'' Leul Ras'' Kassa Hailu KS,

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, GBE, (

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: ካሣ ኀይሉ ዳርጌ; 7 August 1881 – 16 November 1956) was a Shewan Amhara nobleman, the son of

Dejazmach Haile Wolde Kiros 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 ...

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 ...

, the ruling heir of Lasta's throne and younger brother of Emperor

Tekle Giyorgis II Tekle Giyorgis II ( Ge’ez: ተክለ ጊዮርጊስ, born Wagshum Gobeze ( Amharic: ዋግሹም ጎበዜ), died 1873) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1868 to 1871. Genealogy Emperor Tekle Giorgis II based his claim to the Imperial throne on ...

, and Tisseme Darge, the daughter of Ras

Darge Sahle Selassie Darge Sahle Selassie (circa 1825-1830 – 23 March 1900) Horse name Abba Gersa was a 19th-century Ethiopian nobleman , provincial governor, general and a trusted councillor of his nephew Emperor Menelik II. Ancestry A male line descendant ...

, brother of

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 ...

's father. John Spencer, who advised ''Ras'' Kassa during the writing of the 1955 Constitution of Ethiopia, described him as "surely the most conservative of all the rases in constant attendance at the court." Spencer continued his description of the aristocrat by noting that he rarely saw the ''Ras'' "in other than Ethiopian national dress. Large, bearded and silent, this imposing dignitary wore a black cloak with gold clasps worked into the form of lion heads. In working sessions, he used to take out with considerable pride a pair of folding half-lens spectacles with gold frames and bows."

Life

Although he had by birth a better claim to the throne than his younger cousin ''Ras'' Tafari (the later 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 ('' ...

), Kassa valued loyalty over ambition, and was content with his fief of

Selale Selale (also known as Selalesh), was a sub-province of the Ethiopian Empire located in modern day Shewa in or neighboring Grarya and associated with Bulga prior to the Oromo expansion into the region. The region was home to the important Debre ...

province near the monastery of

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 ...

. During the rise of Emperor Haile Selassie I, ''Ras'' Kassa was loyal to Selassie during numerous challenges to his rule, standing by his side during more than one uprising. His most notable act supporting Haile Selassie was his role in neutralizing the threat of ''Dajazmach''

Balcha Safo ''Dejazmach'' Balcha Safo (; 1863 – 6 November 1936), popularly referred to by his horse-name Abba Nefso, was an Ethiopian military commander and lord protector of the crown, who served in both the First and Second Italo-Ethiopian Wars.Paul ...

in 1928. ''Ras'' Kassa served as ''

Qegnazmach 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 ...

'' ("Commander of the Army of the Right") during the

Second Italo-Abyssinian 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 ...

. His forces fought in the

First Battle of Tembien The First Battle of Tembien was a battle fought on the northern front of what was known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. This battle consisted of attacks and counterattacks by Italian forces under Marshal Pietro Badoglio and Ethiopian forc ...

and the

Second Battle of Tembien The Second Battle of Tembien was a battle fought on the northern front of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. This battle consisted of attacks by Italian forces under Marshal Pietro Badoglio on Ethiopian forces under Ras (title), ''Ras'' Kassa Hail ...

. Following the Ethiopian defeat he went into exile with his Emperor, spending most of his time in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The sons of ''Ras'' Kassa stayed in Ethiopia and were part of the resistance to the Italian occupation. In late 1936, three of his four sons were captured and executed:

Wondosson Kassa Wondosson Kassa, also known as Wond Wossen Kassa (1903 – 19 December 1936), was a member of the royalty of the Ethiopian Empire, an army commander, and a patriot. Biography ''Leul'' Wondosson Kassa was the eldest son of ''Ras'' Kassa Ha ...

Aberra Kassa Aberra Kassa (1905 – 21 December 1936) was an army commander and a member of the Royal family of the Ethiopian Empire. Biography '' Leul'' ''Dejazmach'' ("Prince of the Cadet line") Aberra Kassa was the second son of ''Ras'' ("Duke") Kassa Hai ...

, and Asfawossen Kassa. In early 1941, during the East African Campaign of

World War II 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 ...

, ''Ras'' Kassa returned to Ethiopia with the Emperor and

Gideon Force Gideon Force was a small British and African special force, a with the Sudan Defence Force, Ethiopian regular forces and ( for Patriots). Gideon Force fought the Italian occupation in Ethiopia, during the East African Campaign of the Secon ...

. After the war, he became a Crown Counsellor.Mockler, ''Haile Selassie's War'', p. 316

References

External links

Photo of Ras Kassa Hailu Dargie at the center of the group, 1911
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dargie, Kassa Hailu 1881 births 1956 deaths Ethiopian nobility Ethiopian generals Military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War