8.3 The Zemene Mesafint (The Era of Warlords)

Описание: 8.3 The Zemene Mesafint (The Era of Warlords)
Power Struggle in Gondar (1767-1769)
• Wollo faction represented by Wabi, wife of Iyassu II and mother of Iyoas.
• Quara faction represented by Itege Mentewab, mother-in-law of Iyoas.
• Rivalry occurred after Ras Bitweded Welde Leul's death in 1767.
• Mentewab arranged a political marriage between Iyassu II and Wabi to consolidate power.
• Wollo Oromo gradually gained leading political influence.
Quara-Wollo Oromo Conflict
• Created political disorder in capital.
• Endangered Mentewab's power.
• Forced Mentewab to seek strong personality.
1768 Powerful Candidate: Ras Michael Sehul of Tigrai
• Possessed a large army and modern firearms due to foreign trade.
• Invited to Gondar by Mentewab, restored peace and order.
• Awarded the highest title of Ras Bitweded.
• Refused to return to Tigrai, assassinated King Iyoas in 1769.
• Marked the start of a new era of regional warlords undermining monarchy power.

Zemene-Mesafint Period (1769 -1855)
• 1769: Assassination of King Iyoas by Ras Michael Sehul
• 1855: Kasa Hailu crowned Tewodros II
Ras Michael's Rule in Tigray
• Ras Michael, a kingmaker, faced strong opposition from the nobility.
• Battle of Sarba-Kussa in 1771 defeated him, forcing him to return to Tigrai.
• He ruled Tigray for nine years until his death in 1780.
• Chaos and disorder continued after Michael's defeat until Ali Gwangul's rise.
• Ali founded the Yejju dynasty or the Warra Sheh in 1786.
Zemene Mesafint Era in Ethiopian History (1769-1855)
• Relative stability under successors.
• Evolution of regional lords.
• Main political regions: Tigray, Semen, Debye, Begemedir, Lasta, Yejju, Wollo, Gojjam, Shewa.

Northern Ethiopian Warlords' Conflicts
• Expansion of territories at neighbor's expense due to vast resources.
• Desire for Ras Bitweded title to guard weak Gordian kings and court.
• Aim to collect tribute in their name for weak kings.
Zemene Mesafint's Power Conflicts and Religious Divisions
• Religious conflicts intensified regional power struggles.
• Dcontroversy within Orthodox Church weakened Ethiopian state and Church's position.
• Orthodox Church's internal divisions gave ideological dimension to power conflict.
• This division further intensified the power struggle of the Zemene Mesafint.
Zemene Mesafint's Impact on Peasantry's Social and Economic Life
• Peasants were forced to feed armies of local and regional lords and supply food to shiftas (bandits).
• Dependents discouraged peasantry from producing surplus.
• Farmlands became battlefields, villages burned down.
• Agriculture, backbone of peasant economy, was depressed during the Zemene Mesafint period.