Tekle Giyorgis I of Ethiopia
| Tekle Giyorgis I | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
| Reign | 1779–1800 |
| Predecessor | Salomon II |
| Successor | Demetros |
| Born | c. 1751 |
| Died | 12 December 1817 (aged 66) |
| House | House of Solomon |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox |
Tekle Giyorgis I (Amharic: ተክለ ጊዮርጊስ? "Plant of Saint George"; c. 1751 – 12 December 1817) was Emperor of Ethiopia (throne name Feqr Sagad) intermittently between 20 July 1779 and June 1800, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the youngest son of Yohannes II and Woizoro Sancheviyer, and the brother of Tekle Haymanot II.
According to Sven Rubenson, who described Tekle Giyorgis as the last emperor to exercise authority on his own, "It is not without justification that he has in Ethiopian tradition received the nickname Fiṣame Mengist, 'the end of the government'".
Nathaniel Pearce, who lived in Ethiopia during the 1810s, was acquainted with Tekle Giyorgis and described the emperor, at age 66, as
He has a dark, shining skin which is very singular, as ... [his parents and brother], were very fair for Abyssinians ... while he, the youngest son, is as dark as mahogany. The Ras [i.e. Wolde Selassie] who knew the whole family, often remarked this, and repeated "Black without and black within."
Pearce continues his description on the next page, noting that Tekle Giyorgis
Then the Englishman concludes this description with an account of the former Emperor's character, by writing, "I shall begin by stating, in plain English, that he is a great liar and a great miser, and from his childhood has been remarkable for his changeable and deceitful temper, and utter disregard of his oath." Pearce illustrates this by his treatment of Wolde Gabriel, the son of Ras Mikael Sehul, who had restored him to the throne after the Rasses Ali and Meru rebelled against him: when Wolde Gabriel protested that his men were exhausted after their campaign against the rebels, and could not march forth with the Emperor to Shewa, Tekle Giyorgis conspired with his captured foes to arrest and kept Wolde Gabriel in chains, until he had ransomed himself with "the last article of value he possessed".
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