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58-416: She was the daughter of Dejazmatch Wube Hayle Maryam , an ethnic Amhara , and the prince of Semien province who became the virtual ruler of all of northern Ethiopia after his conquest of Tigray province and parts of modern day Eritrea during the 1830s and 1840s. Her mother was Woizero Lakiyaye, a noblewoman of Tigray Tiruwork Wube was maternally a descendant of Ras Wolde Selassie who ruled much of

116-462: A convent . Following the death of Tewodros II's much loved first wife, Empress Tewabech Ali , his intimates began to discreetly look for an appropriate consort to provide him with an heir and to calm his more extreme moods as his late wife had done. Legend states that one of the Emperor's officers was attending Sunday services at a church at Derasge when Tewodros was staying there, and was struck at

174-531: A member of the Mekwanint , even though their ranks were equal. There were also parallel rules of precedence, primarily seniority based on age, on offices held, and on when they each obtained their titles, which made the rules for precedence rather complex. Combined with the ambiguous position of titled heirs of members of the Mekwanint , Emperor Haile Selassie, as part of his programme of modernising reforms, and in line with his aims of centralising power away from

232-411: A room where his wife was seated, Tewodros found her reading a book of Psalms and pretending to not notice his entrance. He angrily asked her why she did not rise. The Empress ignored him. In a fury the Emperor loudly demanded to know why she dared to ignore him when he spoke to her, she casually looked up and said "I am speaking with someone far greater than you". The Emperor stormed out. Tiruwork Wube

290-504: The Battle of Taku Forts he led the assault on the main northern fort on 21 August 1860 where he counted six bullet holes in his clothing and equipment. The Anting Gate in Peking was surrendered to Napier on 13 October 1860 and he was responsible for protecting Lord Elgin 's line of march into Peking on 24 October 1860. He was promoted to brevet major-general on 15 February 1861 and to

348-756: The First Anglo-Sikh War and the Second Anglo-Sikh War before seeing action as chief engineer during the second relief of Lucknow in March 1858 during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . He also served in the Second Opium War as commander of the 2nd division of the expeditionary force which took part in the Battle of Taku Forts , the surrender of Peking's Anting Gate and the entry to Peking in 1860. He subsequently led

406-588: The Mekwanint appointed by the monarch, while regionally, the Mesafint enjoyed greater influence and power. Emperor Haile Selassie greatly curtailed the power of the Mesafint to the benefit of the Mekwanint , who by then were essentially coterminous with the Ethiopian government. The Mekwanint were officials who had been granted specific offices in the Abyssinian government or court. Higher ranks from

464-500: The Mesafint , replaced the traditional system of precedence with a simplified, Western-inspired system that gave precedence by rank, and then by seniority based when the title had been assumed – irrespective of how the title was acquired. Although several kings of Aksum used this style, until the restoration of the Solomonic dynasty under Yekuno Amlak , rulers of Ethiopia generally used the style of Negus , although "King of Kings"

522-633: The North-West Frontier Province and was promoted to the brevet rank of colonel on 28 November 1854 and the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel on 15 April 1856. Napier was appointed military secretary and adjutant general to Sir James Outram , whose forces took part in the actions leading to the first relief of Lucknow in September 1857. He remained as chief engineer until the second relief in November 1857, when he

580-550: The plural ), and when referred to by name in the third person with the suffix of Atse (effectively "Emperor", i.e. Atse Menelik). All formal speech concerning the Emperor was in the plural, as was his own speech; Haile Selassie , for instance, referred to himself in the first-person plural at all times, even in casual conversation and when speaking in French (however this was not the case when he spoke in English, in which he

638-480: The punitive expedition to Abyssinia July 1867. Napier achieved his greatest fame as an army officer when he led the expedition of 1868 against Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia . The Ethiopian ruler was holding a number of Protestant missionaries hostage, in his mountain capital of Magdala , as well as two British diplomats who had attempted to negotiate their freedom (Tewodros had unwisely taken them hostage as well). After months of planning and other preparations,

