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92-599: In the 1600s, emperor Susenyos I and his troops traversed this river to meet Hadiya leader Sidi Mohammed at the Battle of Hadiya . A Greek resident built the first bridge over the Gudar in 1897. This article related to a river in Ethiopia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Susenyos I Susenyos I ( Ge'ez : ሱስንዮስ Sūsinyōs ; c.  1571 –1575 – 17 September 1632), also known as Susenyos

184-608: A distant member of the Solomonic dynasty, whom the Agaw had sued to be their leader. Susenyos' first campaign against them, which began in February 1629 with raising an army of 30,000 men in Gojjam, was defeated and his son-in-law Gebre Krestos slain. While Melka Krestos' master of horse was slain along with 4000 men not long after while pillaging Semien Gonder , at the same time the men of Lasta made

276-684: A great density of cultural remain from the Stone Age until medieval times. Tigray as the core of the Aksumite Empire bears the oldest witnesses of Christianization of the region. The monastery Enda Abba Selama, an important, but remote pilgrimage site in the mountains of Tembien, is said to host the grave of Frumentius; monasteries and churches attributed to the Nine Saints are found all over Tigray. The sometimes rich manuscript collections of church and monasteries are under threat due to economic decline of

368-474: A guerrilla war from Walaqa . His control over this territory was strengthened earlier through his marriage, around 1595, to Wald Saala , a princess from the ancient Christian family of the rulers of Walaqa and Mahrabete . Susenyos spent most of this period as shifta in his father's province of Gojjam fighting off raids by Oromos. When Susenyos went to Walaqa, he helped the governor against the Oromo who were invading

460-538: A large commercial caravan. Whenever and wherever the Christian peasants revolted against him he attacked them with his Oromo bands and he settled them in the territory of the peasants. His one-time ally and cousin, Emperor Za Dengel , led a large army against Susenyos and his Oromo supporters in Walaqa. Susenyos fled with his Oromo warriors and Za-Dengel had to be content with the large amounts of loot he took from them. Once

552-634: A more autonomous Tigray. This, however, proved to be a political miscalculation. Instead of becoming an autonomous princedom, Tigray was included into Eritrea within Africa Orientale Italiana . Only when the fortune of the Italian occupants changed in World War II, they placed negus Seyoum Mengasha as their governor over Tigray. After the Emperor's return from exile, he was confirmed as a governor (with

644-513: A number of others. Susenyos resided among the Oromos for over two years where he learned their language and customs. He was rescued by the Dejazmach Asbo in 1585 in a military campaign against the Oromos led by Emperor Sarsa Dengel , his uncle. Upon his rescue, Susenyos was entrusted to the care of Dowager Empress (Queen mother) Admas Mogasa , who supervised his early education. The Queen mother

736-571: A peninsula on the northern shore of Lake Tana . In 1613, Susenyos sent a mission heading for Madrid and Rome , led by Jesuit priest António Fernandes . The plan was to head south, in an attempt to reach Malindi , a port on the Indian Ocean in what is Kenya today, hoping to break through the effective blockade that the Ottoman conquests had created around the Ethiopian Empire by sailing all

828-449: A provincial chief from the noble family of Shime , and Abeto Fasil the son of Prince Abeto Yaeqob, who in turn was the son of King Dawit II (r. 1507–1540). Susenyos was the youngest of his mother's five sons. His brothers Se'ela Krestos , Make'd Krestos , Yamana Krestos and Afa Krestos held the most important posts during his reign. As a boy, a group of marauding Oromos captured him and killed his father Abeto Fasil and

920-455: A small, but important Muslim subgroup ( Jeberti ) and a few Catholics (mainly Irob ). Protestantism is only a very recent urban phenomenon. Despite a general impression of ethnic and cultural homogeneity, there were a few ethnic minorities, especially at the borders of Tigray, belonging to a non- Tigrinya groups, such as the Saho -speaking Irob at the north-eastern border to Eritrea, the people|Raya in

1012-583: A successful raid out of their mountains into Susenyos' territory. When he attempted a second expedition against the rebels in Lasta, Susenyos found his men's morale so low that he was forced to allow them to observe one of the traditional Wednesday fasts—which brought an immediate reproach from the Catholic Patriarch. Although Susenyos eloquently defended himself, Bruce notes that "from this time, it plainly appears, that Socinios began to entertain ideas, at least of

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1104-501: A treatise on the Oromo in 1593, attributed their success to the failures of feudalism which had produced too many privileged classes and not enough warriors. Susenyos in his court showed a willingness to break with social as well as tradition. Critics claimed he debased the imperial mystique after abandoning practices such as remaining behind a curtain to protect the emperor from the gaze of commoners and requiring his subjects to prostrate themselves before him. He withdrew privileges given to

