| Name | Haile Selassie |
|---|
| Order | 1st |
|---|
| Office | Chairman of the Organization of African Unity |
|---|
| Term start | 25 May 1963 |
|---|
| Term end | 17 July 1964 |
|---|
| Successor | Gamal Abdel Nasser |
|---|
Haile Selassie I (Ge'ez: , "Power of the Trinity") (23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975), born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. The heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to the 13th century, and from there by tradition back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Haile Selassie is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history.
At the League of Nations in 1936, the Emperor condemned the use of chemical weapons by Italy against his people. His internationalist views led to Ethiopia becoming a charter member of the United Nations, and his political thought and experience in promoting multilateralism and collective security have proved seminal and enduring. His suppression of rebellions among the nobles (mekwannint), as well as what some perceived to be Ethiopia's failure to modernize adequately, earned him criticism among some contemporaries and historians.
Haile Selassie is revered as the returned Messiah of the Bible, God incarnate, among the Rastafari movement, the number of followers of which is estimated between 200,000 and 800,000. Begun in Jamaica in the 1930s, the Rastafari movement perceives Haile Selassie as a messianic figure who will lead a future golden age of eternal peace, righteousness, and prosperity. He himself remained an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian throughout his life.
Name
Haile Selassie was born Tafari Makonnen (Ge'ez ;
Amharic pronunciation lij teferī mekōnnin). "Lij" translates literally to "child", and serves to indicate that a youth is of noble blood. He would later become
Ras Tafari Makonnen; "Ras" translates literally to "head" and is the equivalent of "
duke", though it is often rendered in translation as "prince". In 1928, he was elevated to
Negus, "King".
Upon his ascension to Emperor in 1930, he took the name Haile Selassie, meaning "Power of the Trinity". Haile Selassie's full title in office was "His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and Elect of God" (Ge'ez ; ). This title reflects Ethiopian dynastic traditions, which hold that all monarchs must trace their lineage back to Menelik I, who in the Ethiopian tradition was the offspring of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
To Ethiopians Haile Selassie has been known by many names, including Janhoy, Talaqu Meri, and Abba Tekel. The Rastafari employ many of these appellations, also referring to him as HIM, Jah, and Jah Rastafari.
Biography
Early life
, father of Haile Selassie I, in 1902]]
Haile Selassie I's direct male line originated from the Tigray people, but he also had Oromo, Amhara, and Gurage He inherited his imperial blood through his paternal grandmother, Princess Tenagnework Sahle Selassie, who was an aunt of Emperor Menelik II, and as such asserted direct descent from Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon of ancient Israel.
Ras Makonnen arranged for Tafari as well as his first cousin, Ras Imru Haile Selassie to receive instruction in Harar from Abba Samuel Wolde Kahin, an Ethiopian capuchin monk, and from Dr. Vitalien, a surgeon from Guadeloupe. Tafari was named Dejazmach (literally "commander of the gate", roughly equivalent to "count") at the age of 13, on 1 November 1905.
Governorship
Tafari assumed the titular governorship of Selale in 1906, a realm of marginal importance but one that enabled him to continue his studies.
Following the death of his brother Yelma in 1907, the governorate of Harar was left vacant,
On 3 August he married Menen Asfaw of Ambassel, niece of heir to the throne Lij Iyasu.
Regency
The extent to which Tafari Makonnen contributed to the movement that would come to depose
Iyasu V is unclear. Iyasu V, or Lij Iyasu, was the designated but uncrowned Emperor of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916. Iyasu's reputation for scandalous behavior and a disrespectful attitude towards the nobles at the court of his grandfather, Menelik II, damaged his reputation. His flirtation with
Islam was considered treasonous among the
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian leadership of the empire. On 27 September 1916, Iyasu was deposed. In his place, the daughter of Menelik II ( the aunt of Iyasu) was named Empress
Zewditu and made
Regent for Tafari during his minority. Tafari was elevated to the rank of
Ras and was made
heir apparent and
Crown Prince. In the power arrangement that followed, Tafari accepted the role of
Regent Plenipotentiary (
Balemulu 'Inderase) and became the
de facto ruler of the
Ethiopian Empire (
Mangista Ityop'p'ya). Zewditu would govern while Tafari would administer.
