Susenyos II
| Susenyos II | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
| Reign | August–December 1770 |
| Predecessor | Tekle Haymanot II |
| Successor | Tekle Haymanot II |
| Died | circa 1771 |
| House | House of Solomon |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox |
Susenyos II (Amharic: ሱስንዮስ?) (or Greek Sissinios; died circa 1771) was nəgusä nägäst (reigned August 1770 – December 1770) of Ethiopia. His name at birth was Wolde Giyorgis; he was the son of a noble woman who had lost her fortune and made her living by carrying jars of water, while it was rumored that he was the illegitimate son of the deceased ruler Iyasu II. The Scottish traveller James Bruce, who was living in the capital city of Gondar at the time, described him as "a drunkard, a ruffian, and a profligate".
On 5 June 1770, Ras Mikael Sehul was forced to evacuate the city with Emperor Tekle Haymanot; they marched to Tigray to suppress several revolts there. Goshu and Wand Bewossen entered Gondar 10 June, where they attempted to convince Empress Mentewab to join them but failed. After waiting several days for Fasil to fulfill his promise to join them from his headquarters at Bure in Gojjam, on the 27th they left Gondar.
By the beginning of August, the principal inhabitants of Gondar held a council to select a new Emperor, and Ras Sanuda's nomination of Susenyos, then 24 years old, was accepted. Ostensibly, Susenyos was to gather an army and march against Ras Mikael, but the only noble who still who could provide enough soldiers was Fasil, who continued to temporalize over marching to Gondar until 2 November, when he arrived with 400 horse and 600 foot. At his arrival Susenyos rashly granted him a third of Ethiopia, only to find that in doing so he weakened his most loyal supporter, Ras Sanuda. This led to further disagreements between the pretender and Fasil, and despite Abuna Yosab III's attempts to make a peace between them, by 26 November Fasil declared his allegiance for Emperor Tekle Haymanot and left Gondar for Dengel Ber.
...
Wikipedia