1196-613: A united province has its origin in the unification of its (sub-)provinces by atse Yohannes IV and his successors. This did not, however, change the ancient claims for autonomy by local leaders and by several quite egalitarian, non-feudalist peasant communities. After its heyday under Yohannes, Tigray was heavily challenged, and was gradually reduced in importance within Ethiopia, and outside influence within Tigray increased. Tigray oral traditions preserve numerous poems and legends which report on Tigray resistance against non-Tigray lords. Leading to

1288-508: A while longer on Melka Amba in Gojjam, before Af Krestos captured him and brought him to Dankaz where Susenyos had his camp; here the Emperor's brother was tried and sentenced to banishment. More revolts followed, some led by champions of the traditional Ethiopian Church . One revolt which resisted all of Susenyos' efforts to put down was by the Agaw in Lasta . Their first leader was Melka Krestos ,

1380-455: Is gained over ourselves. In killing these, you drive the sword into your own entrails. How many men have you slaughtered? How many more have you to kill? We have become a proverb, even among the Pagans and Moors, for carrying on this war, and apostatizing, as they say, from the faith of our ancestors. Less than a year afterwards, on 14 June 1632 Susenyos made a declaration that those who would follow

1472-430: Is likely to have been his immense oppression & systematic persecution against non- Amhara ethnic people of Ethiopia (in particular, his immense systematic persecution of Tigrayans ). For example, on the 1958 Tigray famine, Haile Selassie refused to send basic emergency food aid to Tigray province even though he had the money; so in consequence over 100,000 people died of the famine (in Tigray province). Later on,

1564-593: Is the result of a merger of diverse historical northern provinces (with Tigrinya and Agaw speakers), which were often independent from each other. Today's unity of Tigrayan territories south of the Mereb river is a rather modern phenomenon. Most northern provinces were ruled by their own governors, often descending from local dynasties and preserving a high degree of autonomy within the empire, e.g., in legal and judicial issues, taxation etc. Only rarely these territories were unified under one ruler. The core of today's Tigray

1656-727: The Battle of Adwa , Tigray was described as one of the two regions - alongside the region Shewa - which played a significant role in keeping Ethiopia's independence. Much of Tigray was briefly occupied by the Italians in the format of the 1896 Battle of Adwa. Against, Tigray was one of the major battlegrounds during the Italian War 1935–36, with initial success by the Ethiopians in the First Battle of Tembien in January 1936, and their dramatic defeat in

1748-460: The Liber Axumae , which documents traditions on Aksum and Aksum Səyon, land rights, and duties towards the church. Written documents are amended by a rich, and often very strictly transmitted oral tradition on genealogies and land rights, poetry, songs and legends which form a rich intangible heritage of Tigray. In the course of history, many sanctuaries in Tigray were affected by war, especially in

1840-549: The Mengistu Haile Mariam -led military dictatorship ( Derg ) also used the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia as government policy (by restricting food supplies) for counter-insurgency strategy, and for "social transformation" in non-insurgent areas (against people of Tigray province, Wello province and so on). Due to organized government policies that deliberately multiplied the effects of the famine, around 1.2 million people died in Ethiopia from this famine where majority of

1932-552: The church Aksum Tseyon with the Ark of the Covenant . "Defined by its predominant Christian character, Tigray formed not only a durable component of the Ethiopian nation but was also part of the backbone of the Ethiopian state". The rulership over Tigray (and Ethiopia) was occasionally identified with the rulership over Aksum Tseyon by powerful rulers with connection to Tigray. Consequently, even

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2024-476: The "free" Agaziyan linked with the rulers of Aksum), as this could not explain why the area where the city of Aksum itself located took the name Tigray. The term might even not be Ethiosemetic and predate the Sabaean presence in Ethiopia. It is not excluded that the term tkɜr.w ("Tekaru") from a list of southern peoples and countries allegedly subdued by Pharaonic Egypt in the 15th century BC may already be linked with

2116-468: The 16th century, when the armies of imam Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Gazi occupied most of Tigray, destroying churches and monasteries (however, the Aksumite Debre Damo, which offered refuge to atse Lebna Debgəl, stayed unharmed). A great part of the ancient manuscript heritage got lost in that period. As the home to the oldest Muslim population of Ethiopia, Tigray also possesses Muslim sites (especially

2208-457: The 19th century Atse Yohannes IV and his family members. The 18th century Regent of Ethiopia Mikael Səhul formed a great Tigray, which after him virtually became a separate kingdom. He was succeeded by Ras Wolde Selassie of Enderta, who ruled Tigray independently in the Zamane mesafent ; and he in turn by däggiyat Sabagadis of the shum agame dynasty, whose successor was his son-in-law Wube of