While Iyasu had been deposed on 27 September 1916, on 8 October the coup d'etat went awry. Iyasu managed to escape into the Ogaden Desert and his father, Negus Mikael of Wollo, had time to come to his aid. On 27 October, Negus Mikael and his army met an army under Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis loyal to Zewditu and Tafari. During the Battle of Segale, Negus Mikael was defeated and captured. Any chance that Iyasu would regain the throne was ended and he went into hiding. On 11 January 1921, after avoiding capture for about five years, Iyasu was taken into custody by Gugsa Araya Selassie.
On 11 February 1917, the coronation for Zewditu took place. She pledged to rule justly through her Regent, Tafari. While Tafari was the more visible of the two, Zewditu was far from an honorary ruler. Her position required that she arbitrate the claims of competing factions. In other words, she had the last word. Tafari carried the burden of daily administration but, because his position was relatively weak, this was often an exercise in futility for him. Initially his personal army was poorly equipped, his finances were limited, and he had little leverage to withstand the combined influence of the Empress, the Minister of War, or the provincial governors. but without effect: the internationally scorned practice persisted well into Haile Selassie's reign.
Travel abroad
In 1924,
Ras Tafari toured
Europe and the
Middle East visiting
Jerusalem,
Cairo,
Alexandria,
Brussels,
Amsterdam,
Stockholm,
London,
Geneva, and
Athens. With him on his tour was a group that included
Ras Seyum Mangasha of western
Tigre Province,
Ras Hailu Tekle Haymanot of
Gojjam Province,
Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu of
Illubabor Province,
Ras Makonnen Endelkachew, and
Blattengeta Heruy Welde Sellase. The primary goal of the trip to Europe was for Ethiopia to gain access to the sea. In
Paris, Tafari was to find out from the
French Foreign Ministry (
Quai d'Orsay) that this goal would not be realized. However, failing this, he and his retinue inspected schools, hospitals, factories, and churches. Although patterning many reforms after European models, Tafari remained wary of European pressure. To guard against
economic imperialism, Tafari required that all enterprises have at least partial local ownership. Of his modernization campaign, he remarked, "We need European progress only because we are surrounded by it. That is at once a benefit and a misfortune."
Throughout Ras Tafari's travels in Europe, the Levant, and Egypt, he and his entourage were greeted with enthusiasm and fascination. He was accompanied by Seyum Mangasha and Hailu Tekle Haymanot who, like Tafari, were sons of generals who contributed to the victorious war against Italy a quarter century earlier at the Battle of Adwa. Another member of his entourage, Mulugeta Yeggazu, actually fought at Adwa as a young man. The "Oriental Dignity" of the Ethiopians and their "rich, picturesque court dress" were sensationalized in the media; among his entourage he even included a pride of lions, which he distributed as gifts to President Alexandre Millerand and Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré of France, to King George V of the United Kingdom, and to the Zoological Garden (Jardin Zoologique) of Paris.
In this period, the Crown Prince visited the Armenian monastery of Jerusalem. There, he adopted 40 Armenian orphans (አርባ ልጆች Arba Lijoch, "forty children") from a local orphanage. Ras Tafari arranged for the musical education of the youths, and they came to form the imperial brass band.
