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33-555: Jantirar is borne historically by the head of the family holding the mountain fortress of Ambassel in Ethiopia ; similar to Wagshum , the hereditary ruler of the province of Wag , and unlike other aristocratic titles like meridazmach or ras . While that artistocratic family is said to be one of the most noble in Ethiopian history, they never ruled any larger realm than their own district. Menen Asfaw , empress consort of Haile Selassie ,

66-459: A church that was founded in the 8th century), suggest that Ambassel and the immediate surrounding Amhara regions were well prepared to produce a king and a legend as it suits its kingdom. It is arguable that their Jantirar can not be so without some connection of their being the origin of Yekuno Amlak. This Ethiopian history –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ambassel Ambassel ( Amharic : ዐምባሰል)

99-410: A daughter, Woizero Desta Amede, and a son, Jantirar Gebregziabiher Amede. Following the sudden death of her second husband, Woizero Menen's grandfather, Negus Mikael arranged her marriage to Ras Leulseged Atnaf Seged, a prominent Shewan nobleman, who was considerably older than Woizero Menen in late 1909 or early 1910. It is unclear whether Woizero Menen was married to the aged nobleman (and secured

132-496: A divorce shortly afterwards to marry her royal groom) or whether there was only an engagement between them which was broken without ado. Woizero Menen probably met Dejazmach Tafari Makonnen (later the Emperor Haile Selassie ) at the home of her half-uncle, Lij Iyasu. The rapport between the two may have inspired Lij Iyasu to attempt to bind Dejazmach Tafari to him more firmly through marriage ties. He therefore terminated

165-519: A household, and 28,407 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity , with 73.47% reporting that as their religion, while 26.19% of the population were Muslim . The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 111,172 in 24,610 households, of whom 55,074 were men and 56,098 was women; 3,934 or 3.54% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Ambassel

198-541: A third party mediate between him and his wife, and that their marriage had been one of peace and mutual support. Later, the Emperor built a pair of grand sarcophagi in the north transept of Holy Trinity Cathedral's nave, in order to transfer his wife's remains there and eventually be buried at her side himself. But due to the revolution, the Emperor was not buried there after his death, and the Empress remained in her original tomb in

231-612: Is a woreda in Amhara Region , Ethiopia , and an amba , or mountain fortress, located in the woreda. The word Ambasel is derived from two words "Amba" from the Amharic word for plateau, and “Asel” from the Arabic language, which means honey. Together, it means “plateau of honey” or the “land of honey” the woreda is named for this feature. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone , Ambassel woreda

264-624: Is a form of Tira , which means "call" or "calling". However, the claim that 'they never ruled any larger realm than their own district' can be challenged in many fronts. For example, while the mother of Yekuno Amlak was from Sagarat in the Dessie Zuria , his father came from the highlands of Ambassel. All the local folk histories and some remnants of the Kingdom of Aksum , even before the Zagwe dynasty appears in history (around Lake Hayq of Ambassel with

297-665: Is bordered on the west by the Bashilo which separates it from Tenta , on the north by the Semien Wollo Zone , on the southeast by the Mille River which separates it from Tehuledere , and on the south by Kutaber ; the Walano, a tributary of the Bashilo, defines most of its southern border. Its largest town is Wuchale . Elevations in this woreda range from 1200 to 3200 meters above sea level;

330-529: The 1960 Imperial Guard coup attempt against her husband at her villa outside the Guenete Leul Palace grounds in northern Addis Ababa . Following the return of the Emperor and the crushing of the coup attempt, there was much speculation as to the conduct of the Crown Prince, who had been proclaimed monarch by the coup leaders. It was noted that the Crown Prince had accompanied his mother in a drive through

363-599: The Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 121,899, an increase of 9.65% over the 1994 census, of whom 61,290 are men and 60,609 women; 5,882 or 4.83% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 882.24 square kilometers, Amba Sel has a population density of 138.17, which is less than the Zone average of 147.58 persons per square kilometer. A total of 29,390 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.15 persons to

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396-543: The Autobiography of the Emperor, My Life and Ethiopia's Progress , mentions no previous marriage or children of Empress Menen and no such order by Iyasu, but states only that at the age of 20, they were married by their own mutual consent, and describes her as "a woman without any malice whatsoever". When Tafari Makonnen became Emperor of Ethiopia as Haile Selassie I, Menen Asfaw was crowned as Empress at his side. Empress Menen had no children by Ras Leulseged. Empress Menen

