Prince ''(
Abeto Lij)'' Girma Yohannes Iyasu (born 1961) is the Iyasuist claimant to the throne of
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 ...
. He is also known by the name Girma Amente Ghebresillasie.
Life
He is the son of ''Dejazmatch''
Yohannes Iyasu Yohannes may refer to:Yuhuna
* Yohannes (given name)
* Yohannes I of Ethiopia (died 1682)
* Yohannes II of Ethiopia (1699–1769)
* Yohannes III of Ethiopia (1797–1873)
* Yohannes IV of Ethiopia (1837–1889)
See also
* John (given name)
* Johan ...
(1915-1977). Through his father, ''Lij'' Girma is a grandson of
''Lij'' Iyasu, Emperor-designate of Ethiopia from 1913 until 1916 when he was deposed by ''Dejazmach'' Teferi Mekonen with the support of the British, French and Italian Ministers (Thesiger, Brice and Coli) and excommunicated by the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
, which deprived him of his rights of succession. Iyasu was the son of ''
Negus
Negus (Negeuce, Negoose) ( gez, ንጉሥ, ' ; cf. ti, ነጋሲ ' ) is a title in the Ethiopian Semitic languages. It denotes a monarch, ''
Mikael of Sion, and matrilineal grandson of Emperor
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 ...
of Ethiopia. ''Lij'' Girma Yohannes grew up in the monasteries of
Asebot, Dega Estifanos (
Lake Tana
Lake Tana ( am, ጣና ሐይቅ, T’ana ḥāyik’i; previously Tsana) is the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile. Located in Amhara Region in the north-western Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately long and wid ...
) and
Debre Damo
Debre Damo (), also spelled Debre Dammo, Dabra Dāmmo or Däbrä Dammo), is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th-century monastery in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, abou ...
. At the age of 7 he left Ethiopia in 1968 with the help of
Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Emperor
Wilhelm II of Germany
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...
in collaboration with ''Lij'' Mered and ''Lij'' Mesfin Birru (sons of ''Ras'' Birru Woldegabriel) plus the then Governor of
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
. He received his education at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
(United Kingdom),
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
(USA) and Universities of
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
,
Bielefeld
Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...
and
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
(Germany). He has also worked as an instructor and researcher at the
University of Bremen
The University of Bremen (German: ''Universität Bremen'') is a public university in Bremen, Germany, with approximately 23,500 people from 115 countries. It is one of 11 institutions which were successful in the category "Institutional Strategi ...
,
Diaspora Forum
/ref> University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
, London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
and Haramaya University
Haramaya University (HU) ( am, ሐረማያ ዩኒቨርሲቲ; Oromo: ''Univarsiitii Haramayaa'') is a public research university in Haramaya, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately east of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Science a ...
(as chairman of the governing board of the university).
Iyasuist claimant
''Lij'' Girma claims that not only the governments of Empress Zewditu
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Zewditu ( gez, ዘውዲቱ, born Askala Maryam; 29 April 1876 – 2 April 1930) was Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 193 ...
and Emperor Haile Selassie
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 (' ...
were illegitimate, but also that Haile Selassie himself was too far down the line of succession to claim the crown according to the rule of the Ethiopian royal house since Menelik I. As such, as a grandson of ''Lij'' Iyasu, he claims to be the leading core member of the Solomonic dynasty from the house of David and rightful monarch of Ethiopia.[''Lij'' Iyasu Michael, Emperor-Designate (Iyasu V)]
/ref> This however is not based or supported by any constitutional or traditional procedure, since Ethiopia did not receive its first modern constitution addressing order of succession until 1931, and the old traditional male line succession would have gone to ''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, ...
'' Taye Gulilat after Menelik II and not to ''Lij'' Iyasu; ''Lij'' Iyasu, ''Ras'' Kassa and Emperor Haile Selassie were all descended from the royal house through female lines, and had roughly equivalent claims to each other. The claim of the Iyasuist line is based solely on the legal will of Emperor Menelik II which designated ''Lij'' Iyasu as his heir, and which opponents argue was cancelled by ''Lij'' Iyasu's excommunication.
The Iyasuist claims are challenged by the excommunication of ''Lij'' Iyasu (Iyasu V) by Mattheos X, Abuna
Abuna (or Abune, which is the Construct state, status constructus form used when a name follows: Ge'ez alphabet, Ge'ez አቡነ ''abuna''/''abune'', 'our father'; Amharic language, Amharic and Tigrinya language, Tigrinya) is the honorific titl ...