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696-585: The punitive expedition to Abyssinia in July 1867, defeating the Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia with minimal loss of life among his own forces and rescuing the hostages of Tewodros. Born the son of Major Charles Frederick Napier, who was wounded at the storming of Meester Cornelis (now Jatinegara ) in Java on (26 August 1810) and died some months later, and Catherine Napier (née Carrington), Napier

754-571: The 4.35 million Maria Theresa thalers (the preferred currency of the area) the British had purchased from the mint in Vienna . What helped Napier was the general disaffection with, if not hostility to, Tewodros, and a desire to replace him, held by several native leaders, as well as a general sense that his hostage-taking was bound to lead to trouble. Napier's troops reached the foot of Magdala on 9 April 1868. The next day, Good Friday , he defeated

812-438: The 9,000 troops still loyal to Tewodros at the Battle of Magdala for the loss of only 2 British lives. Although Emperor Tewodros surrendered his hostages and made repeated efforts for a negotiated surrender, the distrustful Napier pressed on and ordered an assault on the mountain redoubt on 13 April 1868. The British captured Magdala, and Emperor Tewodros killed himself, leaving a grandiose statement that he preferred to "fall into

870-669: The Empress every royal dignity and assured that Tewodros' family were treated appropriately. The Empress learned that her male relatives, in reply to Napier's request as to what should be done for the Empress, had said "do what you want with her". Hurt by this betrayal, she was also being harassed by a Captain Speedy from the British forces, who had previously been acquainted with Tewodros, and now constantly tried to get his widow to appoint him guardian to young Alemayehu. She asked Napier to keep him away, and he ordered Speedy to stop harassing

928-541: The Empress. The expedition left for the coast, but the Empress' health began a swift decline. She died before she reached the coast, and her young orphaned son left for Britain without any relative at his side. Empress Tiruwork Wube was accorded full honors by the British troops as her body was carried away to the monastery of the Holy Trinity at Chalacot in Tigray, where her paternal grandfather had been buried. She

986-653: The Ethiopian prince died at age 19, just a few years later. In addition to having been the aunt of her husband's first wife, Empress Tewabech Ali, Empress Tiruwork was also the first cousin of Empress Taytu Betul , consort of Emperor Menelik II. Dejazmatch Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea . The Mesafint ( Ge'ez : መሳፍንት masāfint , modern transcription mesāfint , singular መስፍን masfin , modern mesfin , "prince"),

1044-657: The Left and one of the Right. These were later merged into one office, which became the supreme grade of Ras , "Ras Betwadad". Marcus equates the style to an earl . Lij ( Amharic : ልጅ , romanized :  ləj , lit.   'child') – Title issued at birth to sons of members of the Mesafint, the hereditary royal nobility. Taken from the 1998 book, Ethiopia Reaches Her Hand Unto God: Imperial Ethiopia’s Unique Symbols, Structures, and Role in

1102-497: The Modern World, by Gregory R. Copley, International Strategic Studies Association, published here online by The Crown Council of Ethiopia] Ethiopian Aristocratic And Court Titles Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala Field Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala GCB GCSI FRS (6 December 1810 – 14 January 1890) was a British Indian Army officer. He fought in

1160-645: The Public Works Department until 1836 when he returned to England for leave on account of his poor health. Promoted to captain on 25 January 1841, he was appointed garrison engineer at Sirhind in 1842. Napier served under Sir Hugh Gough during the First Anglo-Sikh War and commanded the Bengal Engineers at the Battle of Mudki in December 1845. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Ferozeshah in December 1845 while storming

1218-756: The Sikh camp and was also present at the Battle of Sobraon in February 1846. Promoted to brevet major on 3 April 1846, he was chief engineer at the siege of the fortress of Kote Kangra in the Punjab by Brigadier-General Wheeler in May 1846. Having been appointed as consulting engineer to the Punjab resident and to the Council of Regency of the Punjab, Napier was called to direct the siege of Multan in September 1848 at