King and Emperor
In 1928, the authority of
Ras Tafari Makonnen was challenged when
Dejazmatch Balcha Safo went to Addis Ababa with a sizeable armed force. When Tafari consolidated his hold over the provinces, many of Menilek's appointees refused to abide by the new regulations. Balcha Safo, Governor (
Shum) of coffee-rich
Sidamo Province was particularly troublesome. The revenues he remitted to the central government did not reflect the accrued profits and Tafari recalled him to Addis Ababa. The old man came in high dudgeon and, insultingly, with a large army. The
Dejazmatch paid homage to Empress Zewditu, but snubbed
Ras Tafari. On 18 February, while Balcha Safo and his personal bodyguard were in Addis Ababa,
Ras Tafari had
Ras Kassa Haile Darge buy off his army and arrange to have him displaced as the
Shum of Sidamo Province by Birru Wolde Gabriel who himself was replaced by
Desta Damtew. In September, a group of palace reactionaries including some of the courtiers of the Empress, made a
final bid to get rid of Tafari. The attempted
coup d'état was tragic in its origins and comic in its end. When confronted by Tafari and a company of his troops, the ringleaders of the coup took refuge on the palace grounds in Menilek's mausoleum. Tafari and his men surrounded them only to be surrounded themselves by the personal guard of Zewditu. More of Tafari's khaki clad soldiers arrived and, with superiority of arms, decided the outcome in his favor. Popular support, as well as the support of the police, News of Gugsa Welle's defeat and death had hardly spread through Addis Ababa when the Empress died suddenly on 2 April 1930. Although it was long rumored that the Empress was poisoned upon the defeat of her husband, or alternately that she died from shock upon hearing of the death of her estranged yet beloved husband, it has since been documented that the Empress succumbed to a flu-like fever and complications from
diabetes.
With the passing of Zewditu, Tafari himself rose to Emperor and was proclaimed Neguse Negest ze-'Ityopp'ya, "King of Kings of Ethiopia". He was crowned on 2 November 1930, at Addis Ababa's Cathedral of St. George. The coronation was by all accounts "a most splendid affair", and it was attended by royals and dignitaries from all over the world. Among those in attendance were George V's son Prince Henry, Marshal Franchet d'Esperey of France, and the Prince of Udine representing Italy. Emissaries from the United States, Egypt, Turkey, Sweden, Belgium, and Japan were also present. One newspaper report suggested that the celebration may have incurred a cost in excess of $3,000,000. Many of those in attendance received lavish gifts; in one instance, the Christian Emperor even sent a gold-encased Bible to an American bishop who had not attended the coronation, but who had dedicated a prayer to the Emperor on the day of the coronation.
Haile Selassie introduced Ethiopia's first written constitution on 16 July 1931, providing for a bicameral legislature. The constitution kept power in the hands of the nobility, but it did establish democratic standards among the nobility, envisaging a transition to democratic rule: it would prevail "until the people are in a position to elect themselves." A conquest of Ethiopia could also empower the cause of fascism and embolden its rhetoric of empire.
Mobilization
Following the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie joined his northern armies and set up headquarters at
Desse in
Wollo province. He issued his famous mobilization order on 3 October 1935:
On 19 October 1935, Haile Selassie gave more precise orders for his army to his Commander-in-Chief, Ras Kassa:
# When you set up tents, it is to be in caves and by trees and in a wood, if the place happens to be adjoining to these―and separated in the various platoons. Tents are to be set up at a distance of 30 cubits from each other.
# When an aeroplane is sighted, one should leave large open roads and wide meadows and march in valleys and trenches and by zigzag routes, along places which have trees and woods.
# When an aeroplane comes to drop bombs, it will not suit it to do so unless it comes down to about 100 metres; hence when it flies low for such action, one should fire a volley with a good and very long gun and then quickly disperse. When three or four bullets have hit it, the aeroplane is bound to fall down. But let only those fire who have been ordered to shoot with a weapon that has been selected for such firing, for if everyone shoots who possesses a gun, there is no advantage in this except to waste bullets and to disclose the men's whereabouts.
# Lest the aeroplane, when rising again, should detect the whereabouts of those who are dispersed, it is well to remain cautiously scattered as long as it is still fairly close. In time of war it suits the enemy to aim his guns at adorned shields, ornaments, silver and gold cloaks, silk shirts and all similar things. Whether one possesses a jacket or not, it is best to wear a narrow-sleeved shirt with faded colours. When we return, with God's help, you can wear your gold and silver decorations then. Now it is time to go and fight. We offer you all these words of advice in the hope that no great harm should befall you through lack of caution. At the same time, We are glad to assure you that in time of war We are ready to shed Our blood in your midst for the sake of Ethiopia's freedom..."