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
, and the fact that Iyasu declined to be crowned, citing the fact that he did not want to occupy a higher office before he united the Ethiopians and throw out the Italians from Eritrea. He was the founder of the first Ethiopian government auditing systems, municipality, the police force and judicial reforms. He was the first monarch to build Mosques for the neglected and highly disadvantaged Muslims of Ethiopia. ''Lij'' Girma is the only one currently making an active Iyasuist claim to the throne. His pretentions are however undermined due to the very large number of descendants of ''Lij'' Iyasu that exist with an equal or arguably superior claim. His claim may also be subject to the test of loyalties according to which members who have abjured their citizenship, faith, or married non-Ethiopians may fail. ''Lij'' Girma himself, being married to a non-Ethiopian, would fail this test.
''Lij'' Girma uses the title of H.I.H. ''Abeto-Hoy Lij'' Girma Yohannes Iyassu Menelik II ("Crown Prince of Ethiopia") as his title of pretence.[ The title of Crown Prince is also claimed by ''Leul'' ]Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
Zera Yacob Amha Selassie (; Ge'ez: ዘርዐ ያዕቆብ አምሃ ሥላሴ; born 17 August 1953) is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie and son of Amha Selassie of the Ethiopian Empire. He has been head of the Imperial House of Ethiop ...
the grandson of Emperor 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 ('' ...
. The throne of Ethiopia since the reign of HIM ''Atse'' (Emperor) Menelik II have been subject to the guardianship of the Imperial Crown Council of Ethiopia. It was the Imperial Crown Council headed by ''Fitawrari
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 ...
'' Habtegiorgis Dinagde that removed the sitting(if uncrowned) ''Lij'' Iyasu (Iyasu V) for cause. The same Council elevated a royal cousin, Tafari Makonnen to be Crown Prince of Ethiopia, and proclaimed Zauditu Menelik as Queen of Kings, Lion of Judah, Elect of God and Empress of Ethiopia. The Crown Council actions paid heed to one of the wishes of Menelik II, who while alive had all but elevated his first cousin (father of ''Ras'' Tafari), ''Ras'' Makonnen, to be his successor. ''Ras'' Tafari Makonnen went on to become, again by consent of the Crown Council of the time, Emperor Haile Selassie I. The functions of the Imperial Crown Council, verification not only of constitutional legitimacy of an intendant monarch but also compliance of the same with the ancient code of the Fetha Negest is one of the most important in the Ethiopian crowns orders of succession. The Fetha Negest codes require an Emperor to be able to function in his role both as head of the nation, as well as head of the armed forces in times of conflict. The 1930 constitution of Ethiopia attempts to codify the order of succession in modern terms. But the centuries-old Fetha Negest and Fetha Negest scholars still prevail in discussions on points of law and conflict between the old and the new. Under the old Fetha Negest rules, ''Lij'' Girma's claims would be far junior to those of the male line heirs of ''Dejazmatch'' Taye Gulilat, and under the 1930 and 1955 constitutions, his claims would be non-existent. The male line heirs of ''Dejazmatch'' Taye Gulilat do not however currently make a claim on the Imperial throne.
''Lij'' Girma's claim to fame came in the 1999 re-interment of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I when a newspaper article suggested in an interview with him that he felt the late monarch deserved his fate. He demanding to know what was done with the remains of his grandfather ''Lij'' Iyasu, and also suggested that a search be conducted for his remains and that his bones should be placed in the tomb currently occupied by those of Princess Tsehai Haile Selassie in the crypt of the Ba'eta Le Mariam Monastery where Emperor Menelik II is buried. He suggested that the Princess be reinterred at Holy Trinity Cathedral alongside Haile Selassie I and his heirs. The article was used by the EPRDF government as one of its many attempts to shed a negative light on the period of mourning for Emperor Haile Selassie and show that there were rifts within the monarchist movement. ''Lij'' Girma was widely condemned at the time for his lack of traditional Ethiopian etiquette and for the very coarse language he used in the article. Little has been heard of him in Ethiopia since.
He is President of the Ethiopian Democratic Party
The Ethiopian Democratic Party () is a political party in Ethiopia. The result of no less than five mergers of liberal and conservative liberal opposition parties, it could trace its roots to the Ethiopian Democratic Union, which mounted armed m ...
in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Family
''Lij'' Girma is married to Claudia Bertram, who, since their marriage, goes by the name Princess Claudia Iyasu Menelik. They have one son:
* ''Lij'' Kaerrod Girma (Iyasu V Kifle Yacob).
''Lij'' Girma also has two daughters from a previous relationship with the daughter of an American industrialist.
Notable published works
* "Strategische Marktforschung Und Instrumente Des Strategischen Marketings" (1989).
* "Kalter Krieg Am Horn Von Afrika: Regional-Konflikte Athiopien Und Somalia Im Spannungsfeld Der Supermachte 1945-1991" (1999).
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyasu, Girma Yohannes
Ethiopian Royal Family
Ethiopian princes
1961 births
Living people
Pretenders to the Ethiopian throne