Dejazmach Zegeye Birru was the son of

Dejazmach Birru ''Dejazmach'' Birru Aligaz was a nobleman of 19th century Ethiopia during the Zemene Mesafint. As ''Dejazmach'', he held the governorships of different districts such as Lasta and Dembiya and was made governor of Dawunt, Wollo in 1842 by ''Ras'' A ...

Aligaz. He was the ruler of Yejju until the emergence of Ras Welle Betul.Molla Tikuye, ''The Rise and Fall of The Yajju Dynasty (1784 - 1980)'', p. 208

Dejazmach Until the end of the Ethiopian Empire, 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, ...

Zegeye had four sons and a daughter:

Wagshum 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 ...

Gwangul, Dejazmach Ali, Dejazmach Hailu, Dejazmach Aligaz, and Woizero Hirut. After the death of Ali Birru, Yejju was ruled by Dejazmach Zegeye Birru, who consolidated his rule of Yejju and at the same time extended it as far as River Ubuye, near the border with Tigray. However, the relationship between Dejazmach Zegeye and that of

Emperor Yohannes IV ''girmāwī''His Imperial Majesty, spoken= am , ጃንሆይ ''djānhoi''Your Imperial Majesty(lit. "O steemedroyal"), alternative= am , ጌቶቹ ''getochu''Our Lord (familiar)(lit. "Our master" (pl.)) yohanes Yohannes IV (Tigrinya: ዮሓ� ...

became strained, when the emperor detached the land beyond Alla Wuha and gave it to Ras Gebre Medhin of Tigray as a sign of affection. Apparently this was a time when the Dervishes were moving towards Metema. To defend the motherland from the Dervishes, the emperor ordered Zegeye to mobilize an expeditionary force to Metema. Zegeye pretended that he was ill, but was forced to maneuver his soldiers against the invaders. Still under the pretense of illness, Zegeye went on a stretcher from Yejju to Metema. In Metema,

died and when Zegaye saw the death of the emperor, he jumped off the stretcher and came back to Yejju. After his release from Maqdala, Ras Welle Betul, who was the brother of Menelik's wife Empress

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 ...

, went to Shewa to visit

Menelik 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 ...

whom he knew while in prison in Maqdala under Emperor

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 ...

. After a brief stay,

bestowed on Welle the title of

Ras Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

and appointed him governor of Yejju. This, however, led Dejazmach Zegeye to take up arms against Welle 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 ...

. They met at battle, which is sometimes called Dengobat and at other times Gelesoi. There, Dejazmach Zegeye was killed.

References

{{Reflist 19th-century Ethiopian people Warlords of the Zemene Mesafint Year of birth missing Year of death missing Place of birth missing