Asfa Wossen ( am, አስፋ ወሰን, ) was a ruler of
Shewa
Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian language, Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous monarchy, kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The ...
of the
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
from about 1770 to 1808, an important
Amhara noble of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. He was the son of
Amha Iyasus Amha Iyasus Kidane Kale, better known as Ammehayes (reigned c. 1744 – c. 1775), was a Meridazmach of Shewa, an important Amhara noble of Ethiopia. He was the son of Kidane Kale, and a sister of Goshu of Amhara.
The Meridazmach made a dipl ...
; Mordechai Abir notes that he was one of Amha Iyasus' 48 offspring.
Reign
According to Donald Levine, Asfa Wossen spent his youth in a monastery in
Menz
Menz or Manz ( am, መንዝ, romanized: ''Mänz'') is a former subdivision of Ethiopia, located inside the boundaries of the modern Semien Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region. William Cornwallis Harris described Menz as lying "westward" of Gedem bu ...
, where he became proficient at the traditional Amharic poetic genre known as ''
qene''.
[Donald N. Levine, ''Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture'' (Chicago: University Press, 1972), p. 34]
During his reign, Shewan control over the tributary states of
Geshe
Geshe (Tib. ''dge bshes'', short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, ...
,
Antzioka,
Efrata
Efrat ( he, אֶפְרָת), or previously officially Efrata ( he, אֶפְרָתָה), is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, established in 1983 in the Judean Mountains. Efrat is located south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem and Hebron, ...
,
Moret and
Marra Biete
Marra Biete (Amharic: መራ ቤቴ) is a former province of Ethiopia, located inside the boundaries of the modern Semien Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region, north of Shewa Meda.
According to Johann Ludwig Krapf, Marra Biete lay in the northwest p ...
were strengthened. One step in this process led Asfa Wossen to follow the advice of his father confessor and embrace the doctrine of the ''
Sost Lidet'' in order to absorb the key state of Marra Biete.
Abir considers Asfa Wossen "more of an administrator than a war leader", noting the Meridazmach's administrative innovations of Shewa. "However, when the need arose, Asfa Wossen proved himself to be as brave and talented a warrior as he was a good administrator." Levine concurs in this assessment: "As a ruler he resembled many of
Gondar
Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...
's monarchs, preferring to spend his time in religious pursuits and the embellishment of his capital (
Ankobar
Ankober (), formerly known as Ankobar, is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the North Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region, it's perched on the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian Highlands at an elevation of about . It is to the east of Debr ...
) than on the warpath."
[ Once he secured his control over the ]Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
parts of Shewa, Asfa Wossen campaigned viciously against the Oromo of the plains of Shewa, the Tulama Oromo
The Tulama are an Oromo subgroup inhabiting the Shewa Zones of Oromia, Ethiopia, East Shewa Zone, North Shewa Zone (Oromia), Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Addis Ababa).
See also
* List of Oromo subgroups and clans
Fistly,The Native Oro ...
, the Mogar Oromo, the Abichu who dwelled at the headwaters of the Awash River
The Awash (sometimes spelled Awaash; Oromo: ''Awaash'', Amharic: አዋሽ, Afar: ''We'ayot'', Somali: ''Webiga Dir'') is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia and empties into a chain of ...
, and the Oromo tribes living in the mountains of Garra Korfu.
According to Henze, some of Asfa Wossen's administrative measures included tax reforms, and placing a personal representative in each district. Henze quotes the opinion of a contemporary chronicler, who wrote that "under Asfa Wossen a small group of five or six Amhara could travel without danger from Bulga to Debre Libanos
Debre Libanos (Amharic: ደብረ ሊባኖስ, om, Dabra libanose) is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo monastery, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. It was founded in 1284 by Saint Tekle Haymanot as D ...
, taking the shortest route through the Galla romo
Romantic Modernism, more commonly known as Romo, was a musical and nightclubbing movement, of glam/style pop lineage, in the UK circa 1995–1997, centred on the twin homes of Camden-based clubnight Club Skinny and its West End clone Arcadia ...
area." Levine explains this benevolence was the result of "a monkish prophecy that his life would be short"; but by emptying the state coffers "he lived to fill them time and again."[Levine, ''Wax and Gold'', p. 35]
About the time Asfa Wossen had made some progress in consolidating his hold on Shewa, the Imperial power at Gondar cast its shadow across Shewa. The army of Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I
Tekle Giyorgis I ( gez, ተክለ ጊዮርጊስ; c. 1751 – 12 December 1817), throne name Feqr Sagad, was Emperor of Ethiopia intermittently between 20 July 1779 and June 1800, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the youngest son of ...
defeated
Defeated may refer to:
* "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song)
* "Defeated" (Anastacia song)
*"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love''
*Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community
*''The Defeated
''The Defeated'', al ...
the Oromo of Wuchale
Wuchale ( Amharic: ውጫሌ), also spelled Uccialli, is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located about 40 km north of Dessie in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1711 m. I ...
in 1784, and were encamped on the banks of the Bashilo, poised to cross into Shewa. According to the ''Royal Chronicles'' only the refusal of the Emperor's troops kept him from advancing and the Emperor Tekle Giyorgis "hardening his heart destroyed the gates of the monasteries and broke the spears and their swords and marched to the frontiers of Shewa." According to Mordechai Abir, mutual friends (and the pressure of his general Wolde Selassie
Wolde Selassie (; c.1736 - 28 May 1816) was Ras of the Tigray province between 1788-1816, and Regent of the Ethiopian Empire between 1797-1800. John J. Halls, in his ''Life and Correspondence of Henry Salt'', preserves a description of this power ...
upon the Emperor) made peace between the two. Donald Levine adds that Asfa Wossen "handled the situation with characteristic Shoan adroitness": on the one hand he argued that if he extended his domains it was the expense of their common enemy, the Oromo; on the other, he "heaped gifts upon the emperor and his lieutenants". Meridazmach Asfa Wossen paid tribute to the Emperor, who then returned to Gondar; this was the last time an Emperor exacted tribute from Shewa until the reign of Tewodros II
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Tewodros II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, baptized as Gebre Kidan; 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopi ...
.
In his last years Asfa Wossen lost his sight, and underwent a period of suffering. Following his death, his body was buried in his capital of Ankober.[Abir, p. 151.]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wossen, Asfa
Rulers of Shewa
18th-century Ethiopian people
19th-century monarchs in Africa
Year of birth uncertain