Battle of Debre Tabor

Battle of Debre Tabor
Date	7 February 1842
Location	Debre Tabor
Result	Pyrrhic victory for Ras Ali II
Belligerents
Loyalists to Ali	Loyalists to Wube Hailemariam
Commanders and leaders
Ali II of Yejju; Birru Aligaz; Dejazmach Merso	Wube Haile Maryam; Birru Goshu
Strength
~30,000	~30,000

The Battle of Debre Tabor was a conflict during the

Dejazmach Wube Haile Maryam to overthrow Ras Ali II as Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia and gain control of Ethiopia

. This confused battle was won by Ras Ali, but at a steep price, and this victory failed to cement his position as the most powerful nobleman of his time.

Dejazmach Wube's strategy against Ras Ali depended on his ability to import more firearms, which would provide him with a tactical superiority that would more than outweigh the vaunted

Muslim at heart, and install Tekle Giyorgis, related to the Solomonic dynasty, on the Imperial throne in Gondar

.

Once Abuna Salama arrived in Wube's camp the Dejazmach marched into

Amhara and Tigrean

elements and the Oromo, fighting desperately to preserve their predominant position in northern Ethiopia."[1]

Although the two forces were equal in numbers, Dejazmach Wube's superiority in firearms carried the day. Ras Ali escaped the battlefield with a number of his followers, and with possession of the battlefield the Dejazmach and his ally Birru Goshu settled down to a feast to celebrate their victory. At that moment they were surprised by a small detachment under Dejazmach Birru Aligaz, who captured Dejazmach Wube and chased Birru Goshu across the

Abbay River into Gojjam. Released from his imprisonment, Ras Ali grudgingly rewarded his uncle with the governorship of Daunt, a district along the border of Amhara

and Wello; Dejazmach Merso was given Wube's territories in Tigray.

Despite this victory, Ras Ali was in a worse position than before the battle. His enemies were still operating in Gojjam,

Moslem allies in Welo, alarmed at the Christian Birru Aligaz being invested on their borders, likewise grew disaffected. Ras Ali was forced to seek help elsewhere, and sought it from the Egyptians, who at the moment were consolidating their hold on Sudan. Although in the short term a beneficial move, this only served to further erode his local support, leading to a vicious cycle leading to Ras Ali's eventual defeat by a competent rival—the future Emperor Tewodros II.^[2]

References

^ Abir, The Era of the Princes: the Challenge of Islam and the Re-unification of the Christian empire, 1769-1855 (London: Longmans, 1968), p. 112.
^ This narrative is based on the account of Abir, pp. 111ff.

[1] Abir, The Era of the Princes: the Challenge of Islam and the Re-unification of the Christian empire, 1769-1855 (London: Longmans, 1968), p. 112.

[2] This narrative is based on the account of Abir, pp. 111ff.

[2]