2300-661: The 19th century, when atse Yohannes IV placed Tigrayan lords as governors over the Mereb Mellash (i.e. mainly the Eritrean highlands), such as was Alula Engeda from Tembien. Many Tembienay settled especially in the Asmara area, mixing with the local inhabitant. The foundation of the Italian Colonia Eritrea attracted further migrants from Tigray. The population of Tigray has preserved ancient self-designations, usually linked with

2392-640: The Abyssinians say "Who holds Amba Tsion holds Tigré". Still in the 20th century, Tigray proper was a province of its own in the framework of a wider homonymous province, also called Tigray. Even if well before the 20th century occasionally the term Tigray already extended over areas outside of Tigray proper, local parlance preserved the old provincial names, and the term Tigray is still used by rural people of Tigray as referring only to Adwa awrajja, while other regions of modern Tigray are still considered to be "outside Tigray" by elders and rural people. Several names of

2484-515: The Agame dynasty). Later, Tigray was given as a fief to other descendants of Yohannes. Thus the first "Tigrayan" dynasty was created, which, however, depended on support of the Shewan-dominated state. In a brief attempt to exploit Tigrayan discontent with Shewan rule for his own power interests, Haile Selassie Gugsa from that dynasty allied with the Italians in the war of 1935–1936 to become ruler of

2576-545: The Amharic-speaking Semien. Rulers of Tigrayan provinces were almost always of Tigrayan origin; in this sense, Wube's rule was a new phenomenon and is often perceived in oral tradition as a period of "oppression by an outsider". However, even the rule by Tigrayan princes were often perceived as such by locals, if they did not descend from their own local dynasties; this regularly motivated popular support to numerous competing princes (e.g., Kasa Golja against Kasa Mercha,

2668-487: The Atsbi area Sərəti for a sub-group), Tembien, etc. In oral tradition, the terms 'Again' and 'Sabawiyan' for the inhabitants of Tigray proper and Agame are still in use. Other ancient ethnonyms are still preserved in names of villages or small districts (e.g., the 8th/9th century Gämbela, now a village south of Mekelle; the "kingdom" Agabo, known from the stelae of Maryam Anza, in village names in eastern Tigray) . Modern Tigray as

2760-527: The Catholic , was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1607 to 1632, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty . His throne names were Seltan Sagad and Malak Sagad III . He was the son of Abeto Fasil, as well as the grandson of Abeto Yakob and the great-grandson of Dawit II . As a result, while some authorities list Susenyos as a member of the Solomonic dynasty , others consider him—rather than his son, Fasilides —as

2852-585: The Catholic Church as the official state religion: against his title of defender of the faith, thus de-facto forfeiting his title, and making the proclamation illegitimate, and due to that some Ethiopians see the Catholic Church as never formally to be recognized as a state religion even if for a short time. The Emperor became interested in Catholicism, in part due to Pedro Páez 's persuasion, but also hoping for military help from Portugal and Spain (in union at

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2944-413: The Catholic faith were allowed to do so, but no one would be forced to do so any further. At this point, all Patriarch Mendes could do in response was to confirm that this was, indeed, the actual will of the Emperor, his protector. Catholic Ethiopia had come to an end. In 1630, after years of rebellion, Sarsa Krestos , Viceroy of Begemder , proclaimed Susenyos' son, Fasilides , as emperor; Sarsa Krestos

3036-547: The Church (following the 20th century land reforms); they preserve some of the oldest surviving manuscripts of Ethiopia (such as in the monastery Enda Abba Gerima near Adwa). Most important for the reconstruction of the history of regional interrelations, political and genealogical alliances and dependencies, governors, and ancient administrative structure are land charters, documenting g'əlti and rəst rights. The most prominent text preserving legal documents-some allegedly Aksumite-is

3128-593: The Emperor returned to Gojjam, Susenyos followed him. While crossing the Abay Susenyos met the Liban Oromo from among whom about 400 cavalry joined him on his march on Gojjam. After the death of Emperor Za Dengel on December 13 1604, Susenyos was proclaimed Emperor on December 14 1604 by a faction led by Ras Atnatewos, however Za Selasse's faction restored his cousin Yaqob to the throne. Susenyos became Emperor following

3220-519: The Emperor's side were lost. With the Oromo threat dealt with, Susenyos now could turn his attention to Yaqob the pretender; he marched to Axum by way of the Lamalmo and Waldebba , where he was formally crowned Emperor 18 March 1608, in a ceremony described by João Gabriel, the captain of the Portuguese in Ethiopia. Despite this act legitimizing his rule, Susenyos had no luck capturing the pretender, and

