38:
220:
202:"We went in, and saw the old man sitting upon a sofa; his white hair was dressed in many short curls. He appeared to be thoughtful, but not displeased; his face was lean, his eyes quick and vivid, but seemed to be a little sore from exposure to the weather. he seemed to be about six feet high, though his lameness made it difficult to guess with accuracy. His air was perfectly free from constraint, what the French call
435:. Empress Welete Bersabe retired to Yejju in her grief, but her Yejju relatives would later return to prominence seizing the regency in subsequent reigns. Some historians date the beginning of the "Zemene Mesafint" era of the decline of the monarchy and the rise of the regional aristocracy and the fragmentation of state power, to the murder of Emperor Iyoas I at the order of Mikael Sehul.
427:
pierce the heir of
Solomon with a spear, cut him with a sword, or to strike him with bullets, Mikael Sehul ordered the Emperor strangled with a length of silk in imperial red in January 1769. This murder of Emperor Iyoas I devastated both dowager queens, Empresses Mentewab and Welete Bersabe, and Mentewab secluded herself at her palace at
426:
The assembly was presented with testimony, and agreed that it was a grievous crime, deserving of death. However, Ethiopian law stated that a monarch could not be killed, so they merely confined the
Emperor to his palace. Mikael Sehul then ordered the Emperor killed; as it was considered wrong to
382:(known as Wubit), strongly believed that it was her turn to take the leading role at the court of her son Iyoas as her mother-in-law had done during the previous reign. The young Emperor took the side of his mother against his grandmother. Empress Mentewab gathered her relatives from her native
377:
Upon the death of Iyasu II, his son Iyoas took the throne and rivalry exploded between the mother of the late
Emperor and his widow. Empress Mentewab had been crowned co-ruler when her then underage son had succeeded her husband. Now that her son was gone, she believed that she was entitled to
210:, than any two men I ever saw in the world. They must have been bad physiognomists that did not discern his capacity and understanding by his very countenance. Every look conveyed a sentiment with it: he seemed to have no occasion for other language, and indeed spoke little."
466:; Ras Mikael was defeated and surrendered to Wand Bewossen on 4 June 1771. Wand Bewossen imprisoned Mikael Sehul for a year, then either sent him back to Tigray to live out his last years as governor of that province, or Ras Mikael voluntarily retired to that province.
338:
during a hunting expedition, and returned to Adwa which he fortified, and rebelled from Anda
Haymanot. Eventually Mikael fought, captured, then executed his one-time master in 1759. Adwa was located at a strategic point on the trade route between Massawa and
397:
Mikael to intervene. Mikael Sehul arrived with an army of 26,000 promising to mediate the dispute between the two queens and their followers. He took control of the capital city of Gondar and assumed an increasingly dominant role.
492:
446:. Despite his power over the throne, the populace rebelled; Ras Mikael responded with a reign of terror over Gondar (1770), but failed to control the countryside where the armies of Fasil,
390:, and throngs of soldiers arrived from that district to uphold her claims. The city of Gondar was swamped by these two tense armies, and a bloodbath seemed imminent.
386:
and their forces flooded into Gondar to support her claims. When news of the arrival of the Qwaran troops arrived, Welete
Bersabe also summoned her relatives from
431:
where she buried her grandson with much pomp and grandeur, never again participating in state affairs which she had run since the death of her husband
Emperor
300:
447:
249:
71:
459:
412:
379:
363:
331:
470:
367:
335:
269:
428:
620:
423:
Mikael Sehul could show his proof that the
Emperor Iyoas had plotted to have him killed while he was defending his throne for him.
625:
279:
Sehul first enters history as having played a part in some of the difficulties that were experienced by the delegation sent to
207:
198:
met Mikael during his stay in
Ethiopia, and recorded the following description of the Ras when he granted Bruce an audience:
176:; 1692 – 1784) was a nobleman who ruled Ethiopia for a period of 25 years as regent of a series of emperors. He was also a
469:
He was succeeded, each briefly, by his son Wolde Samuel of Tigray, then by his grandson Wolde
Gabriel, and by his nephew
443:
528:
The misadventures of the delegation is described in the Royal
Chronicle of Iyasus II's reign, translated in
343:, and from the fees and duties he extracted he was able to recruit an army of 8000 men and arm them with
161:
602:
The era of the princes: the challenge of Islam and the re-unification of the Christian empire, 1769-1855
519:, selected and edited with an introduction by C.F. Beckingham (Edinburgh: University Press, 1964), p.66
463:
419:
disobeyed and defeated Fasil's army. He returned to Gondar and demanded an assembly of the nobility so
411:
of the Empire. His growing power alarmed Emperor Iyoas, and after secretly exchanging messages with
299:
for six months, and only released them after they gave him half of their funds. On the return trip,
439:
184:
1748–71 and again from 1772 until his death. He was a major political figure during the reign of
529:
635:
630:
8:
587:(London: Lalibella House, 1961), pp. 88f, with details drawn from Harold G. Marcus,
351:
185:
289:(bishop) for the empire in 1745. On their outbound trip, the party had been held up at
359:
242:
123:
488:
481:
104:
311:
helped him to escape. This affront was too serious to be overlooked, and the then
515:(1805 edition), pp. 416f; this passage can also be read in the abridged version,
181:
100:
52:
362:: Empress Mentewab in 1769 married him to her daughter Aster, and Mikael's son,
477:
383:
81:
37:
614:
451:
317:
Mikael was subjected to a punitive campaign by the Emperor Iyasu II. However
257:
536:(Oxford: Addis Ababa, 1967), pp. 125-9. It is J. Spencer Trimingham (
308:
238:
195:
177:
28:
16:
Nobleman and central figure of Zemene Mesafint in Ethiopia (1692–1784)
313:
206:. In face and person he was liker my learned and worthy friend, the
455:
442:, who proved to be a nonentity and was quickly gotten rid of; then
407:
393:
To resolve the standoff, Empress Mentewab looked to her son-in-law
273:
219:
188:
557:(Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982), vol. 1 p. 194.
