8.3 The Zemene Mesafint (The Era of Warlords)

8.3 The Zemene Mesafint (The Era of Warlords) Power Struggle in Gondar (1767-1769) • Wollo faction represented by Wabi, wife of Iyassu II and mother of Iyoas. • Quara faction represented by Itege Mentewab, mother-in-law of Iyoas. • Rivalry occurred after Ras Bitweded Welde Leul's death in 1767. • Mentewab arranged a political marriage between Iyassu II and Wabi to consolidate power. • Wollo Oromo gradually gained leading political influence. Quara-Wollo Oromo Conflict • Created political disorder in capital. • Endangered Mentewab's power. • Forced Mentewab to seek strong personality. 1768 Powerful Candidate: Ras Michael Sehul of Tigrai • Possessed a large army and modern firearms due to foreign trade. • Invited to Gondar by Mentewab, restored peace and order. • Awarded the highest title of Ras Bitweded. • Refused to return to Tigrai, assassinated King Iyoas in 1769. • Marked the start of a new era of regional warlords undermining monarchy power. Zemene-Mesafint Period (1769 -1855) • 1769: Assassination of King Iyoas by Ras Michael Sehul • 1855: Kasa Hailu crowned Tewodros II Ras Michael's Rule in Tigray • Ras Michael, a kingmaker, faced strong opposition from the nobility. • Battle of Sarba-Kussa in 1771 defeated him, forcing him to return to Tigrai. • He ruled Tigray for nine years until his death in 1780. • Chaos and disorder continued after Michael's defeat until Ali Gwangul's rise. • Ali founded the Yejju dynasty or the Warra Sheh in 1786. Zemene Mesafint Era in Ethiopian History (1769-1855) • Relative stability under successors. • Evolution of regional lords. • Main political regions: Tigray, Semen, Debye, Begemedir, Lasta, Yejju, Wollo, Gojjam, Shewa. Northern Ethiopian Warlords' Conflicts • Expansion of territories at neighbor's expense due to vast resources. • Desire for Ras Bitweded title to guard weak Gordian kings and court. • Aim to collect tribute in their name for weak kings. Zemene Mesafint's Power Conflicts and Religious Divisions • Religious conflicts intensified regional power struggles. • Dcontroversy within Orthodox Church weakened Ethiopian state and Church's position. • Orthodox Church's internal divisions gave ideological dimension to power conflict. • This division further intensified the power struggle of the Zemene Mesafint. Zemene Mesafint's Impact on Peasantry's Social and Economic Life • Peasants were forced to feed armies of local and regional lords and supply food to shiftas (bandits). • Dependents discouraged peasantry from producing surplus. • Farmlands became battlefields, villages burned down. • Agriculture, backbone of peasant economy, was depressed during the Zemene Mesafint period.