Ras Woldemichael Solomon ( ti, ወልደሚካኤል ሰሎሙን) served as the
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 ...
(Duke)
Hamasien
The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions.
Overview
In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into e ...
during the 19th century. Raesi Woldemichael was born in Hazega village in Hamassien. He is from the wider
Tigrinya
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literatur ...
ethnic group,
the eldest son of ''Abeto'' Solomon Zerai of
Hazega and
''Woizero'' Eleni. Today he is widely celebrated as a hero standing for Eritrean sovereignty.
Life
Raesi Woldemichael was born into one of the traditional ruling families of Medri Bahri, the House of Hazega. His mother was
Emebet Ilen, the governor of
Hamsen. Upon the death of Emperor
Tewodros II in 1868, then ruler of
Tigray (and later Emperor),
Dejazmatch
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 ...
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 ...
appointed his ally Woldemichael the Governor of
Hamasien
The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions.
Overview
In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into e ...
and
Seraye
The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions.
Overview
In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into ...
. In doing so, Tewodros' former appointee Dejazmatch
Hailu Teweldemedhin of the rival House of
Tsazega {{refimprove, date=June 2012
Tseazega (Tigrinya: ጸዓዘጋ) is a village in Central Eritrea located in the former province of Hamasien. It is 5.6 miles (9 km) north-west from the capital city, Asmara. It is an entirely Christian village i ...
was replaced.
Under the leadership of now Emperor Yohannes IV, Woldemichael fought in the Battle of Gundet against Egyptian forces under Khedive
Isma'il Pasha
Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Egypt and conqueror of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain. Sharing the ambitious outlook of his gran ...
, who sought to bring the entire
Nile River Basin
The Nile Basin is the part of Africa drained by the Nile, Nile River and its tributary, tributaries.
Besides being the second largest drainage basin, hydrographic basin in Africa, the Nile Basin is effectively the most notable drainage basin on ...
under his rule. The Khedive entrusted the Danish mercenary Colonel
Adolf Arendrup to annex Hamasien and Seraye, and then proceed towards
Adwa. Following some minor skirmishes, the forces of the Khedive met the Abyssinian forces at Gundet on the morning of 16 November 1875.
Ras Alula
Ras Alula Engida ( gez, ራስ አሉላ እንግዳ) (1827 – 15 February 1897; also known by his horse name Abba Nega and by Alula Qubi) was an Ethiopian general and politician who successfully led Abyssinian battles against Ottoman Egypt, ...
took command of the left flank, the forces of Yohannes on the right, with Woldemichael taking command of the center and rear in light of his greater knowledge of the area. The Egyptians were tricked into a narrow and steep valley and were wiped out by the Abyssinian gunners surrounding the valley from the surrounding mountains. Virtually the entire Egyptian force, along with its many officers of European and North American background were killed. News of this huge defeat was suppressed in Egypt for fear that it would undermine the government of the Khedive.
However, Woldemichael resented the nature of the Emperor's interference in the semi-autonomous
Medri Bahri
Medri Bahri ( ti, ምድሪ ባሕሪ, English: Land of the Sea Kingdom), also known as Mereb Melash, was an Eritrean kingdom emerged in 1137 until conquest by the Ethiopian Empire in 1879. It was situated in modern-day Eritrea, and was ruled by ...
and feared that Yohannes intended to re-appoint Woldemichael's rival Hailu as Governor. Before the
Battle of Gura
The Battle of Gura was fought on 7–10 March 1876 between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt near the town of Gura in Eritrea. It was the second and decisive major battle of the Ethiopian–Egyptian War.
Background
The Egyptian arm ...
ensued, he rebelled against Yohannes and sided with the Egyptians. Following the defeat of the Egyptians at Gura, Woldemichael went into open revolt against Yohannes, vowing to destroy his rival Hailu in the process, culminating in the defeat of Hailu during the
Battle of Weki Duba.
Unable to consolidate power in the northern provinces, Yohannes sent messengers to Woldemichael offering to forgive his past crimes if he submitted to him. Woldemichael adamantly refused, leading to Yohannes' appointment of loyalist Ras
Baryau Gebretsadiq as Governor of
Hamasien
The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions.
Overview
In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into e ...
. Raesi Baryau governorship was however shortlived, with Woldemichael confronting and soundly defeating him at Biet Mekae near
Asmara. Yohannes then appointed
Ras Alula
Ras Alula Engida ( gez, ራስ አሉላ እንግዳ) (1827 – 15 February 1897; also known by his horse name Abba Nega and by Alula Qubi) was an Ethiopian general and politician who successfully led Abyssinian battles against Ottoman Egypt, ...
as Governor, tasking him to end Woldemichael's revolt. When Raesi Alula became aware of the difficulties fighting Woldemichael, once again a truce was offered to Woldemichael, with Ras Alula swearing on
The Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
that he would not attack. On this occasion, Woldemichael agreed to peace terms and travelled to
Axum, Ethiopia to sign a peace treaty. However, Alula broke his promise (betrayal) and imprisoned Raesi Woldemichael, allowing Alula to rule Hamasien with little opposition afterwards. Woldemichael lived in forced retirement in Axum until his death in 1906.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Woldemichael
19th-century Eritrean people
1820 births
1906 deaths