3312-454: The Emperor. In his early reign he was defeated by Hadiya rebels led by Sidi Mohammed at the Battle of Hadiya . In 1608, a rebel appeared near Debre Bizen . Because the body of Yaqob had never been found after the Battle of Gol, there had been some doubt that the previous Emperor was truly dead, and a pretender announced that he was the dead Emperor Yaqob. The pretender managed to disguise

3404-593: The Ethiopians, severed these ties, sending as an insult two lame horses and an army led by the Nail Weld Ageeb from Atbara , to pillage the border areas. The hostilities between the two kingdoms increased when the governor of the Mazaga , Aleko, who was a servant of Emperor Susenyos, fled to Sennar with a number of the Emperor's horses and kettledrums. Susenyos complained of this to Badi, who refused to reply; further insulting him. In 1615, Susenyos, this time allied with

3496-661: The Irob mountains), Sira (in the 20th century replaced by the Kelette Awlealo awrajja), Wemberta (with Asbi and Dara), Enderta (historically including the Arho saltplains of the Afar lowlands, with the Balgada, the controller of the salt trade), Sehart, Selewa, Wejjarat, Rayya Azebo (submitted only in the 19th century by atse Yohannes IV ), and in the west Sellemt and Wälqayt (originally encompassing only

3588-646: The Nail Weld Ageeb, re-conquered and annexed the Kingdom of Fazughli into the Ethiopian Empire, on the Sennar Sultanate borderlands. The emperor sent priests to renew the Orthodox Christianity of the province, though the missionaries seem to have become mired in doctrinal disputes, and their accomplishments were limited. In 1618–1619, the war continued, this time the Emperor sent three of his vassals to campaign against Sennar. Welde Hawaryat, Melca Chrestos and

3680-478: The Oromo. The Marawa allied with other Oromo, and the united force entered Begemder to avenge their defeat. Upon hearing of this, the Emperor responded by summoning his son-in-law Qegnazmach Julius and Kifla Krestos to join him with their troops, and defeated the raiders at Ebenat on 17 January 1608. According to James Bruce , the Royal Chronicle of Susenyos reports 12,000 Oromo were killed while only 400 on

3772-500: The Red Sea, with Aksumite settlements also on the Arabian side. Toponyms indicate that the Tigray highlands had an important (Pre-) Agaw population in ancient times (the house-style specific for Agaw regions reaching up to Aksum, in a region with Agaw toponyms); north of Tigray there was a Beja migration after the fall of Aksum, and later several migrations of Agaw groups. Overpopulated Tigray

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3864-546: The Second Battle a month later; after the Battle of Maychew in southern Tigray (followed by attacks of Rayya against atse Haile Selassie's army), the Ethiopian government collapsed. During the Italian occupation, Tigray was included in Eritrea, and then after 1941 reunified with restored Ethiopia. Haile Sellasie's harsh measures to establish control by the central government, however, quickly led to local resistance. Significantly,

3956-455: The Tigray province. It encompassed most of the territories of Tigrinya -speakers (and a few minority groups) in Ethiopia. Tigray was separated from the northern Tigrinya speaking territories by the Mareb River , now serving as the state border to Eritrea , bordering Amhara region in the south. The great majority of inhabitants were Orthodox Christians (95.5% in 1994), with the exception of

4048-515: The Western Tigray highlands), and finally, the Mezega lowlands including the former Muslim sultanate in the west successively included into the sphere of influence of Welqayt. Some smaller territories were at times independent from the rulers of these greater provinces; the exact boundaries could change quickly following the political (and military) fortunes of their rulers. The spiritual core of Tigray

4140-675: The Woyone rebellion started in the province of Wejjerat, which was especially marked by egalitarian structures. After the rebels had captured the capital Mekelle, heavy bombing by the British in 1943 ended the uprising. This was followed by a further process of marginalization of Tigray, which was heavily affected by the 1970s and 1980s famines (often caused by resettlement measures). The decline of Tigrayan ethnic population in Ethiopia (and in present-day districts like Addi Arkay (woreda) , Kobo (woreda) & Sanja (woreda) ), during Haile Selassie 's rule

4232-415: The armies clashed; 8,000 of the rebels were dead and Melka Krestos had fled the field. Upon viewing the field of battle, Susenyos' son Fasilides is reported to have said, These men, whom you see slaughtered on the ground, were neither Pagans nor Mahometans, at whose death we should rejoice—they were Christians, lately your subjects and your countrymen, some of them your relations. This is not victory, which