Compared to the Ethiopians, the Italians had an advanced, modern military which included a large air force. The Italians would also come to employ chemical weapons extensively throughout the conflict, even targeting Red Cross field hospitals in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Progress of the war
Starting in early October 1935, the
Italians invaded Ethiopia. On 6 October, Italian honor was avenged when
Adwa fell. But, by November, the pace of invasion had slowed appreciably and Haile Selassie's northern armies were able to launch what was known as the "
Christmas Offensive". During this offensive, the Italians were forced back in places and put on the defensive. However, by early in 1936, the
First Battle of Tembien stopped the progress of the Ethiopian offensive and the Italians were ready to continue their offensive. Following the defeat and destruction of the northern Ethiopian armies at the
Battle of Amba Aradam, the
Second Battle of Tembien, and the
Battle of Shire, Haile Selassie took the field with the last Ethiopian army on the northern front. On 31 March 1936, he launched a
counterattack against the Italians himself at the
Battle of Maychew in southern
Tigray. The Emperor's army was defeated and retreated in disarray. As Haile Selassie's army withdrew, the Italians attacked from the air along with rebellious Raya and Azebo tribesmen on the ground, who were armed and paid by the Italians.
Haile Selassie made a solitary
pilgrimage to the churches at
Lalibela, at considerable risk of capture, before returning to his capital. After a stormy session of the council of state, it was agreed that because
Addis Ababa could not be defended, the government would relocate to the southern town of
Gore, and that in the interest of preserving the Imperial house, the Emperor's wife
Menen Asfaw and the rest of the Imperial family should immediately depart for
Djibouti, and from there continue on to
Jerusalem.
Exile debate
After further debate as to whether Haile Selassie should go to Gore or accompany his family into exile, it was agreed that Haile Selassie should leave Ethiopia with his family and present the case of Ethiopia to the
League of Nations at
Geneva. The decision was not unanimous and several participants, including the nobleman Page (
Blatta)
Tekle Wolde Hawariat, objected to the idea of an Ethiopian monarch fleeing before an invading force. Haile Selassie appointed his cousin Ras
Imru Haile Selassie as Prince Regent in his absence, departing with his family for
Djibouti on 2 May 1936.
On 5 May, Marshal Pietro Badoglio led Italian troops into Addis Ababa, and Mussolini declared Ethiopia an Italian province. Victor Emanuel III was proclaimed as the new Emperor of Ethiopia. However, on the previous day, the Ethiopian exiles had left Djibouti aboard the British cruiser HMS Enterprise. They were bound for Jerusalem in the British Mandate of Palestine, where the Ethiopian royal family maintained a residence. The Imperial family disembarked at Haifa and then went on to Jerusalem. Once there, Haile Selassie and his retinue prepared to make their case at Geneva. The choice of Jerusalem was highly symbolic, since the Solomonic Dynasty claimed descent from the House of David. Leaving the Holy Land, Haile Selassie and his entourage sailed for Gibraltar aboard the British cruiser HMS Capetown. From Gibraltar, the exiles were transferred to an ordinary liner. By doing this, the government of the United Kingdom was spared the expense of a state reception.
Collective security and the League of Nations, 1936
Mussolini, upon invading Ethiopia, had promptly declared his own "
Italian Empire"; because the League of Nations afforded Haile Selassie the opportunity to address the assembly, Italy even withdrew its League delegation, on 12 May 1936. It was in this context that Haile Selassie walked into the hall of the League of Nations, introduced by the President of the Assembly as "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Ethiopia" (
Sa Majesté Imperiale, l'Empereur d'Ethiopie). The introduction caused a great many Italian journalists in the galleries to erupt into jeering, heckling, and whistling. As it turned out, they had earlier been issued whistles by Mussolini's son-in-law, Count
Galeazzo Ciano. Haile Selassie waited calmly for the hall to be cleared, and responded "majestically" with a speech sometimes considered among the most stirring of the 20th century.