429-606: The Empire were brought to the school to receive a modern education, encouraged by the Empress who visited it often and presided over its graduation ceremonies. The Empress gave generously, as well as sponsored programs for poor, ill and disabled people. She was also a devoutly religious woman who did much to support the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church . She built, renovated and endowed numerous churches in Ethiopia and in

462-580: The Empress is "Queen Omega" which complements one of the names they give to the Emperor "King Alpha" (as in " Alpha and Omega "). The later name is used to refer to the emperor in the original version of the reggae song Rivers of Babylon by The Melodians but all mention of him was removed from the more popular version by Boney M. Empress Menen and Emperor Haile Selassie were the parents of six children: Princess Tenagnework , Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen , Princess Tsehai , Princess Zenebework , Prince Makonnen , and Prince Sahle Selassie . Empress Mene

495-516: The Empress might sympathise with a movement that brought her favored son to the throne. It is extremely unlikely that either the Empress or the Prince had any idea of what was being plotted. However, a cloud of suspicion never left the Crown Prince, and the Empress was deeply saddened by this. Following her death in 1962, the Empress was buried in the crypt of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa among

528-782: The Empress was exiled from Ethiopia during the Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941, she made a pledge to the Virgin Mary at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem , promising to give her crown to the church if Ethiopia were liberated from occupation. The Empress made numerous pilgrimages to Holy Sites in then British-ruled Palestine, in Syria and in Lebanon, during her exile to pray for her occupied homeland. Following

561-700: The Holy Land. Prominent among these are the St. Raguel Church in Addis Ababa's Merkato district, the Kidane Mehret (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy) Church on Mount Entoto , and the Holy Trinity Monastery on the banks of the River Jordan in the Holy Land. She gave generously from her personal funds towards the building of the new Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion at Axum, but did not live to see it completed and dedicated. When

594-505: The arrangement (whether marriage or engagement) between Woizero Menen and Ras Leulseged, and sent her to Harar to marry Dejazmach Tafari Makonnen. Ras Leulseged apparently did not hold a grudge against Dejazmach Tafari for this circumstance, blaming it entirely on Lij Iyasu who had ordered it. Indeed, he was among the leaders who fought on the side of Dejazmach Tafari Makonnen in the Battle of Segale , and died in that battle. The account given in

627-511: The crypt. During the ceremonial burial of her husband's remains in November 2000, the remains of Empress Menen were also disinterred from the crypt tomb, and placed in the sarcophagus next to her husband in the nave of the cathedral, as he had originally intended. As the consort of Emperor Haile Selassie, Empress Menen is highly venerated by members of the Rastafari movement . One name Rastas bestow on

660-565: The divide between the drainage areas of the Nile and the Awash runs through the middle of Ambassel. Rivers include the Waha Titu. Notable landmarks include Amba Geshen , where the medieval Emperors of Ethiopia would confine their male relatives to keep them from threatening his power. Ambassel has proven deposits of coal near Wuchale, which were exploited during the Italian occupation . The jantirar

693-458: The palace grounds, making stops at Imperial Guard posts to exchange pleasantries with the guards, on the night before the coup was launched. The ailing Empress had been urged to visit the posts by security officials, who were concerned about the soldiers' morale, and perhaps had an idea that something was brewing. The appearance of the Empress with the Crown Prince at her side may have been used by coup leaders as an indication to their followers that

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726-438: The return of Emperor Haile Selassie I and his family to Ethiopia in 1941, a replica of the crown was made for future Empresses, but the original crown that Empress Menen was crowned with at her husband's side in 1930 was sent to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem . Empress Menen, although often seen wearing a tiara at public events that called for it, would never again wear a full crown. Empress Menen performed perfectly in

759-408: The role of empress consort. In her public role she combined religious piety, concern for social causes, and support for development schemes with the majesty of her Imperial status. Outwardly she was the dutiful wife, visiting schools, churches, exhibitions and model farms, attending public and state events at her husband's side or by herself. She took no public stand on political or policy issues. Behind

