Yimam of Yejju (also transliterated Imam; died 1828) was a ''

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 ...

'' of

Begemder Begemder ( amh, በጌምድር; also known as Gondar or Gonder, alternative name borrowed from its 20th century capital Gondar) was a province in northwest Ethiopia. Etymology A plausible source for the name ''Bega'' is that the word means " ...

and ''

Enderase 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 ...

'' (regent) of the Emperor of Ethiopia. He was the son of

Gugsa of Yejju Gugsa of Yejju (died 23 May 1825) was a ''Ras'' of Begemder (''circa'' 1798 until his death), and Inderase (regent) of the Emperor of Ethiopia. According to Nathaniel Pearce, he took the Christian name of Wolde Mikael. He was the son of Mersu B ...

. Upon succeeding his father Gugsa as ''Ras'' when Gugsa died in 1825, Yimam was challenged by his brother Marye, who staged an open revolt. According to Trimingham, Ras Yimam openly supported Islam against the local

Ethiopian 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 ...

. He also grew so annoyed at

Abuna Qerellos III Qerellos III (Cyril) was an Abuna, or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (1816 – 1828?). In the words of Richard Pankhurst, "A controversial figure, he is reputed to have been fanatical and rapacious." Background He came to Ethiopia ...

's intervention in the doctrinal dispute over the nature of Christ in support of the '' Sost Lidet'', that he banished the Abuna to the monastery in Lake Hayq, where Abuna Qerellos remained until his death (circa 1828). While Ras Yimam was away in

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 ...

campaigning against ''

Dejazmach 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 ...

Goshu Zewde Goshu Zewde of Gojjam (1783 or 1788-1852) was the governor of Damot, Metcha and Ybaba, the most of Gojjam was, indeed, under the government of his son Birru Goshu. He was elevated to the personal titles of Dejazmatch in 1825 and Ras by Empero ...

, Dejazmach Haile Maryam marched from Semien to

Gondar Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...

where replaced Emperor Gigar with his own choice, Baeda Maryam. When Yimam heard of this, he returned by way of

Dengel Ber Dengel Ber is a town in western Ethiopia. Located on the south-western shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of . Access to this town includes track roads to both Shawra and K ...

, pursuing ''Dejazmach'' Haile Maryam as far as Waldebba where they fought for three days until 25 December 1825, when Haile fled the battlefield for Semien by way of

Wegera Wegera or Wogera (Amharic: ወገራ), is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Wegera is named for the former province Wegera, which was located roughly in the same location, and was later made part of the province of Semien. Part of the Semien ...

where he later died, allowing ''Ras'' Yimam to restore Gigar to the throne. H. Weld Blundell, ''The Royal chronicle of Abyssinia, 1769-1840'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1922), p. 485 Typically for the

Zemene Mesafint The Zemene Mesafint ( gez, ዘመነ መሳፍንት ''zamana masāfint'', modern: ''zemene mesāfint'', variously translated "Era of Judges," "Era of the Princes," "Age of Princes," etc.; named after the Book of Judges) was a period in Ethiop ...

, relationships between these major lords quickly changed. As Sven Rubenson describes, ''Dejazmach'' Haile Maryam's son

Wube WUBE-FM (105.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music radio format. Licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, it is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. WUBE-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 14,500 watts. It broadcasts using HD Radio t ...

was captured in the battle, but Yimam's ally ''Dejazmach'' Meru of Dembiya convinced Yimam to free the boy. Not long after, Yimam joined forces with Wube, who had succeeded his father as ''Dejazmach'', against Goshu and Meru in the Battle of Kossober October 1827, defeating their opponents. Goshu fled to sanctuary in Gojjam, while Meru was soon killed after the battle by a soldier. The following year, Ras Yimam "died by violence" in

Debre Tabor Debre Tabor ( am, ደብረ ታቦር, lit. "Mount Tabor") is a town and woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, ...

. He was buried at the church of Iyasus in that town.

Notes

{{S-end Warlords of the Zemene Mesafint 19th-century Ethiopian people 1828 deaths Year of birth missing