Sabla Wangel Hailu (Amharic: ሰብለ ወንጌል ሀይሉ; 1895/1896 – 1969) 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 ...
aristocrat and the second wife of the uncrowned Emperor of Ethiopia,
''Lij'' Iyasu.
Name
Sabla Wangel Hailu is frequently confused with her 16th-century ancestor, Empress
Sabla Wangel, whom the modern people of
Gojjam
Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical province in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos.
Gojjam's earliest western boundary ex ...
also believe to have been connected to their region. To differentiate the two famous women, people refer to the earlier queen as Sabla Wangel 'Teleq' (the great) or 'Kedamawit' (the first), while the modern Sabla Wangel is referred to with the suffixes 'Hailu', derived from her
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
's name, 'Dagmawit' (the second), or 'Tinishi' (the little).
Biography
Sabla Wangel Hailu was born the daughter of
Hailu Tekle Haymanot
Hailu Tekle Haymanot (1868 – 1950), also named Hailu II of Gojjam, was an army commander and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire. He represented a provincial ruling elite who were often at odds with the Ethiopian central government ...
, the ruler of
Gojjam
Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical province in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos.
Gojjam's earliest western boundary ex ...
, and Askale Mariam Mengesha.
Marriage to ''Lij'' Iyasu
At the age of 14, she was selected by the
Emperor of Ethiopia
The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...
,
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 ...
, to marry his presumptive heir,
''Lij'' Iyasu. The marriage was an alliance between the throne and a powerful Christian family, as well as an attempt to reduce the political influence of Menelik's wife
''Itege'' Taytu, as Sabla Wangel had no links to Taytu's family. She was the first of
''Ras'' Mengesha's descendents to marry a designated heir to the throne, the second being
Medferiashwork Abebe
Medferiashwork Abebe ( Amharic: መድፈሪያሽወርቅ አበበ; 1922 – 13 March 2009), baptismal name Amete Maryam, was the titular Empress-consort of Amha Selassie, Emperor-in-exile of Ethiopia. Her full title used by monarchists was " ...
. As ''Lij'' Iyasu's first, brief marriage to Romane Werq was probably unconsummated, Sabla Wangel may have been his only official wife.
Sabla Wangel had one daughter with Iyasu, named Alem Tsahai Iyasu. The pair divorced in 1916.
Later life
Sabla Wangel's paternal grandfather,
Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam
Tekle Haymanot Tessemma, also known as Adal Tessemma, Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, and Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam (1847 – 10 January 1901), was King of Gojjam. He later was an army commander and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire. ...
, had rebuilt a church at Mängəśtä Sämayat in 1887. In 1956, Sabla Wangel restored this church once more. The church's founding was associated with the 16th century queen of
Lebna Dengel, also called
Sabla Wangel. A memorial text written on the modern Sabla Wangel's death in 1969 records:
Family
*Father:
Hailu Tekle Haymanot
Hailu Tekle Haymanot (1868 – 1950), also named Hailu II of Gojjam, was an army commander and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire. He represented a provincial ruling elite who were often at odds with the Ethiopian central government ...
(1868–1950)
*Mother: ''Woyzero'' Askale Mariam
*Husbands and their respective issue
#
''Lij'' Iyasu (1895–1935, div. 1916)
##Alem Tsahai Iyasu, married ''Dejazmach'' Abebe Asfaw
#''Dejazmach'' Yigezu Behabte
#''Dejazmach'' Mangasha Jimbirre
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabla Wangel Hailu
Date of birth unknown
1970 deaths
Ethiopian nobility
19th-century Ethiopian women
20th-century Ethiopian women
Empresses and imperial consorts of Ethiopia
Solomonic dynasty
1890s births