Tekle Giyorgis II of Ethiopia

Tekle Giyorgis II (Ge'ez ተክለ ጊዮርጊስ, "Plant of Saint George" born Wagshum Gobeze ዋግሹም ጎበዜ lit. "Governor of Wag [a prestigious title] , my courageous one"; died 1873) was "IPA|nəgusä nägäst" (emperor) of Ethiopia from 1868 to 1872.

Gobeze based his claim to the Imperial throne on a dual heritage: through his father Wagshum Gebre Medhin, he was the heir to the old Zagwe dynasty and the rulers of Lasta, and his mother was a descendant of the Solomonic dynasty. His principal rivals for sole rule were Menelik II, at the time king of Shewa), and Dejazmach Kassai (the future Emperor Yohannes IV). Gobeze married the sister of the latter, Dinqinesh Mercha.

Because Tekle Giyorgis's rule was so ephemeral, some lists of the Emperors of Ethiopia omit his name.

Life

Gobeze enters the historical record when he raised the banner of rebellion in Lasta in 1864, six years after his father Gebre Medhin had been executed by Emperor Tewodros II for supporting the rebel Agew Niguse. [Sven Rubenson, "King of Kings: Tewodros of Ethiopia" (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University, 1966), pp. 75f, 80f]

Gobeze made his opening move even before the suicide of Emperor Tewodros II at the end of the British Expedition to Ethiopia, marching against Tiso Gobeze who had revolted against Tewodros and took control of Begemder; Tiso was killed in battle at Kwila. In August 1868, Wagshum Gobeze proclaimed himself Emperor Tekle Giyorgis II of Ethiopia at Soqota in his district of Wag. However, because "Abuna" Salama, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church had died shortly before, there was no one to properly crown him.

Diplomatic appeals to his rivals failed to gain their acknowledgement of his new rank, although none of them were secure enough in their own territories to confront him. Dejazmach Kassai enlisted the services of John Kirkham to train his army in the weapons the British had left him, and in 1870, having gained access to the sea, an advantage none of the Dejazmach's rivals had, successfully obtained a new Abuna. Meanwhile, Menelik busied himself in Shewa, having decided according to Harold Marcus to allow his two rivals fight it out, despite Tekle Giyorgis' threatening march through Wollo to the borders of Shewa. [Harold G. Marcus, "The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913", 1975 (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1995), pp. 43f]

Emperor Tekle Giyorgis knew he must stand alone against Kassai, but did not move until June 1871 when he crossed the Takazze River in Tigray. On 21 June the two armies met at Zulawu to fight a day-long battle; although Dejazmach Kassai had the smaller force it was better disciplined, and as Kirkham latter wrote, "with 12 guns and 800 musketmen the battle was won against an undisciplined lot of men with match lock guns and spears." [Quoted in Marcus, "Menelik II", p. 35] Tekle Giyorgis came off the worse and retreated to the Mareb River the next day, but the Dejazmach took another route, outflanked his opponent, and forced him into a cul-de-sac at Adwa, where they fought the final battle on 11 July. "Leading a cavalry charge into the midst of Kasa's force, Tekla Giyorgis was wounded, had his mount killed under him, and was taken prisoner," Marcus recounts. "His demoralized army collapsed and all his generals were captured with thousands of soldiers and camp followers." [Marcus, "Menelik II", p. 35] On 21 January 1872, Kassai proclaimed himself Emperor of Ethiopia with the name of Yohannes IV.

Tekle Giyorgis was blinded, and imprisoned with his brother and mother at the Abba Garima Monastery near Adwa, where he died or was executed some years later. [Marcus, "Menelik II" p. 35, claims that he was imprisoned on an "amba" or mountaintop.]

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