4324-481: The battle of Lebart." Abd al Qadir II of Sennar acknowledged Susenyos' authority in 1606, receiving a negarit drum, sign of vasselage , and giving a trained falcon. Similarly, his brother and successor Adlan I maintained the relationship, giving a number of fine horses as a present. Badi I of Sennar , son of Abd al-Qadir II and successor of Adlan I, however, outraged by the shelter given in Chilga to his father by

4416-548: The church discipline and government, very opposite to those he had when he first embraced the Romish religion." Despite this concession to his troops, and despite the fact they reached Melka Krestos' headquarters, his forces fell to an ambush and Susenyos was forced to return to Dankaz with nothing to show for his effort. Susenyos attempted one more campaign against the rebels, only to find his men mutinous. They saw no end to unrewarding expeditions to Lasta, and when at home confronted by

4508-515: The commonly accepted opinion of this man, as being "rigid, uncompromising, narrow-minded, and intolerant. Strife and rebellions over the enforced changes began within days of Mendes' public ceremony in 1626, where he proclaimed the primacy of Rome and condemned local practices which included Saturday Sabbath and frequent fasts. Yet a number of Ethiopians did embrace Catholicism: Richard Pankhurst reports 100,000 inhabitants of Dembiya and Wegera alone are said to have converted. The most serious response

4600-570: The constant rebellions. Two letters of this diplomatic effort survive, which he entrusted to Páez to send to Europe: the one to the King of Portugal is dated 10 December 1607, while the other is to the Pope and dated 14 October of the same year; neither mention his conversion, but both ask for soldiers. He showed the Jesuit missionaries his favor by a number of land grants, most importantly those at Gorgora , located on

4692-568: The death tolls were from Tigray province (and other parts of northern Ethiopia ). The cultural heritage of Tigray is particularly rich. Tigray hosts the UNESCO world heritage site of the Aksum stelae park, numerous medieval rock-hewn churches, with a special concentration in eastern Tigray and other church buildings dating from the ancient Aksumite period (such as Debre Damo monastery ), often richly painted. Archaeological research has been able to document

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4784-454: The defeat of first Za Selasse, then on 10 March 1607 Yaqob at the Battle of Gol in southern Gojjam. After his defeat, Za Sellase became a supporter of Susenyos, but fell out with Susenyos early in his reign, and was imprisoned on an amba in Guzamn . After a year, Za Selassie managed to escape and lived as an outlaw or shifta for a year until he was killed by a peasant, who sent his head to

4876-457: The emperor as "tall with the features of a man of quality, large handsome eyes, and an ample and well groomed beard. He wore a tunic of crimson velvet down to the knee, breeches of the Moorish style, a sash or girdle of many large pieces of fine gold, and an outer coat of damask of the same colour, like a capelhar. " Of Amhara descent, Susenyos was born to Hamalmal Warq , the daughter from

4968-523: The entire whole indigenous city population, who was not to pay any taxes. The nəburä əd represented the sphere of the Ethiopian state and often descended from the local leading families; if he was a layman, he appointed an afä nəburä ed (speaker of the nəburä əd ) for the administration of church issues. Aksum as the guardian of the Tables of the Law ( s̩əlatä muse , also identified as tabotä s̩əyon ; Ark of Covenant)

5060-438: The executions used to enforce Catholicism on Ethiopia. While expressing some skepticism at the matter, Bruce states the Royal Chronicle reports his son told the troops that if they were victorious in Lasta, the Emperor would restore the traditional Ethiopian practices. However, as they marched behind Susenyos to Lasta, his scouts reported that Melka Krestos had descended from Lasta with 25,000 men, and were at hand. On 26 July 1631

5152-429: The fact he did not resemble Yaqob by keeping part of his face covered, claiming that he had suffered grievous wounds to his teeth and face from the battle. The governor of Tigray , Sela Krestos , eventually heard of the revolt, and not trusting the loyalty of a general levy of troops struck against the rebel with his own household and the descendants of the Portuguese soldiers who had followed Cristóvão da Gama (son of

5244-496: The founder of the Gondar line of the dynasty (which is, however, ultimately a subset of the Solomonic dynasty). The life of Susenyos is known through his chronicle, written by several official writers ( sehafe te’ezaz ). The Jesuits, who were closely associated with Susenyos’s reign, also left numerous documents on their mission in Ethiopia. Manuel de Almeida , a Portuguese Jesuit who lived in Ethiopia during Susenyos reign, described

5336-456: The governor of Tigray and other chief nobles among them Ras Za Selasse governor of Dembiya and Wogera perceived older princeses such as Susenyos as potential successors, and thus as legitimate threat to their own ambitions to exercise power during Yaqob's minority. Susenyos and other would be claimants were forced into exile. As a wandering shifta prince, Susenyos with a few faithful followers took refuge in Gojjam and Shewa , and led