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1276-668: The Tower of London . Napier died of influenza at his residence in London on 14 January 1890. He was given a state funeral and buried in St Paul's Cathedral on 21 January 1890. In 1883 the British government installed one Armstrong 100 ton gun in a battery in Gibraltar that they named the Napier of Magdala Battery and in 1891 a statue of Napier on horseback by Sir Joseph Boehm

1334-616: The advance guard of engineers landed at Zula on the Red Sea to construct a port on 30 October 1867; Napier himself arrived in Zula on 2 January 1868, and on 25 January 1868 led his troops south into the Ethiopian Highlands . The expedition involved crossing 400 miles (644 km) of mountainous terrain lacking roads or bridges occupied by local people with a known history of hostility towards outsiders. The expedition overcame

1392-434: The beauty, the aristocratic deportment, and the deep piety of a woman worshiping there. He immediately went to the Emperor and told him he had seen the woman "meant to be the wife of my sovereign". Tewodros made inquiries, and learned that the woman was none other than the daughter of his enemy Wube Hayle Maryam. However, her royal bearing, her illustrious family tree, and great beauty impressed him sufficiently to want to marry

1450-548: The commander of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir Robert Napier took Empress Tiruwork and her son under his protection. After initially agreeing to allow her son to go to England with the expedition while she returned to her native Simien, Empress Tiruwork then suddenly decided that she would accompany her son. Empress Tiruwork was suffering an illness, and the stress from the death of her husband and her uncertain future took their toll. Napier accorded

1508-463: The conditions of imprisonment eased on Dejazmach Wube and his sons, but had not freed them as Empress Tiruwork had hoped, and this contributed to the coldness that developed between them. Tiruwork Wube also believed that in marrying Tewodros, whom her peers regarded as a usurper, she had married below her station. She deliberately refused to rise to her feet when he entered a room as was customary, often pretending not to have seen him. Once upon entering

1566-465: The daughter of one of his greatest foes. Tiruwork Wube resisted, begging to be allowed to enter a convent, but her family prevailed upon her to marry the Emperor in hopes that the harsh imprisonment of her father and brothers might be ended, or at least eased. Unfortunately, the marriage was not a particularly happy one. Unlike his first wife, his new Empress was not able to calm his rages, and probably had little interest in doing so. The Emperor had ordered

1624-430: The enthronement of Zewditu . Reserved at birth for daughters of the monarch and patrilineal granddaughters. Usually bestowed on the wives of Leul Ras , as well as the monarch's granddaughters in the female line upon their marriages. The notable exception to the rule was Leult Yeshashework Yilma , Emperor Haile Selassie's niece by his elder brother, who received the title with the dignity of "Highness" from Zewditu upon

1682-513: The first obstacle, the terrain, by thorough logistical planning and engineering ability. Shrewd diplomacy dealt with the second obstacle, local opposition. On the one hand, Napier made it clear to the Ethiopians that the sole intent of the British force was to rescue the imprisoned Europeans—not conquest; on the other, Napier met with local potentates such as Ras Kassa (the future Emperor Yohannes IV ) and arranged to purchase needed supplies with

1740-621: The hands of God, rather than man." Napier then ordered the destruction of Tewodros' artillery and the burning of Magdala as revenge for Tewodros's hostage taking; his palace was sacked by members of the expedition. After the Ethiopian campaign, Napier was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Freeman of the City of London . He was also elevated to the peerage as Baron Napier of Magdala on 11 July 1868 and granted an annuity for life. Napier became Commander-in-Chief, India , with

1798-430: The hereditary royal nobility, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class. The Mekwanint ( Ge'ez : መኳንንት makʷanint , modern mekʷanint , singular መኰንን makʷanin , modern mekʷanin or Amharic : መኮንን mekonnen , "officer") were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the aristocracy. Until the 20th century, the most powerful people at court were generally members of