432:
358:
Mikael found himself the beneficiary of two dynastic ties to the
290:
344:
340:
304:
237:
Ishate Mariam, the daughter of Azzaz Yakub in the district of
387:
285:
280:
370:. It was at this time that Mikael was granted the title of
295:
265:
591:(Berkeley: University Press, 1994), pp. 46f and 51f
415:
the Emperor ordered Ras Mikael to return to Tigray. The
321:
Mikael remained too powerful, and he was soon forgiven.
191:
and his successors until almost the time of his death.
583:
This narrative is based in part on Richard Pankhurst,
327:
Mikael was offended by the behavior of his superior
585:
An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia
366:, was married to another daughter of the Empress,
438:Ras Mikael then appointed the next two emperors:
612:
241:. Both of his parents claimed descent from the
458:allied to fight him. The parties met south of
378:remain as co-ruler. However, Iyasu's widow,
517:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile
513:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile
36:
544:Mikael was held responsible and punished.
350:During the reign of Iyasu II's successor
218:
574:(New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 121
613:
572:Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia
268:after 1766); his second was Princess
604:(London: Longmans, 1968), p. 40
401:On 22 January 1768, Mikael was made
307:until the abbot of the monastery of
260:. Mikael's first official wife was
13:
570:pp. 133f, and Paul B. Henze,
14:
647:
45:Mikael Sehul purported burst coin
252:, and his father used the title
621:Warlords of the Zemene Mesafint
540:, p. 105) who states that
594:
577:
560:
547:
534:The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles
522:
505:
1:
626:18th-century Ethiopian people
487:Ras Mikael intervened in the
233:Hezeqeyas Wolde Hawaryot and
491:, and was a champion of the
214:
7:
162:Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
10:
652:
555:History of Ethiopian Towns
464:Three battles of Sarbakusa
264:Walatta Gabr'el (died at
157:
146:
135:
122:
110:
91:
87:
77:
66:
58:
50:
35:
26:
21:
553:Richard K.P. Pankhurst,
498:
224:Princess Aster of Gondar
142:Hezeqeyas Wolde Hawaryot
303:was held for ransom at
256:, a prince of imperial
530:Richard K.P. Pankhurst
272:, daughter of Empress
226:
212:
194:The Scottish explorer
589:A History of Ethiopia
245:through his ancestor
222:
200:
229:Mikael was born to
227:
538:Islam in Ethiopia
444:Tekle Haymanot II
243:Solomonic dynasty
167:
166:
118:(aged 91–92)
643:
605:
600:Mordechai Abir,
598:
592:
581:
575:
568:Royal Chronicles
564:
558:
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489:Ethiopian Church
283:to obtain a new
117:
105:Ethiopian Empire
40:
19:
18:
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448:Goshu of Amhara
250:Faris the Great
225:
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208:Count de Buffon
180:or governor of
131:Faris the Great
115:
101:Tigray Province
98:
96:
53:Tigray Province
46:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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628:
623:
607:
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593:
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493:Karva Haymanot
478:Wolde Selassie
380:Welete Bersabe
364:Wolde Hawaryat
360:Imperial house
301:Abuna Yohannes
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82:Wolde Selassie
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452:Wand Bewossen
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332:Anda Haymanot
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293:by the local
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174:Blatta Mikael
171:
163:
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156:
153:Ishate Mariam
152:
149:
145:
141:
138:
134:
130:
127:
125:
121:
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109:
106:
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95:Blatta Mikael
94:
90:
86:
83:
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73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
54:
49:
44:
39:
34:
31:
30:
25:
20:
601:
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584:
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571:
567:
562:
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549:
541:
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533:
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512:
507:
486:
474:
473:who lost to
471:Gabre Maskal
468:
437:
425:
420:
416:
406:
403:Ras Bitwodad
402:
400:
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376:
371:
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193:
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170:Mikael Sehul
169:
168:
150:
139:
128:
116:(1784-00-00)
51:Governor of
42:
27:
22:Mikael Sehul
636:1784 deaths
631:1692 births
566:Pankhurst,
440:Yohannes II
336:Midre Bahri
309:Debre Bizen
196:James Bruce
67:Predecessor
615:Categories
495:doctrine.
258:cadet line
356:Dejazmach
325:Dejazmach
319:Dejazmach
314:Dejazmach
215:Biography
78:Successor
70:probably
62:1748–1784
462:in the
456:Begemder
408:Enderase
334:king of
274:Mentewab
189:Iyasu II
158:Religion
99:Naeder,
511:Bruce,
482:Enderta
433:Bakaffa
429:Qusquam
352:Iyoas I
345:muskets
291:Massawa
262:Woizero
239:Na'eder
235:Woizero
204:degagée
186:Emperor
151:Woizero
450:, and
368:Altash
341:Gondar
305:Arqiqo
182:Tigray
172:(born
147:Mother
136:Father
499:Notes
413:Fasil
388:Yejju
384:Qwara
286:Abuna
281:Cairo
270:Aster
254:Abeto
231:Abeto
140:Abeto
124:Issue
72:Takle
59:Reign
460:Teda
405:and
296:Naib
266:Adwa
114:1784
111:Died
97:1692
92:Born
542:Ras
480:of
475:Ras
454:of
421:Ras
417:Ras
395:Ras
372:Ras
329:Ras
247:Ras
178:Ras
129:Ras
43:Ras
29:Ras
617::
532:,
484:.
374:.
354:,
347:.
276:.
103:,
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