5428-458: The governor of Tigray , Ras Tekle Giyorgis, led a three-pronged assault on the border from their respective provinces. Welde Hawaryat finally conquered and sacked the town of Atbara on the Nile after a 19-day march. Susenyos finally sent Bahr Negus Gebre Mariam to attack Mandara, whose queen controlled a strategic caravan road from Suakin. Bahir Negash was successful in capturing Queen Fatima, who

5520-474: The imperial throne, Tigray was governed by his uncle Araya Selassie Demsu, who died shortly after Yohannes. Araya successor ras Mengesha Yohannes , the Emperor's son, was only to some degree able to keep Tigray under his control. Atse Menelik II used the situation to partition again Tigray along older borders between several governors, who sent into war against each other immediately after his death (e.g. Gebre Selassie Barya Gabar of Aksum and Sebhat Aregawi of

5612-404: The kingdom of Mdre Bahri (bahər nägash), who controlled the trade routes to the Red Sea. Only rarely were its territories united under one man; notable examples being Dejazmach Kəflä Wahəd in the late 16th century, the 17th century ruler Dejazmach Gäbrä Krəstos of Hamassien , in the 18th century Dejazmach Amdä Haymanot, succeeded by the much more powerful Ras Mikael Səhul, and, finally, in

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5704-507: The later Yohannes IV). There was no strong concept of a "pan-Tigrayan" ethnicity, local identities often being stronger. Some areas never or only rarely submitted to the rule of a Tigrayan overlord, but remained under their own autonomous rulers (such as Hamassien and Serae for most of the time, Wajjarat, Zebul, etc.); this was in a way solved by atse Yohannes IV, who due to his descent from all important Tigrayan dynasties could rally support from most Tigrayan regions. After his accession to

5796-486: The latter being the Aksumites. The toponym Tigray is probably originally ethnic, the " Tigrētai " then meant "the tribes near Adulis". These are believed to be the ancient people from whom the present-day Tigray, the Eritrean tribes Tigre, and Biher-Tigrinya descended from. There is no indication that the term Tigray could be explained through Ge'ez gäzärä ("subdue"), with the meaning "the submitted" (in supposed contrast to

5888-572: The legendary Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama ) into Ethiopia. Despite defeating the rebels thrice, the pretender managed to escape each battle to hide in the mountains of Hamasien . Meanwhile, Emperor Susenyos was preoccupied with raiding parties of the Oromo. An initial encounter with the Marawa Oromo near the upper course of the Reb River ended in a defeat for the Ethiopian advance guards; Susenyos rallied his men and made an attack which scattered

5980-437: The monarch sired over twenty sons (who were all put to death by Fasilides) and several daughters by several concubines. Seven of his descendants are mentioned by name in the sources. Tigray province Tigray Province ( Tigrinya : ትግራይ ), also known as Tigre ( Amharic : ትግሬ tigrē), was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed the present day Afar and Tigray regions. Akele Guzai borders with

6072-507: The names of their historical provinces (at least some of which might originally have been ethnonyms); etymologically some can be linked to the Ethio-Sabaean past (e.g. Səra), but most are of unclear etymology. Inhabitants of Tigray call themselves Tägaru (Tigrinya singular Təgraway ; Amharic plural Təgrawiyan [neolog. from Ge'ez], Təgre ). Examples for other ancient province names and self-designation are Agame, Rayya, Səra ( Säba Səra; in

6164-505: The other northern provinces in today's Tigray are very ancient (for example, the Agame were already mentioned in the Monumentum Adulitanum), and persisted from their first mention in ancient inscriptions or medieval documents until modernity, while others only existed temporarily, shaped for the needs of newly appointed governors. Historical provinces are Shire, Adyabo, Haramat (with Hawzen), Geralta, Tembien (or Weri mallash, its border river Weri separating it from Tigray proper), Agame (including

6256-437: The pilgrimage site of Negus; architectural remains in Weger Hariba, and possibly in Maryam Nazret) and inscriptions. In addition, during the 16th century a group of Portuguese soldiers together with Jesuit missionaries founded the settlements of Fəremona, which included a Catholic church. After Catholicism was re-established among a minority by de Jacobis in the 19th century, some new churches were built. A "Tigrayan dynasty" in

6348-404: The population of the Aksumite kingdom and its neighbors do not know the term Tigray yet; they show an ethnic diversity, which has partially disappeared today. A variant of the term Tigray, first appears in a 10th-century gloss to Cosmas Indicopleustes , i.e. after the Aksumite period; according to this source important groups of the region were the " Tigrētai " and the " Agazē " (i.e. the Agʿazi ),

