Abba Jifar II
| Abba Jifar II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of the Kingdom of Jimma | |||||
| Reign | 1878–1932 | ||||
| Predecessor | Abba Gomol | ||||
| Successor | Abba Jofir | ||||
| Died | 1932 | ||||
|
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| Dynasty | Kingdom of Jimma | ||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
| Moti Abba Jifar II |
Moti Abba Jifar II was King of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma (r. 1878–1932).
Abba Jifar II a member of the Oromo people, the son of Abba Gomol and Queen Gumiti. He had several wives: Queen Limmiti, who was the daughter of the King of Limmu-Ennarea; Queen Minjo, the daughter of the King of Kaffa; and Queen Sapertiti, also from Limmu-Ennarea.
In the 1880s, Abba Jifar II conquered a portion of the Kingdom of Janjero, which lay east of Jimma, along the Omo River, and incorporated it into his kingdom.
Due to the advice of his mother Queen Gumiti, to avoid the detriments of war, he agreed to submit to Menelik II, negus of Shewa in 1884. In 1886, Abba Jifar II paid peace offerings consisting of "slaves (including eunuchs), ivory, bamboo internodes filled with civet, jars of honey, locally made cloth, spears, shields ornamented with silver plates, and objects of wood (including stools)." Because of these "shrewd politics" (Herbert S. Lewis' words), which included providing military assistance to Menelik in conquering the neighboring kingdoms of Kullo (1889), Walamo (1894), and Kaffa (1897), he was able to preserve the autonomy of Jimma until his death. On the other hand, Alexander Bulatovich states that, when Jimma was annexed to Ethiopia, Emperor Menelik imprisoned Aba Jifar "for inspiring excessive enthusiasm in his own standing army and trying to entice Abyssinian soldiers to his own service" in Ankober for a year. "When he was freed," Bulatovich continues, "Aba Jefar again received the throne of Jimma from Menelik."
Queen Gumiti also advised him to expand the cultivation of coffee in his kingdom, which provided increased revenue for him and his subjects.
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