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1856-609: The local rank of full general in April 1870, and having been promoted to the substantive rank of full general on 1 April 1874, he became Governor of Gibraltar in June 1876. In February 1878, however, he was recalled to London and appointed to command an expeditionary force which was being prepared in anticipation of a war with Russia. When war did not break out he returned to his duties in Gibraltar. In November 1879 he represented Queen Victoria at Madrid as ambassador extraordinary upon

1914-482: The monarch ruled, thus justifying his imperial title. The title of Negus was awarded at the discretion of the Emperor to those who ruled important provinces, although it was often used hereditarily during and after the Zemene Mesafint . The rulers of Begemder , Shewa , Gojjam , Wollo , all held the title of Negus at some point, as the " Negus of Shewa", " Negus of Gojjam", and so forth. During and after

1972-554: The occasion of Alfonso XII of Spain 's second marriage and in December 1879 he became a member of the Royal Commission on the organization of the army. Standing down as Governor of Gibraltar, he was promoted to field marshal on 1 January 1883. Napier was also honorary colonel of the 3rd London Rifle Volunteer Corps and colonel-commandant of the Royal Engineers. In January 1887 he was appointed Constable of

2030-656: The office of Christ ahead of the Emperor's name in an act of Imperial submission. Until the reign of Yohannes IV , the Emperor was also Neguse Tsion ( Ge'ez : ንጉሠ ጽዮን , nəgusä tsiyon , "King of Zion"), whose seat was at Axum , and which conferred hegemony over much of the north of the Empire. The Emperor was referred to by the dignities of the formal Girmawi ( Ge'ez : ግርማዊ , gərəmawi , "His Imperial Majesty"), in common speech as Janhoy ( Ge'ez : ጃንሆይ janihoy , "Your [Imperial] Majesty", or lit. "sire"), in his own household and family as Getochu (our Master in

2088-520: The outset of the Second Anglo-Sikh War . He was wounded during the siege but managed to recover sufficiently to be present at the successful storming of Multan in January 1849 and at the surrender of the fortress of Chiniot shortly thereafter. He took part in the Battle of Gujrat in February 1849 and accompanied Sir Walter Gilbert as he pursued the Sikhs all the way to Rawalpindi and was present at

2146-553: The plains of Jaora Alipur. After Sir Hugh Rose's departure, Napier assumed command of the Gwalior division and helped capture Paori in August 1858, routed Prince Ferozepore at Ranode in December 1858 and secured the surrender of Man Singh and Tatya Tope, ending the war, in January 1859. In January 1860, during the Second Opium War , Napier assumed command of the 2nd Division of the expeditionary force under Sir James Hope Grant . In

2204-518: The powerful non-imperial titles; historian Harold G. Marcus equates this to a duke . The combined title of Leul Ras ( Amharic : ልዑል ራስ) was given to the heads of the cadet branches of the imperial dynasty, such as the Princes of Gojjam, Tigray and the Selalle sub-branch of the last reigning Shewan Branch. An Emebet Hoy (እመቤት ሆይ ’əmäbēt hōy , "Great Royal Lady") was a title reserved for

2262-430: The princess' marriage to Leul Ras Gugsa Araya Selassie in 1918, and then again from her uncle upon his coronation in 1930 with the enhanced dignity of "Imperial Highness". Abetohun ( Amharic : አቤቶኹን abētōhun ) or Abeto ( Amharic : አቤቶ abētō , "Prince") – Title reserved for males of imperial ancestry. The title fell into disuse by the late 19th century. Lij Iyasu attempted to revive

2320-723: The region and established his capital at Chalacot in the late 1700s. The family of Dejazmatch Wube were descended from Emperor Fasilides , and the Dejazmatch had long harbored ambitions of becoming Emperor himself. However, Tewodros II defeated Wube, and had himself crowned at the church of Derasge Maryam that Wube is said to have built for his own planned coronation. Tewodros is said to have especially hated Dejazmach Wube among his enemies and ordered that he be chained and imprisoned for life along with his sons. A deeply religious woman, Tiruwork Wube endured her father's condition by resorting to prayer and fasting, and planned on entering