Noting that his own "small people of 12 million inhabitants, without arms, without resources" could never withstand an attack by a large power such as Italy, with its 42 million people and "unlimited quantities of the most death-dealing weapons", he contended that all small states were threatened by the aggression, and that all small states were in effect reduced to vassal states in the absence of collective action. He admonished the League that "God and history will remember your judgment."
The speech made the Emperor an icon for anti-Fascists around the world, and Time Magazine named him "Man of the Year". He failed, however, to get what he most needed: the League agreed to only partial and ineffective sanctions on Italy, and several members even recognized the Italian conquest.
Prior to Fairfield House, he briefly stayed at Warne's Hotel in Worthing and in Parkside, Wimbledon A bust of Haile Selassie is in nearby Cannizaro Park to commemorate this time and is a popular place of pilgrimage for London's Rastafarian community.
Haile Selassie's activity in this period was focused on countering Italian propaganda as to the state of Ethiopian resistance and the legality of the occupation. He spoke out against the desecration of houses of worship and historical artifacts (including the theft of a 1,600-year old imperial obelisk), and condemned the atrocities suffered by the Ethiopian civilian population. He continued to plead for League intervention and to voice his certainty that "God's judgment will eventually visit the weak and the mighty alike",
The Emperor's pleas for international support did take root in the United States, particularly among African American organizations sympathetic to the Ethiopian cause. In 1937, Haile Selassie was to give a Christmas Day radio address to the American people to thank his supporters when his taxi was involved in a traffic accident, leaving him with a fractured knee. Rather than canceling the radio appearance, he proceeded in much pain to complete the address, in which he linked Christianity and goodwill with the Covenant of the League of Nations, and asserted that "War is not the only means to stop war": The Emperor's daughter, Princess Romanework, wife of Dejazmach Beyene Merid, was herself taken into captivity with her children, and she died in Italy in 1941. His daughter Tsehai died during childbirth shortly after the restoration in 1942.
After his return to Ethiopia, he donated Fairfield House to the city of Bath as a residence for the aged, until modified in the 1990s where it is now used as a residential meeting centre.
1940s and 1950s
British forces, which consisted primarily of Ethiopian-backed African and South African colonial troops under the "
Gideon Force" of Colonel
Orde Wingate, coordinated the military effort to liberate Ethiopia. The Emperor himself issued several imperial proclamations in this period, demonstrating that, while authority was not divided up in any formal way, British military might and the Emperor's populist appeal could be joined in the concerted effort to liberate Ethiopia. Italy was defeated by a force of the United Kingdom, the
Commonwealth of Nations,
Free France,
Free Belgium, and Ethiopian patriots. On 5 May 1941, Haile Selassie entered
Addis Ababa and personally addressed the Ethiopian people, five years to the day since his 1936 exile:
Today is the day on which we defeated our enemy. Therefore, when We say let us rejoice with our hearts, let not our rejoicing be in any other way but in the spirit of Christ. Do not return evil for evil. Do not indulge in the atrocities which the enemy has been practicing in his usual way, even to the last.
Take care not to spoil the good name of Ethiopia by acts which are worthy of the enemy. We shall see that our enemies are disarmed and sent out the same way they came. As St. George who killed the dragon is the Patron Saint of our army as well as of our allies, let us unite with our allies in everlasting friendship and amity in order to be able to stand against the godless and cruel dragon which has newly risen and which is oppressing mankind.
