Ayalew Birru, or Ayyalaw Birru, (1892 - May 1945) was an
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
army commander, a patriot, and a cousin of
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Haile Selassie I
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...
.
Biography
Ayalew Birru was born at Gayent and was the son of
''Ras'' Birru Wolde Gabriel Birru is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Ayalew Birru (1892–1945), Ethiopian army commander and patriot
*Dejazmach Birru, 19th-century Ethiopian warlord
*Tadesse Birru
Tadesse Birru (1921 – 19 March 1975) was an Ethiopi ...
and
''Woizero'' Gessesse Marso. Ayalew Birru was a relative of
Taytu Betul
Taytu Betul ( am, ጣይቱ ብጡል; baptised as Wälättä Mikael; 1851 – 11 February 1918) was Empress of Ethiopia from 1889 to 1913 and the third wife of Emperor Menelik II. An influential figure in anti-colonial resistance during the l ...
. From 1883 to 1913, Taytu was the wife of
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Menelek II
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
and, from 1889 to 1913, she was
Empress
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
of the Ethiopian Empire. Birru Wolde Gabriel was even rumoured to be the "
natural
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...
" son of Menelik.
During his lifetime, Ayalew Birru held a number of important governorships. From 1916, he was
''Shum'' of Wagara. From 1928, he was ''Shum'' of
Semien Province. From 1917 to 1918, after
''Lij'' Iyasu was deposed, Ayalew Birru was made the
Commander-in-Chief of the
Imperial Army by ''Ras''
Tafari Makonnen
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
.
On 18 January 1918, Ayalew Birru married
''Woizerit Hoy'' Manyahilush Kassa. Manyahilush was the second daughter of ''Ras''
Kassa Haile Darge
'' Leul Ras'' Kassa Hailu KS, GCVO, GBE, (Amharic: ካሣ ኀይሉ ዳርጌ; 7 August 1881 – 16 November 1956) was a Shewan Amhara nobleman, the son of Dejazmach Haile Wolde Kiros of Lasta, the ruling heir of Lasta's throne and younge ...
. Ayalew Birru and Manyahilush Kassa had children including a son.
Late in 1928, the Raya people revolted in
Wollo Province
Wollo (Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed part of the present day Amhara, Afar, and Tigray regions. During the Middle Ages this region was known as Bete Amhara and had Amhara kings. Bete Amhara had ...
.
''Negus'' Tafari Makonnen called for the governors of several neighboring provinces to suppress the revolt.
''Dejazmach'' Ayalew Birru, as ''Shum'' of Semien, was one of the governors called upon. Unlike many of the others called upon, Ayalew Birru strenuously fought the revolting people in
Lasta
Lasta (Amharic: ላስታ ''lāstā'') is a historic district in northern Ethiopia. It is the district in which Lalibela is situated, the former capital of Ethiopia during the Zagwe dynasty and home to 11 medieval rock-hewn churches. Its original ...
. Because of this, ''Ras''
Gugsa Welle
Gugsa Welle (1875 – 31 March 1930), also known as Gugsa Wale, Gugsa Wolie and Gugsa Wele (cited as Ras Gugsà Oliè in Italian books and encyclopedias), was an army commander and a member of the Royal family of the Ethiopian Empire. He represen ...
, ''Shum'' of
Begemder Province
Begemder ( amh, በጌምድር; also known as Gondar or Gonder, alternative name borrowed from its 20th century capital Gondar) was a province in northwest Ethiopia.
Etymology
A plausible source for the name ''Bega'' is that the word means " ...
was able to take advantage of his absence in Semien. While Ayalew Birru was away, Gugsa Welle managed to bring most of Simien under his own control. Gugsa Welle and Ayalew Birru were cousins and both were closely related to Empress Taytu Betel.
In 1930, ''Ras'' Gugsa Welle's desire to remove ''Negus'' Tafari led to
his raising an army in rebellion against him. As
''Qegnazmach'', Ayalew Birru led a portion of the Imperial Army against the rebelling ''Ras'' Gugsa Welle and was one of the
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
es of the
Battle of Anchem
The Battle of Anchem (also Battle of Anchiem or Battle of Anchim) was a battle fought between two factions of the Royal family in the Ethiopian Empire (''Mangista Iteeyop'p'ya''). The battle was fought to determine who would rule the empire, E ...