2378-549: The reign of Menelik II virtually all of the titles either lapsed into the Imperial crown or were dissolved. In 1914, after having been appointed " Negus of Zion" by his son Lij Iyasu , Mikael of Wollo , in consideration of the hostile feelings this provoked among much of the nobility in northern Ethiopia (particularly Le'ul Ras Seyoum Mengesha , whose family had resented being denied the title by Menelik), who were now technically made subordinate to him, instead elected to use

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2436-422: The second day of the emperor's coronation holiday. Menen Asfaw became the first Itege to be crowned by the archbishop on the same day and during the same ceremony as her husband, Haile Selassie . The Itege was entitled to the dignity of Girmawit ("Her/Your Imperial Majesty"). A Negus ( Ge'ez : ንጉሥ nəgus , "king") was a hereditary ruler of one of Ethiopia's larger provinces , over whom collectively

2494-574: The substantive rank of colonel on 18 February 1861. Napier became the military member of the Council of the Governor-General of India in 1861, acting for a short while as Governor-General after the sudden death of Lord Elgin . He assumed command of the Bombay Army with the local rank of lieutenant general on 7 February 1865 and received promotion to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 1 March 1867 before taking command of

2552-742: The surrender ceremony of the Sikh Army . He was promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel on 7 June 1849 and became chief engineer to the Board of Administration of Punjab Province at the end of the War. In December 1852 Napier took command of a column in the first Hazara expedition, and in November 1853 against the Afridis on the North-West frontier . He crushed the Afridi Pashtun rebellion in

2610-537: The throne so this title was effectively abolished. An Itege ( Amharic : እቴጌ ’ətēgē ) was an Empress Consort . This refers to the wives of reigning emperors. Empresses were generally crowned as consorts by the emperor at the Imperial Palace. However, Taytu Betul , consort of Menelik II, became the first Itege to be crowned by the Emperor at church rather than at the Palace. Her coronation took place on

2668-569: The time that the British arrived in 1868 to free the European prisoners the Emperor had seized. On one occasion, when Menelik of Shewa arrived at Magdala with his army and threatened to take over the mountain citadel in Tewodros' absence, Empress Tiruwork was instrumental in rallying the Emperor's forces and repelling Menelik. Upon Tewodros II's defeat and suicide on Easter Monday 1868,

2726-818: The title as Abeto-hoy ( Amharic : አቤቶ ሆይ , "Great Prince"), and this form is still used by the current Iyasuist claimant Girma Yohannes Iyasu . Lij Tedla Melaku, an influential Ethiopian philosopher, monarchist, and a member of the Gondar-Lasta branch of the Solomonic-Zagwe Imperial House and the Shewan nobility was also invested with the title of Abeto by the Crown Council of Ethiopia in 2019. Ras ( Amharic : ራስ , romanized :  ras , lit.   'head', compare with Arabic Rais ) – One of

2784-554: The title of Negus of Wollo. Tafari Makonnen, who later became Emperor Haile Selassie, was bestowed the title of Negus in 1928; he would be the last person to bear the title. Despite this, European sources referred to the Ethiopian monarch as the Negus well into the 20th century, switching to Emperor only after the Second World War – around the same time the name Abyssinia fell out of use in favour of Ethiopia in

2842-420: The title of Ras descending through to Balambaras were also bestowed upon members of the Mekwanint . A member of the Mesafint , however, would traditionally be given precedence over a member of the Mekwanint of the same rank. For example, Ras Mengesha Yohannes , son of Emperor Yohannes IV and thus a member of the Mesafint , would have outranked Ras Alula Engida , who was of humble birth and therefore