After World War II, Ethiopia became a charter member of the United Nations. In 1948, the Ogaden, a region disputed with Somalia, was granted to Ethiopia. On 2 December 1950, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 390 (V), establishing the federation of Eritrea (the former Italian colony) into Ethiopia. Eritrea was to have its own constitution, which would provide for ethnic, linguistic, and cultural balance, while Ethiopia was to manage its finances, defense, and foreign policy. Ethiopia was still "semi-feudal", and the Emperor's attempts to alter its social and economic form by reforming its modes of taxation met with resistance from the nobility and clergy, which were eager to resume their privileges in the postwar era. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church had been headed by the abuna, a bishop who answered to the Partriarchate in Egypt. Haile Selassie applied to Egypt's Holy Synod in 1942 and 1945 to establish the independence of Ethiopian bishops, and when his appeals were denied he threatened to sever relations with the See of St. Mark. In a 1954 speech, the Emperor spoke of Ethiopian participation in the Korean War as a redemption of the principles of collective security:
Nearly two decades ago, I personally assumed before history the responsibility of placing the fate of my beloved people on the issue of collective security, for surely, at that time and for the first time in world history, that issue was posed in all its clarity. My searching of conscience convinced me of the rightness of my course and if, after untold sufferings and, indeed, unaided resistance at the time of aggression, we now see the final vindication of that principle in our joint action in Korea, I can only be thankful that God gave me strength to persist in our faith until the moment of its recent glorious vindication.
During the celebrations of his Silver Jubilee in November 1955, Haile Selassie introduced a revised constitution, whereby he retained effective power, while extending political participation to the people by allowing the lower house of parliament to become an elected body. Party politics were not provided for. Modern educational methods were more widely spread throughout the Empire, and the country embarked on a development scheme and plans for modernization, tempered by Ethiopian traditions, and within the framework of the ancient monarchical structure of the state.
Haile Selassie compromised when practical with the traditionalists in the nobility and church. He also tried to improve relations between the state and ethnic groups, and granted autonomy to Afar lands that were difficult to control. Still, his reforms to end feudalism were slow and weakened by the compromises he made with the entrenched aristocracy. The Revised Constitution of 1955 has been criticized for reasserting "the indisputable power of the monarch" and maintaining the relative powerlessness of the peasants. The coup attempt has been characterized as a pivotal moment in Ethiopian history, the point at which Ethiopians "for the first time questioned the power of the king to rule without the people's consent". Student populations began to empathize with the peasantry and poor, and to advocate on their behalf. However, Haile Selassie would have none of European attempts to draft a separate Constitution under which Eritrea would be governed, and wanted his own 1955 Constitution protecting families to apply in both Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 1961 the 30-year Eritrean Struggle for Independence began, followed by Haile Selassie's dissolution of the federation and shutting down of Eritrea's parliament.
In 1961, tensions between independence-minded Eritreans and Ethiopian forces culminated in the Eritrean War of Independence. The Emperor declared Eritrea the fourteenth province of Ethiopia in 1962. The war would continue for 30 years, as first Haile Selassie, then the Soviet-backed junta that succeeded him, attempted to retain Eritrea by force.
In 1963, Haile Selassie presided over the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity, with the new organization establishing its headquarters in Addis Ababa. As more African states won their independence, he played an important role as Pan-Africanist, and along with Modibo Keïta of Mali was successful in negotiating the Bamako Accords, which brought an end to the border conflict between Morocco and Algeria. Also in 1963, on October 6, Selassie addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations, referring in his address to his earlier speech to the League of Nations:
Twenty-seven years ago, as Emperor of Ethiopia, I mounted the rostrum in Geneva, Switzerland, to address the League of Nations and to appeal for relief from the destruction which had been unleashed against my defenceless nation, by the Fascist invader. I spoke then both to and for the conscience of the world. My words went unheeded, but history testifies to the accuracy of the warning that I gave in 1936. Today, I stand before the world organization which has succeeded to the mantle discarded by its discredited predecessor. In this body is enshrined the principle of collective security which I unsuccessfully invoked at Geneva. Here, in this Assembly, reposes the best — perhaps the last — hope for the peaceful survival of mankind.