. However, because he was seen as being too closely related to Empress Taytu Betel, Ayalew Birru was not made a ''Ras'' as a result of his heroism. His people sang of his plight: "Ayalew the fool, the innocent; Trust men, trusts men."
In 1931, Ayalew Birru was rewarded by being named
''Fitawrari'' and Minister of War. Between 1933 and 1934, Ayalew Birru fell into disfavor with the Emperor; most likely over money. As result, he was exiled to
Arsi Province
Arsi Province (Amharic: አርሲ) was a Provinces of Ethiopia, province of Ethiopian Empire with its capital at Asella. Historically a part of the Emirate of Harar until its invasion by Menelik and subsequent incorporation into modern Ethiopia. ...
.
In 1935, during the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...
, Ayalew Birru returned from exile and again supported the Emperor against his enemy. However, his initial support for the war was less than wholehearted. When ordered to harass and possibly invade the western
Eritrean lowlands, he fell ill. According to a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
doctor flown in to help him, Ayalew Birru "underwent a cure, abiding his time." His illness verged on the "diplomatic" and, after it was indicated that he had made contact with the
Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
, his loyalty was questioned. In the end, it must be remembered that ''Fitawrari'' Ayalew Birru was a war leader of great reputation. He was no callow and untried princeling. Ayalew Birru joined forces with the forces of ''Ras''
Imru Haile Selassie
Leul Ras Imru Haile Selassie, CBE (Amharic: ዕምሩ ኀይለ ሥላሴ; 23 November 1892 – 15 August 1980) was an Ethiopian noble, soldier, and diplomat. He served as acting Prime Minister for three days in 1960 during a coup d'état ...
and, in late 1935, advanced against the Italians during the
Christmas Offensive
The Christmas Offensive took place during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian offensive was more of a counteroffensive to an ever-slowing Italian offensive which started the war.
Background
On the 3 October 1935, Italian General Em ...
. His forces played a significant part in the
Battle at Dembeguina Pass. In early March 1936, the
Battle of Shire
The Battle of Shire (Italian: ''Battaglia dello Shirè'') was a battle fought on the northern front of what was known as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. This battle consisted of attacks and counterattacks by Italian forces under Marshal of Ital ...
was lost by the Ethiopians and Ayalew Birru left the site of the Battle headed homeward. However, when it became clear that the Italians had entered his Semien Province, he went to
Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor ( am, ደብረ ታቦር, lit. "Mount Tabor") is a town and woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, ...
in
Begemder Province
Begemder ( amh, በጌምድር; also known as Gondar or Gonder, alternative name borrowed from its 20th century capital Gondar) was a province in northwest Ethiopia.
Etymology
A plausible source for the name ''Bega'' is that the word means " ...
.
By May 1936, Ethiopia's armies had been defeated and the war was lost. When the Emperor went into exile, Ayalew Birru followed him to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
in the
British Mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to:
* Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan.
* Mandatory P ...
. Ayalew Birru remained in Palestine until the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
when he traveled to
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
in the
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. On 12 July 1940, Ayalew Birru attended a meeting called by the Emperor to discuss the invasion of
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Seco ...
. When there were complaints about the quality of the rifles being supplied by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, he was sent by the Emperor to inspect the military equipment in Begemder Province.
[Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 133]
In 1941, during the
East African Campaign, Birru Ayalew was again at the side of the Emperor and he was made the putative commander of
Arbegnoch
The Arbegnoch () were Ethiopian resistance fighters in Italian East Africa from 1936 until 1941. They were known to the Italians as shifta.
Organisation
The Patriot movement was mostly based in the rural Shewa, Gondar and Gojjam provinces, th ...
forces in Begemder.
After the war, Ayalew Birru was named a ''Ras'' and served for a time as the ''Shum'' of
Kaffa and Jimma.
See also
*
Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles
Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( gez, መሳፍንት , modern , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary nobility, formed the upper ...
*
Ethiopian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Ethiopian forces in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War besides the Central Army were mobilized from various provinces under their local leader. According to 1935 Italian intelligence estimates of the Ethiopian provinces and their forces on the eve of ...
Notes
;Footnotes
;Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Birru, Ayalew
Ethiopian military personnel
1892 births
1945 deaths