Tewodros II of Ethiopia
| Téwodros II ቴዎድሮስ |
|
|---|---|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
 |
|
| Emperor of Ethiopia | |
| Reign | 11 February 1855 – 13 April 1868 |
| Coronation | 11 February 1855 |
| Predecessor | Sahle Dengel |
| Successor | Tekle Giyorgis II |
| Born | c. 1818 Qwara, Dembiya |
| Died | 13 April 1868 (aged 49–50) |
| Burial |
Magdala Wollo, Ethiopia Medhane Alem Church, Magdala (originally) Mahbere Selassie Convent, Qwara (currently) |
| Spouse |
Tewabech Ali Tiruwork Wube |
| Issue | Prince Alemayehu |
| House | House of Solomon |
| Father | Haile Giorgis Wolde Giorgis |
| Mother | Woizero Atitegeb Wondbewossen |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodox |
Téwodros II (Ge'ez: ቴዎድሮስ?, baptized as Sahle Dingil, and often referred to in English by the equivalent Theodore II) (c. 1818 – April 13, 1868) was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death.
He was born Kassa Haile Giorgis, but was more regularly referred to as Kassa Hailu (Ge'ez: ካሳ ኃይሉ? — meaning "restitution" and "His [or the] power"). His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia, ending the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes).
Tewodros II's origins were in the Era of the Princes, but his ambitions were not those of the regional nobility. He sought to reestablish a cohesive Ethiopian state and to reform its administration and church. He did not initially claim Solomonic lineage but did seek to restore Solomonic hegemony, and he considered himself the Elect of God. Later in his reign, suspecting that foreigners considered him an upstart and seeking to legitimize his reign, he added "son of David and Solomon" to his title.
Tewodros II's first task was to bring Shewa under his control. During the Era of the Princes, Shewa was, even more than most provinces, an independent entity, its ruler even styling himself Negus. In the course of subduing the Shewans, Tewodros imprisoned a Shewan prince, Menelik II, who would later become emperor himself. Despite his success against Shewa, Tewodros faced constant rebellions in other provinces.
In the first six years of his reign, the new ruler managed to put down these rebellions, and the empire was relatively peaceful from about 1861 to 1863, but the energy, wealth, and manpower necessary to deal with regional opposition limited the scope of Tewodros's other activities. By 1865 other rebels had emerged, including Menelik II, who had escaped from prison and returned to Shewa, where he declared himself Negus. In addition to his conflicts with rebels and rivals, Tewodros encountered difficulties with the European powers. Seeking aid from the British government (he proposed a joint expedition to conquer Jerusalem), he became unhappy with the behavior of those Britons whom he had counted on to advance his request, and he took them hostage and chained them. In 1868, as a British expeditionary force sent from India to secure release of the hostages stormed his stronghold, Tewodros committed suicide.
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