On 25 November 1963, the Emperor was among other heads-of-state, including French President Charles de Gaulle, who traveled to Washington D.C. and attended the burial of assassinated American President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1966, Haile Selassie attempted to create a modern, progressive tax that included registration of land, which would significantly weaken the nobility. Even with alterations, this law led to a revolt in Gojjam, which was repressed although enforcement of the tax was abandoned. The revolt, having achieved its design in undermining the tax, encouraged other landowners to defy Haile Selassie.
Student unrest became a regular feature of Ethiopian life in the 1960s and 1970s. Marxism took root in large segments of the Ethiopian intelligentsia, particularly among those who had studied abroad and had thus been exposed to radical and left-wing sentiments that were becoming popular in other parts of the globe. between 1972-74. Although the region is infamous for recurrent crop failures and continuous food shortage and starvation risk, this episode was remarkably severe. It led to the 1973 production of the ITV programme The Unknown Famine by Jonathan Dimbleby. Dimbleby's report suggested a far higher death toll than was borne out by the facts, stimulating a massive influx of aid while at the same time destabilizing Haile Selassie's regime. while others assert that he was well aware of it. In addition to the exposure of attempts by corrupt local officials to cover up the famine from the Imperial government, the Kremlin's depiction of Haile Selassie's Ethiopia as backwards and inept (relative to the purported utopia of Marxism-Leninism) contributed to the popular uprising that led to its downfall and the rise of Mengistu Haile Mariam. The famine and its image in the media undermined popular support of the government, and Haile Selassie's once unassailable personal popularity fell.
The crisis was exacerbated by military mutinies and high oil prices, the latter a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The international economic crisis triggered by the oil crisis caused the costs of imported goods, gasoline, and food to skyrocket, while unemployment spiked. Haile Selassie again went on television to agree to the army's demands for still greater pay, and named Endalkatchew Makonnen as his new Prime Minister. However, despite Endalkatchew's many concessions, discontent continued in March with a four-day general strike that paralyzed the nation.
Imprisonment
The
Derg, a committee of low-ranking military officers and enlisted men, set up in June to investigate the military's demands, took advantage of the government's disarray to depose Haile Selassie on 12 September 1974. General
Aman Mikael Andom, a Protestant of Eritrean origin,
Later, most of the Imperial family was imprisoned in the Addis Ababa prison Kerchele, also known as "Alem Bekagne", or "Goodbye, cruel world". On 23 November 1974, 60 former high officials of the Imperial government, known as "the Sixty", were executed without trial. The executed included Haile Selassie's grandson and two former Prime Ministers. His doctor, Asrat Woldeyes, denied that complications had occurred and rejected the government version of his death. Some imperial loyalists believed that the Emperor had in fact been assassinated, and this belief remains widely held. One western correspondent in Ethiopia at the time commented, "While it is not known what actually happened, there are strong indications that no efforts were made to save him. It is unlikely that he was actually killed. Such rumors were bound to arise no matter what happened, given the atmosphere of suspicion and distrust prevailing in Addis Ababa the time." Court testimony given by the emperor's servants however indicate that they were ordered to leave the Emperor's rooms for the night, something never done before, and that they returned in the morning to find him dead in his bed, with a strong chemical smell in the room. They further testified that the Emperor had been in perfect health the night before when they had left him. Professor Asrat Woldeyes also testified that his patient had completely recovered from the effects of the surgery and that there had been no complications.
The Soviet-backed Derg fell in 1991. In 1992, the Emperor's bones were found under a concrete slab on the palace grounds; For almost a decade thereafter, as Ethiopian courts attempted to sort out the circumstances of his death, his coffin rested in Bhata Church, near his great uncle Menelik II's imperial resting place. On 5 November 2000, Haile Selassie was given an Imperial funeral by the Ethiopian Orthodox church. The post-communist government refused calls to declare the ceremony an official imperial funeral.
Children
, eldest son of Haile Selassie I, on a voyage to Jerusalem in 1923.]]
By Menen Asfaw, Haile Selassie had six children: Princess Tenagnework, Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen, Princess Tsehai, Princess Zenebework, Prince Makonnen, and Prince Sahle Selassie.