2900-590: The west. Leul or Leoul ( Ge'ez : ልዑል lə‘ul , "Prince") was a princely style used by sons and grandson of Ethiopia's dynastic monarchs. It is equivalent to that of Your Highness and was formerly only used as a form of address. The term was introduced as an official title in 1916 by the former foreign minister Blatten Geta Heruy Wolde-Selassie ; it was first applied to Dejazmatch Tafari and his wife Princess Menen, who were respectively designated Leul-Ras and Le'elt Woizero. Le'elt ( Ge'ez : ልዕልት lə‘əlt , "Princess"). This title came into use in 1916 upon

2958-635: The wives of those bearing the title of Leul Dejazmach and other high ranking women of royal blood. Alternatively, an Emebet (እመቤት ’əmäbēt , "Royal Lady") was a title reserved for the unmarried granddaughters of the monarch in the female line (they were generally granted the title of leult upon marriage), and to the daughters of the Leul Ras . Bitwoded ( Amharic : ቢትወደድ , romanized :  bitwädäd , lit.   'beloved') – An office thought to have been created by Zara Yaqob who appointed two of these, one of

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3016-603: Was badly wounded while crossing an exposed space with Outram and Sir Henry Havelock to meet with Sir Colin Campbell . He recovered sufficiently to be present at the capture of Lucknow in March 1858. Napier then joined Sir Hugh Rose as second-in-command for the march on Gwalior and commanded the 2nd Brigade at the Battle of Morar in June 1858. After Gwalior was captured by the British, Napier and his 700 men pursued, caught and defeated Tatya Tope 's force of 12,000 men on

3074-426: Was cold and condescending to Tewodros, and he was angry and cruel in return. He philandered regularly, even referring to one of his mistresses as "Empress Yitemegnu". They did however manage to produce a son, Dejazmach Alemayehu Tewodros , whom both adored. While the marriage was quite stormy, and they spent time separated from each other frequently, they were reconciled on several occasions, and were reconciled at

3132-560: Was educated at Addiscombe Military Seminary before being commissioned into the Bengal Engineers on 15 December 1826. He attended the Royal Engineer Establishment at Chatham with the rank of ensign from 7 June 1827 before being promoted to lieutenant on 28 September 1827 and being sent to India in November 1828. After commanding a company at Delhi , he was employed in the irrigation works of

3190-410: Was given the feminine version of nigusa nigist to indicate that she reigned in her own right. She was accorded the dignity of Girmawit ("[Her] Imperial Majesty") and the title of Siyimta Igzi'abher ( Ge’ez : ሥይምተ እግዚአብሔር səyəmtä ’əgziabhēr , "Elect of God"). She was commonly referred to as nigist , translated as "Queen". The 1955 Constitution of Ethiopia excluded women from the succession to

3248-593: Was mourned by her mother, Woizero Lakiyaye, who before departing with her daughter's body for Tigray, handed Napier a letter for Queen Victoria . In it, the grandmother of Dejazmach Alemayehu asked the British Queen to care for the little prince as if he were her own, as she herself, could no longer be of any help to him. The letter touched the Queen deeply, and she took over responsibility for Alemayehu's education. Queen Victoria wrote of her sadness in her diary when

3306-474: Was not fully fluent). The Negesta Nagastat ( Ge’ez : ንግሥተ ነገሥታት nəgəstä nägästât ) was Empress Regnant in her own right, literally "Queen of Kings", or "Queen of Queens", or "female ruler of an empire." Zewditu (reigned 1917–1930) was the only woman to be crowned in Ethiopia in her own right since ancient times. Rather than take the title itege , which was reserved for empress consorts , Zewditu

3364-452: Was used as far back as Ezana of Axum (320's–360 CE/AD). The full title of the Emperor of Ethiopia was Negusa Nagast and Seyoume Igziabeher ( Ge'ez : ሥዩመ እግዚአብሔር ; "Elect of God"). The title Moa Anbessa Ze Imnegede Yehuda ("Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah") always preceded the titles of the Emperor. It was not a personal title but rather referred to the title of Jesus and placed

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