happy as Empress. Interestinly, even though he had treated her abominably, she held much personal affection for her nephew Iyasu, and is said to have wept bitterly for him when told that she was being made Empress as her nephew had been excommunicated for apostacy. Increasingly, the Empress retreated from state responsibility into a world of fasting and prayer, as the progressive elements that surrounded the heir, Tafari Makonnen gained in strength and influence at court. Menelik II (August 17, 1844 - December 12, 1913), Conquering Lion of Judah, Elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia was negus negust (emperor) of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death. ...

War against Iyasu

The early period of Zauditu's reign was marked by a war against Lij Iyasu, who had escaped captivity. Backed by his father, Negus Mikael of Wollo, a powerful northern leader, Iyasu attempted to regain the throne. The two failed to effectively coordinate their efforts however, and after some initial victories Iyasu's father was defeated and captured at the Battle of Segelle. The King of Wollo was paraded through the streets of Addis Ababa in chains, carrying a rock of repentance on his shoulders, before entering the throne room and kissing the Empress's shoes to beg for her mercy. The heir to the throne, Ras Taffari Makonnen was not present at this spectacle out of consideration for the feelings of his wife, who was the granddaughter of King Mikael of Wollo. Upon hearing of his father's defeat and humiliation, Iyasu himself fled to Afar. After years on the run, Iyasu was later captured by Dejazmatch Gugsa Araya, the son who Zauditu's first husband had fathered by another woman. Gugsa Araya was rewarded with the title of Ras from his former step-mother, and Princess Yeshashework Yilma, the niece of Tafari Makonnen, as his bride. When Iyasu was captured, a tearful Empress Zauditu pleaded that he be kept in a special house on the grounds of the palace where she would see to his care and he could receive religious counsel. She found Ras Taffari and Fitawrari Hapte Giorgis to be unbendingly opposed, and so gave up. She did however make sure that special favorite foods and a constant supply of clothing and small luxuries reached Lij Iyasu at his place of arrest in Sellale. To the end of her life, she refered to her deposed nephew as "my lord Iyasu". Map of Ethiopia highlighting the Afar region. ...

Rise of Tafari

As Zauditu's reign progressed, a rift gradually widened between her and her appointed heir, Tafari Makonnen. Tafari was a moderniser, believing that Ethiopia needed to open itself to the world in order to survive. In this, he had the backing of many younger nobles. Zauditu, however, was a conservative, believing in the preservation of Ethiopian tradition. She had the strong backing of the church in this belief. Slowly, however, Zauditu began to withdraw from active politics, leaving more and more power to Tafari. Under Tafari's direction, Ethiopia entered the League of Nations, and abolished slavery. Zauditu busied herself with religious activities, such as the construction of a number of significant churches. The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the First World War at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ...

In 1928, there was a small conservative uprising against Tafari's reforms, but it was unsuccessful. Zauditu was compelled to grant Tafari, who now controlled most of the Ethiopian government, the title of Negus. While Negus Tafari remained under the nominal rule of Zauditu (who was still Negeste Negest, Queen of Kings), Tafari was now effectively the ruler of Ethiopia. A number of attempts were made to displace him, but they were all unsuccessful. In 1930, Zauditu's husband Gugsa Welle led a rebellion against Tafari in Begemder, hoping to end the regency, but was defeated and killed in battle by the modernised Ethiopian army at the Battle of Anchem on March 31, 1930. 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Begemder was a province in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Gondar. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ...

Death and succession

On April 2, 1930, two days after Ras Gugsa Welle was killed in battle, Empress Zauditu died. It is known today that Zauditu suffered from diabetes, and was seriously ill, but it is not universally agreed that this was the cause of her death. According to some popular histories, Zauditu died of shock and grief at hearing of her husband's death, but other accounts contradict this, claiming that Zauditu was not informed of the battle's outcome before her sudden death. The timing of her death immediately after news of the outcome of the battle reached Addis Ababa has caused considerable speculation as to her cause of death. Some, particularly conservative critics of her successor, Emperor Haile Selassie, allege that once the rebellion had been decisively defeated, he or his supporters felt safe in poisoning Zauditu. Speculation as to the cause of Zauditu's death continues today. 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

Empress Zauditu was succeeded on the throne by Negus Tafari, who took the name of Emperor Haile Selassie. 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. ...

External link

• Biography
• Ethiopian Treasures - Empress Zawditu, Addis Ababa - Ethiopia