On 9 October 1876, the Emperor made Alula governor of Mereb Mellash and Midri Bahri (today part of Eritrea). Emperor Yohannes badly needed a man with these skills at the moment, for Ras Woldemichael Solomon was in revolt in Hamasien Alula was promoted to Ras and sent to deal with this unruly aristocrat, who fled to Bogos. His second marriage was purely for political reasons, to improve his legitimacy with the local aristocracy, who did not hide their disapproval at seeing the son of a peasant reach this stature.Īlula demonstrated his military skill in the Battle of Gundet and Gura, which were fought in November 1875 and March 1876 respectively, where he routed the Egyptian forces. However, in order to enhance his position at the Imperial court, he divorced his wife and married Woizero Amlesu Araya, daughter of Ras Araya Dimtsu, the powerful and much respected uncle of Emperor Yohannes IV. He had three children by his first wife Woizero B’tweta. In spite of his humble background, Alula succeeded in climbing the ladder of the feudal hierarchy. Erlich records an oral tradition that the young Alula distinguished himself by being the one who captured king Tekle Giyorgis in the battle of Assem where Emperor Yohannes crushed his opponent (11 July 1871). The house of Ras Alula at Asmara, in present-day EritreaĪt first Alula attached himself to the distinguished Ras Araya Dimtsu, hereditary chief of Enderta who was lord of the land his father farmed before long he gained the attention of Ras Araya’s successful nephew, Dejazmach Kassa Mercha (the future emperor Yohannes IV), who made him his elfegn kalkay (“chamberlain and doorkeeper”). “Thereafter,” concludes Erlich, “his friends and the people of Mannawe nicknamed him Ras Alula. “To the Castle of Ras Alula Wadi Qubi,” they mockingly replied. Haggai Erlich relates a story about Alula’s childhood – “well known throughout Tigray”: a group of people carrying baskets of bread to a wedding ceremony were stopped by a group of children led by the future Ras, who demanded to know where they were going. Notes, map, summary.Alula was born in Mennewe, a village in Tembien,the son of Engda Eqube, a farmer of modest origins. His recognition of Menilek may be regarded as a fatal blow to Tigrean independance. After four years of resistance to the new Shoan hegemony, Alula submitted to Henilek and was rewarded with the long-desired position of 'the king's man'. When Yohannes died and Eritrea was lost to the Italians, Alula became the most powerful champion of Tigrean independence from the new Shoan emperor, Menilek II. As the 'king's man', Alula's power was based on his position in the court and on the province (Eritrea) over which ha was appointed. Alula became the best general of the Tigrean emperor Yohannes IV (1872-89). It also illuminates one of the important historical processes of the time: the rise and fall of Tigrean hegemony. His career sheds light on the interaction of social background and political power in the late nineteenth-century Ethiopia. The free AfricaBib App for Android is available hereĪlula, 'the son of Gubi': a 'king's man' in Ethiopia, 1875-1897ĭuring the period between the Egyptian invasions of 18 and the Italian defeat at Adwa in 1896, the history of northern Ethiopia was much influenced by the remarkable career of a son of a peasant, Ras Alula.
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