6440-440: The proper sense never came into existence, the competing dynasties of the respective Tigray provinces being too strong. At times, local provincial rulers managed to establish their rule over most Tigrayan provinces. Temporarily, the northern provinces were unified under one or two rulers, since at least the 14th century, mainly the Təgre Mäkännən , usually seated in the Hawzen or Adwa area (i.e. Tigray proper ), and, further north,

6532-448: The province at the time. However, Susenyos soon abandoned the governor and joined the Oromo in their attack on the province. Once the Oromo accepted him Susenyos took control of Walaqa. From the latter province he went to Debra Selalo, where he impressed some Oromo bands who soon flocked to his standard. With his new Oromo followers, he pillaged Christian peasants on mountain tops in Shewa and returned to Walaqa, where he mercilessly looted

6624-481: The role of capital in the 18th century under Amde Haymanot, and again later (starting from the 1880s in competition with the new capital Mekelle). Tigray was of strategic importance, both symbolically, as it included the sacred town of Aksum, and economically, due to important trade routes from the east (i.e. Agame and Enderta ) and the north. It included fertile plains (e.g.,. to the west of Aksum), and strategically important mountains. According to Markham in 1869,

6716-424: The sons of nobility and favored Jesuit-educated boys from outlying regions. Susenyos at last publicly converted to Catholicism in 1622, and separated himself from all of his wives and concubines except for his first wife, Wäld Śäʿala. However, the tolerant and sensitive Pedro Páez died soon afterwards, and he was replaced by Afonso Mendes , who arrived at Massawa on 24 January 1624. E. A. Wallis Budge has stated

6808-622: The south is the Tekeze, in ancient sources equaled with the Nile River. Therefore, Tigray proper together with its dependencies was occasionally also called Täkkäze Məllaš ("beyond the Tekezze"). Over a long period, the capital of Tigray proper was Hawzen in the sub-province Haramat. Already in the 17th century, this town served as a seat of governors. In the 19th century, it again served as the capital, e.g. of Wube Haile Mariam and negus Negusse. Adwa assumed

6900-769: The south-east, the Agaw-speaking H̬amta in Abergele north of Wag, a few Kunama in the Habesha Kunama woreda east of Humera , and scattered peripheral groups in the western lowlands across the tekeze, such as the Chare of the Sellim Bet (related with the Gumuz ) and Tukrir in the Humera area. Tigray went through numerous administrative changes in the course of its history. In 1991 Tigray

6992-597: The term Tigray; in this case, it should mean a region within or in the vicinity of Punt . Tigray was densely populated since ancient times; research in Lake sediments of Ashenge show that ecological change started with first dense settlements ca. 4,000 years ago. Today's Tigray region is the result of a complex process of internal migrations, cultural assimilation, and also expansion (in western Tigray), as well as of unification, separation, and reunification of diverse Tigrinya sub-groups and provides; starting from an early age Tigray

7084-449: The term Tseyon (Zion) could be used in exchange with Tigray in specific contexts. Yohannes IV called himself negus tseyon . Creating a sort of spiritual succession, Mikael Ali called himself negus tseyon after his coronation as negus of Tigray in 1914 (he translated it into Arabic as "king of Tigray". Also the history of titles and ranks in Tigray shows interesting features and reflects the complex local systems of government. Tigray knows

7176-416: The time of Susenyos' reign). Some decades earlier, in 1541, Cristóvão da Gama had led a military expedition to save the Ethiopian emperor Gelawdewos from the onslaught of Ahmed Gragn , a Muslim Imam who almost destroyed the existence of the Ethiopian state. Susenyos hoped to receive a new contingent of well-armed European soldiers, this time against the Oromo, who were ravaging his kingdom, and to help with

7268-485: The title ləul ras ), but mainly nominally. His son, ləul ras Mengasha Seyoum, succeeded him in 1960 and was deposed in the Revolution of 1974. After that, he was involved in the formation of the armed Ethiopian Democratic Union in the western lowlands, together with General Iyasu Mengasha . This "Tigrayan dynasty" strongly relied on Christian symbolism and deducted their legitimacy from their control of Aksum, which hosts

7360-406: The way around the southern tip of Africa. However, they failed to reach Malindi, due to delays caused by local Christians hostile to the mission. In addition to the strategic logic behind Susenyos's conversion, some historians point out that the Oromo crisis had undermined the legitimacy of the traditional Ethiopian social order based on feudalism and religious orthodoxy. The monk Bahrey , who wrote

7452-426: Was a source for migrations over centuries, e.g., to the south, numerous southern groups claiming origin from Tigray. There are numerous other examples of groups who migrated from Tigray at different times. For example, oral traditions collected by Conti Rossini report on such migrations. The important Ǝggäla sub-group is found both in Tigray and Akele Guzay. One of the last important migrations from Tigray took place in

