Ayalew Birru
Ayalew Birru, or Ayyalaw Birru, (1892 - May 1945) was an
Haile Selassie I.[1]
Biography
Ayalew Birru was born in
Menelek II and, from 1889 to 1913, she was Empress of the Ethiopian Empire. Birru Wolde Gabriel was even rumoured to be the "natural
" son of Menelik.
During his lifetime, Ayalew Birru held a number of important governorships.Tafari Makonnen.[3]
On 18 January 1918, Ayalew Birru married Woizerit Hoy[nb 6] Manyahilush Kassa. Manyahilush was the second daughter of Ras Kassa Haile Darge. Ayalew Birru and Manyahilush Kassa had children including a son.
Late in 1928, the Raya people revolted in
Wollo Province. Negus[nb 7] Tafari Makonnen called for the governors of several neighboring provinces to suppress the revolt. Dejazmach[nb 8] Ayalew Birru, as Shum of Semien, was one of the governors called upon. Unlike many of the others called upon, Ayalew Birru strenuously fought the revolting people in Lasta. Because of this, Ras Gugsa Welle, Shum of Begemder Province was able to take advantage of his absence in Semien. While Ayalew Birru was away, Gugsa Welle managed to bring most of Simien under his own control. Gugsa Welle and Ayalew Birru were cousins and both were closely related to Empress Taytu Betel.[4][nb 9]
In 1930, Ras Gugsa Welle's desire to remove Negus Tafari led to
his raising an army in rebellion against him. As Qegnazmach,[nb 10] Ayalew Birru led a portion of the Imperial Army against the rebelling Ras Gugsa Welle and was one of the heroes of the Battle of Anchem. However, because he was seen as being too closely related to Empress Taytu Betel, Ayalew Birru was not made a Ras as a result of his heroism. His people sang of his plight: "Ayalew the fool, the innocent; Trust men, trusts men."[5]
In 1931, Ayalew Birru was rewarded by being named Fitawrari[nb 11] and Minister of War. Between 1933 and 1934, Ayalew Birru fell into disfavor with the Emperor; most likely over money. As result, he was exiled to Arsi Province.[6]
In 1935, during the
Christmas Offensive.[9] His forces played a significant part in the Battle at Dembeguina Pass. In early March 1936, the Battle of Shire was lost by the Ethiopians and Ayalew Birru left the site of the Battle headed homeward. However, when it became clear that the Italians had entered his Semien Province, he went to Debre Tabor in Begemder Province.[10]
By May 1936, Ethiopia's armies had been defeated and the war was lost. When the Emperor went into exile, Ayalew Birru followed him to
Second World War when he traveled to Khartoum in the Sudan. On 12 July 1940, Ayalew Birru attended a meeting called by the Emperor to discuss the invasion of Italian East Africa. When there were complaints about the quality of the rifles being supplied by the British,[11] he was sent by the Emperor to inspect the military equipment in Begemder Province.[12]
In 1941, during the
East African Campaign, Birru Ayalew was again at the side of the Emperor and he was made the putative commander of Arbegnoch
forces in Begemder.
After the war, Ayalew Birru was named a Ras and served for a time as the Shum of
Kaffa
and Jimma.
See also
- Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles
- Ethiopian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Notes
- Footnotes
- ^ Roughly equivalent to Duke.
- ^ Some sources indicate that Birru Wolde Gabriel was Menelik's "natural" son.
- Dame.
- ^ Roughly equivalent to Governor.
- ^ Roughly equivalent to Child.
- ^ Roughly equivalent to Great Lady.
- ^ Roughly equivalent to King.
- ^ Equivalent to Commander of the Gate.
- ^ Some sources indicate that Gugsa Welle was Ayalew Birru's uncle.
- ^ Equivalent to Commander of the Right.
- ^ Roughly equivalent to Commander of the Vanguard.
- Citations
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 104
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 104
- ^ Haile Selassie I, Volume I, p. 51
- ^ Mockler, p. 9
- ^ Mockler, p. 12
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 104
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 104
- ^ Mockler, p. 80
- ^ Mockler, p. 78
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume I, p. 270
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 107
- ^ Haile Selassie, Volume II, p. 133
References
- Barker, A.J. (1971). Rape of Ethiopia, 1936. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-02462-6.
- Fage, J.D.; Roberts, A.D.; Oliver, Roland Anthony (1994). The Cambridge History of Africa: From 1905 to 1940, Volume 7. Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-22505-1.
- Haile Selassie I, Translated and Annotated by Edward Ullendorff (1999). My Life and Ethiopia's Progress: The Autobiography of Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Volume I: 1892-1937. Chicago: Research Associates School Times Publications. p. 338. ISBN 0-948390-40-9.
- Haile Selassie I, Edited by Harold Marcus with others and Translated by Ezekiel Gebions with others (1999). My Life and Ethiopia's Progress: The Autobiography of Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Volume II. Chicago: Research Associates School Times Publications. p. 190. )
- Marcus, Harold G. (1994). A History of Ethiopia. London: University of California Press. p. 316. ISBN 0-520-22479-5.
- Mockler, Anthony (2002). Haile Sellassie's War. New York: Olive Branch Press. ISBN 978-1-56656-473-1.
- Pankhurst, Richard (2001). The Ethiopians: A History (Peoples of Africa). Wiley-Blackwell; New Ed edition. ISBN 0-631-22493-9.