Political History Of Tigray Rivalry For Power (1910-1935)

Following the unexpected death of Emperor Yohannes IV, Negus Menelik was crownedrnEmperor and the political ambition of some of the Tigrean chiefs to crown Ras Mängäša asrnYohannes IV’s heir was barred, and Tigray entered into a political turmoil. The continuousrnefforts to regain the throne and the rivalries among the Tigrean chiefs were, therefore, the majorrnfactors affecting the course of events after the death of Emperor Yohannes IV.rnAfter Ras Mängäša’s death, the principal antagonists in Tigray- Däjjac Gäbrä-Sellassé,rnRas Sebhat, Ras Gugsa Araya, Däjjac (later Ras) Seyum were involved in constant powerrnstruggle and engaged in rivalry to influence the central government to gain favour and to obtainrnthe overlordship of the whole province of Tigray.rnDuring the last reshuffles in the administrative posts of the country made by EmperorrnMenelik, on 22 April 1902, Däjjazmac Abatä Bwayaläw was appointed Wagšum and governorrngeneral of Tigray in the presence of Däjjac Seyum, Däjjac Abreha and Däjjac Gäbrä-Sellassé.rnDäjjac Abreha rebelled opposing the appointment of Däjjac Abatä as an overlord of Tigray andrnwas, however, defeated at the Battle of Koräm, in October 1909.rnThe power struggle among the Tigrean nobility continued after the Battle of Koräm,rnwhich led to the Battle of Akhora, on 25 February 1914, in which Ras Sebhat and his two sonsrnwere killed. The causes and the consequences of the battle are discussed in the thesis.rnThe relation between the Tigrean chiefs (mainly Ras Seyum and Ras Gugsa) due to therndeposition, escape and arrest of Lej Iyasu was also attempted to be identified in the thesis.rnrnIn Tigray the son of Ras Seyum, Däjjac Kassa Abba Yelaq, rebelled against his fatherrnand against the central government in 1918 and he achieved initial victories. The thesis,rntherefore, attempts to give a highlight on the causes and results of the rebellion of Däjjac KassarnAbba Yelaq.rnRas Seyum and Ras Gugsa, who were both the grandsons of Emperor Yohannes IV,rnremained rivals to gain the title of Negus of Tigray until the death of Ras Gugsa in 1933. Theyrnattempted to gain popularity and influence in the central government and to win the favour andrnsupport of the central government at the expense of one another. Emperor Haylä-Sellassé unablernto impose an effective control over Tigray, however, attempted to achieve an internal balance ofrnpower, and finally succeeded in preventing any one of Yohannes IV’s descendants fromrnbecoming Negus, through diplomacy and marriage ties. Emperor Haylä-Sellassé, aware of thernpotential trouble and danger from Tigray by Ras Seyum and Ras Gugsa for being deprived ofrntheir legitimate patrimony, attempted to placate them by marriage ties to the Shewan royalrnfamily, by bonds of matrimony. As a result marriage ties were arranged between the children ofrnthe Emperor with the children of the two grand-sons of Emperor Yohannes IV, although it hadrnlittle effect on the loyalty, especially, of Däjjac Haylä-Sellassé Gugsa.rnAt the time when the Tigrean chiefs were conducting their rivalries, the Italians, whornnever forgot the ignominy of their defeat at the Battle of Adwa, worked hard to woo the Tigreanrnchiefs to their interests. Thus, they finally succeeded to gain Däjjac Haylä-Sellassé Gugsa’srndefection to their side, which facilitated their penetration in to the Ethiopian interior

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