792-402: The scenes however, she was the Emperor's most trusted advisor, quietly offering advice on a whole range of issues. She avoided the publicly political role that her predecessor as Empress-consort, Empress Taytu Betul , had taken, which had caused deep resentment in government circles during the reign of Menelik II . The Empress and some of her family were placed under house arrest briefly during

825-504: The then Woizero Menen Asfaw was first given in marriage by her family to the prominent Wollo nobleman, Dejazmach Ali Mohammed of Cherecha at a very young age, as was the prevailing custom. They had two children, a daughter, Woizero Belaynesh Ali, and a son, Jantirar Asfaw Ali. This first marriage ended in divorce, and her natal family then arranged for Woizero Menen to marry Dejazmach Amede Ali Aba-Deyas, another very prominent nobleman of Wollo. She bore her second husband two children as well,

858-596: The tombs of her children. Prime Minister Aklilu Habte-Wold delivered her eulogy paying tribute to her charity, her piety, and her role as advisor and helpmate to the Emperor, as well as her personal kindness and goodness. On the third day memorial and commemoration after the funeral, the Emperor himself paid tribute to his wife by saying that although the Prime Minister had aptly described what kind of person his late wife had been, he wanted to say that during their five decades of marriage, not once had it been necessary to have

891-443: The war and were raised by the Emperor and Empress. Prince Asfaw Wossen was first married to Princess Wolete Israel Seyoum and then following their divorce to Princess Medferiashwork Abebe . Prince Makonnen was married to Princess Sara Gizaw . Prince Sahle Selassie was married to Princess Mahisente Habte Mariam . Princess Romanework married Dejazmatch Beyene Merid. Princess Tenagnework first married Ras Desta Damtew , and after she

924-615: Was Empress of Ethiopia as the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie . Menen Asfaw was born in Ambassel , located in Wollo Province of Ethiopian Empire on 25 March 1889. She was the daughter of Asfaw, Jantirar of Ambassel and Woizero Sehin Michael. Her mother was the daughter of the King Mikael of Wollo and her half-uncle was Lij Iyasu . According to both published and unpublished reports,

957-616: Was a daughter of Jantirar Asfaw. The meaning of the title Jantirar makes it unique. The element Jan is the same as the Jan in Janhoye or " Jan Amora ", meaning "great" but often translated as "royal" and another word used to refer to the Emperor of Ethiopia . Also, both words after Jan have almost similar meaning in Amharic . Hoye or hoyi can be roughly translated into "hear me, hear my call", while tirar

990-746: Was active in promoting women's issues in Ethiopia, was Patroness of the Ethiopian Red Cross , and the Ethiopian Women's Charitable Organization. She was also patroness of the Jerusalem Society that arranged for pilgrimages to the Holy Land . She founded the Empress Menen School for Girls in Addis Ababa , the first all- girls school which had both boarding and day students. Girls from all over

1023-706: Was step-mother to the Emperor's eldest child Princess Romanework . Princess Romanework was the daughter of a previous union of the emperor with Woizero Woinitu Amede (also known as Woizero Altayech). The emperor's own autobiography mentions that his joy in 1941 following Ethiopia's liberation from Fascist Occupation was tempered by the grief of learning that his eldest child, Princess Romanework, had died under detention in Italy. Princess Romanework had been imprisoned along with her four sons, two of whom also died in Italy. The remaining two, Dejazmatch Samson Beyene Merid, and Dejazmatch Merid Beyene Merid, were repatriated from Italy after

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1056-526: Was the Amhara (99.91%). Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.92%. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity , with 73.92% having reported they practiced that belief, while 25.85% of the population said they were Muslim . 11°45′N 39°15′E  /  11.750°N 39.250°E  / 11.750; 39.250 Menen Asfaw Menen Asfaw (baptismal name: Walatta Giyorgis ; 25 March 1889 – 15 February 1962)

1089-467: Was the hereditary position of the ruler of the district of Ambassel since the reign of the first Ethiopian emperor Yekuno Amlak , but in the past ruled more domain in Bete Amhara ( Wollo ). They historically governed the mountain fortress Amba Geshen . Empress Menen Asfaw , consort of Emperor Haile Selassie , was a daughter of Jantirar Asfaw of Ambassel. Based on the 2007 national census conducted by

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