7544-599: Was an important province seemingly already in Aksumite times (with important early rock-hewn churches); according to the Gädlä Märqorewos , in the 13th century Hawzen encompassed wide areas from today's Hawzen to the Afar salt plains in the east. Consequently, over the centuries the realm of Tigray regularly extended over all these territories. Tembien was included in Tigray already in the 17th century, and at times also well before. An ancient permanent boundary of Tigray proper to

7636-468: Was and is Aksum. Even if being formally under the rulership of the central province (Tigray proper), the town enjoyed a special status, as a free city with its own self-government. Its administrators were the nəburä əd , a governor appointed by the Ethiopian ruler, and the qarigeta , the mayor elected by the male members of the seven "Aksumite clans" of Aksum, Mäläkya , Ak̠sum , Bägio , Fərhəba , Kudukʷi , Wäldmaybih , Ak̠oround Näfas . These encompassed

7728-518: Was brought back to Susenyos palace in Danqaz , and renewed submission to the Empire. According to his Royal Chronicle , Susenyos hence made his power felt along his western frontier from Fazogli , north to Suakin . Susenyos' reign is perhaps best known as the brief period in Ethiopian history when Catholic Christianity became the official religion. Some Ethiopians consider the fact the Emperor proclaimed

7820-471: Was forced to leave the task to his servant Amsala Krestos. Amsala Krestos induced two brothers who had joined the rebellion to assassinate Yaqob the pretender, who then sent the dead man's head to Susenyos. Without a scarf obscuring his features, writes Bruce, "it now appeared, that he had neither scars in his face, broken jaw, nor loss of teeth; but the covering was intending only to conceal the little resemblance he bore to king Jacob, slain, as we said before, at

7912-523: Was launched by a triumvirate composed of his half-brother Yimena Krestos , a eunuch named Kefla Wahad, and his brother-in-law Julius. Susenyos avoided their first attempt to assassinate him at court, but while he was campaigning against Sennar they raised a revolt, calling to their side "all those who were friends to the Alexandrian faith". However, Susenyos had returned to Dembiya before the rebels expected, and quickly killed Julius. Yimena Krestos held out

8004-519: Was marked by dynamics of interaction between Cushitic-speaking groups (probably the most ancient population of Tigray) and Semitic-speakers, whose language and political culture makes Tigray deeply. Place names are usually of Cushitic and Semitic origin; several of the latter can be linked with toponyms in southern Arabia. Pre-Aksumite inscriptions show that Tigray was marked by a Sabaean-influenced kingdom ( D'mt ), which had merged with local culture. In later Aksumite times migration again linked both sides of

8096-402: Was promptly captured and hanged. Despite this, father and son stayed on good terms. After announcing his act of toleration, Susenyos abdicated in favor of Fasilides. He was buried at the church of Genneta Iyasus . Susenyos had one official marriage, with Wald Saala , a princess from the ancient Christian family of the rulers of Walaqa and Mahrabete . Despite his marriage to Wald Saala ,

8188-505: Was radically reshaped. During the reign of Haile Selassie I and also the following Derg period, Tigray did not yet encompass Wolkait (until 1991 having been part of Begemder ), while Enderta in eastern Tigray extended over large Afar areas including the salt plains, which were given to the Afar Region . Still, in the 1930s the regions south of Enderta, i.e. Wajjarat and Angot, formed the separate governorate called "Southern Tigray". Tigray

8280-461: Was regarded as "a church". On this ground, its priests did not allow atse Yohannes IV to permanently establish his royal kätäma (camp) there, who therefore used Mekelle as his capital. The city population managed to defend their traditional self-government - with the qarigeta being independent from the nəburä əd - even throughout the 20th century politics of centralization by atse Haile Selassie I. The oldest inscriptions and texts referring to

8372-447: Was the most important northern province and bore the name "Tigray". Usually it controlled adjacent territories, which might be the reason why the term Tigray basically encompassed only Adwa , Aksum and Yeha , and regularly extended over Hawzen (with Amba Enda Seyon) and Enticho . It included sometimes wider areas, such as Shire and Tembien , which, however, kept their own separate identities and often their local governors. Hawzen

8464-484: Was the mother of Sarsa Dengel and widow of Emperor Menas , and great-aunt of Susenyos. So that he could support himself, the queen mother, returned to him the lands (gult) previously held by his father in Gojjam . After the death of Emperor Sarsa Dengel , and the accession of his very young son Yaqob on the throne, Queen regent Maryam Sena and her sons-in-law Ras Atnatewos the governor of Gojjam and Keflawahd

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