Haile Selassie’s Rise to Power in Ethiopia
Haile Selassie was born Tafari Makonnen on the 23rd of July 1892. Selassie’s father was Makonnen Wolde Mikael. When he was 13 and 3 months old, his father designated him Dejazmatch of Gara Mulatta, an area roughly 20 miles away from Harar. This title is comparable to a Count. On the 27th of September 1916, he was named Crown Prince and Heir Apparent to the Throne, and was additionally appointed as the Regent Plenipotentiary. Then, on the 11th of February 1917, he was crowned Le’ul-Ras and henceforth was known as Ras Tafari Makonnen.
Ras Makonnen made it possible for Tafari and his cousin, Imru Haile Selassie, to obtain an education in Harar from Abba Samuel Wolde Kahin, an Ethiopian Capuchin monk, and from Dr. Vitalien from Guadeloupe. At the age of 13, Tafari was granted the title of Dejazmach, which is comparable to count, on 1 November 1905. Shortly after, his father passed away at Kulibi in 1906. In 1906, Tafari was appointed governor of Selale and used the role to pursue his studies. The following year he received the governorship of Sidamo Province.
Menelik II died in December 1913. His daughter Zewditu eventually became his successor. She ruled as the empress of Ethiopia from 1916 until 1930. In February 1917, Ras Tafari was formally installed as regent in a ceremony. Empress Zewditu declared her commitment to ruling justly with the help of her regent, Tafari. Although Tafari was the one more visible to the public, Zewditu was far from a figurehead. She had the authority to decide between the various parties’ competing interests. Tafari was responsible for the day-to-day administration, yet his power was quite limited. His army was underfunded and ill-equipped, and he had little influence against the Empress, the Minister of War, or the governors.
When Tafari became the Crown Prince, he continued the modernization policy initiated by Menelik II. During this period, he survived the 1918 flu pandemic, a feat he accomplished despite contracting the disease. He then worked to have Ethiopia admitted to the League of Nations in 1923 by vowing to eradicate slavery. This was not the first time a proclamation against slavery had been made; Emperors Tewodros II and others had issued similar proclamations in the past, yet the practice persisted into Haile Selassie’s reign and an estimated two million individuals were enslaved in Ethiopia in the early 1930s.
In 1924, Ras Tafari set off on a tour of Europe and the Middle East, which included stops in Jerusalem, Alexandria, Paris, Luxembourg, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, London, Geneva, and Athens. He was accompanied by a group including Ras Seyum Mangasha from western Tigray Province; Ras Hailu Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam province; Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu of Illubabor Province; Ras Makonnen Endelkachew; and Blattengeta Heruy Welde Sellasie. The main purpose of the trip was to gain access to the sea, but this was not accomplished in Paris. Nonetheless, they inspected schools, hospitals, factories, and churches, taking many of the reforms they found back to Ethiopia while avoiding becoming subject to economic imperialism. Of his modernization campaign, Tafari commented, “We need European progress only because we are surrounded by it. That is at once a benefit and a misfortune.”
Tafari’s travels in Europe, the Levant, and Egypt were met with great interest and admiration. He was accompanied by Seyum Mangasha, Hailu Tekle Haymanot (both sons of generals who fought in the victorious Battle of Adwa a quarter-century prior), and Mulugeta Yeggazu (who had fought at Adwa as a young man). As part of the entourage, there was even a pride of lions, which were given as gifts to French President Alexandre Millerand, Prime Minister Raymond Poincare, King George V of the United Kingdom, and the Jardin Zoologique of Paris. As a token of gratitude for two lions, the United Kingdom gave Tafari the imperial crown of Emperor Tewodros II which had been taken by General Sir Robert Napier during the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia.
In 1928, the authority of Tafari was called into question by Dejazmach Balcha Safo, who had come to Addis Ababa with a large military force. Many of Menelik’s appointees found themselves at odds with the new regulations, with Safo, Shum of Sidamo Province and its coffee industry, being particularly troublesome. This was due to the fact that he was not remitting the required funds to the central government. Upon arriving in Addis Ababa, the Dejazmatch paid homage to Empress Zewditu, but deliberately ignored Tafari. In response, Tafari had Kassa Haile Darge buy off the army and replace Safo in Sidamo Province with Birru Wolde Gabriel, who in turn was replaced by Desta Damtew.
Balcha Safo’s gesture of kindness towards Empress Zewditu elevated her politically and she tried to accuse Tafari of treason. This was due to his agreement with Italy in the form of a 20-year peace treaty, signed on 2 August. In September, a few palace reactionaries and courtiers of the empress made a last-ditch effort to get rid of Tafari. This coup d’état was unsuccessful, as Tafari and his troops were surrounded by the personal guard of Zewditu. As more of Tafari’s soldiers arrived, they managed to turn the tide of the battle in his favor. He also had the support of the people as well as the police. In the end, the Empress conceded and on 7 October 1928, crowned Tafari as Negus or King.
The coronation of Tafari as King caused some dissent, as he was to occupy the same land as the Empress — a first for two monarchs in Ethiopian history. This was seen as a disrespect to the crown, prompting the rebellion of Ras Gugsa Welle. The husband of the Empress and the Shum of Begemder Province, Gugsa Welle, marched from Gondar to Addis Ababa and was defeated in the Battle of Anchem, perishing in the process. This news had barely spread when the Empress died suddenly on April 2nd. There were rumors of poisoning, or that the Empress had died from shock on hearing of her husband’s death; however, it has since been revealed that she had succumbed to paratyphoid fever and diabetes complications due to the Orthodox clergy imposing dietary restrictions during Lent, against her doctor’s orders.
On 2 November 1930, after the death of Empress Zewditu, Tafari was crowned Negusa Nagast, which is translated in English as “Emperor.” He then assumed the regnal name of Haile Selassie I; the Ge’ez words Haile meaning “Power of” and Selassie standing for “trinity” in English.
The coronation was an extravagant affair and was attended by royalty and dignitaries from around the world, such as the Duke of Gloucester (son of King George V), Marshal Louis Franchet d’Esperey of France, and the Prince of Udine in representation of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Representatives from the USA, Egypt, Turkey, Sweden, Belgium, and Japan were also present, along with British author Evelyn Waugh and American travel lecturer Burton Holmes, the latter of whom recorded the only known film footage of the event. It was estimated that the celebration cost over $3,000,000, and many of the attendees received lavish gifts, with the Christian emperor even sending a gold-encased Bible to an American bishop who had not attended, but had dedicated a prayer to the emperor during the coronation.
—
Dwayne is the author of several books on the history and experiences of African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora. His books are available through Amazon. You can also follow Dwayne on Facebook and Twitter.