There is some controversy as to Haile Selassie's eldest daughter, Princess Romanework Haile Selassie. While the living members of the royal family state that Romanework is the eldest daughter of Empress Menen, it has been asserted that Princess Romanework is actually the daughter of a previous union of the emperor with Woizero Altayech. The emperor's own autobiography makes no mention of a previous marriage or having fathered children with anyone other than Empress Menen.
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 was widowed later married Ras Andargachew Messai. Princess Zenebework married Dejazmatch Haile Selassie Gugsa. Princess Tsehai married Lt. General Abiye Abebe.
Rastafari Messiah
Today, Haile Selassie is worshipped as Jesus incarnate --> among followers of the Rastafari movement (taken from Haile Selassie's pre-imperial name Ras — meaning Head - a title equivalent to Duke — Tafari Makonnen), which emerged in Jamaica during the 1930s under the influence of Marcus Garvey's "Pan Africanism" movement. He is viewed as the Messiah who will lead the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora to freedom. His official titles are Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah and King of Kings and Elect of God, and his traditional lineage is thought to be from Solomon and Sheba. These notions are perceived by Rastafarians as confirmation of the return of the Messiah in the prophetic Book of Revelation in the New Testament: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and Root of David. Rastafari faith in the incarnate divinity of Haile Selassie began after news reports of his coronation reached Jamaica, particularly via the two Time magazine articles on the coronation the week before and the week after the event. Haile Selassie's own perspectives permeate the philosophy of the movement.
Not all Rastafarian mansions consider Haile Selassie as Jesus Christ incarnate. One example is The Twelve Tribes of Israel, who consider him a divinely anointed king—thus Christ in his kingly character and defender of the Christian faith.
In 1961, the Jamaican government sent a delegation composed of both Rastafari and non-Rastafari leaders to Ethiopia to discuss the matter of repatriation, among other issues, with the Emperor. He reportedly told the Rastafarian delegation (which included Mortimer Planno), "Tell the Brethren to be not dismayed, I personally will give my assistance in the matter of repatriation."
Haile Selassie visited Jamaica on April 21, 1966, and approximately one hundred thousand Rastafari from all over Jamaica descended on Palisadoes Airport in Kingston, and chalices were openly smoked, causing "a haze of ganja smoke" to drift through the air. Haile Selassie arrived at the airport but was unable to come down the mobile steps of the airplane, as the crowd rushed the tarmac. He then returned into the plane, disappearing for several more minutes. Finally, Jamaican authorities were obliged to request Ras Mortimer Planno, a well-known Rasta leader, to climb the steps, enter the plane, and negotiate the Emperor's descent. Planno re-emerged and announced to the crowd: "The Emperor has instructed me to tell you to be calm. Step back and let the Emperor land". This day is widely held by scholars to be a major turning point for the movement, and it is still commemorated by Rastafarians as Grounation Day, the anniversary of which is celebrated as the second holiest holiday after 2 November, the Emperor's Coronation Day.
From then on, as a result of Planno's actions, the Jamaican authorities were asked to ensure that Rastafarian representatives were present at all state functions attended by His Majesty, and Rastafarian elders also ensured that they obtained a private audience with the Emperor, where he reportedly told them that they should not emigrate to Ethiopia until they had first liberated the people of Jamaica. This dictum came to be known as "liberation before repatriation".
Haile Selassie defied expectations of the Jamaican authorities, and never rebuked the Rastafari for their belief in him as the returned Jesus. Instead, he presented the movement's faithful elders with gold medallions – the only recipients of such an honor on this visit. During PNP leader (later Jamaican Prime Minister) Michael Manley's visit to Ethiopia in October 1969, the Emperor allegedly still recalled his 1966 reception with amazement, and stated that he felt that he had to be respectful of their beliefs. This was the visit when Manley received the Rod of Correction or Rod of Joshua as a present from the Emperor, which is thought to have helped him to win the 1972 election in Jamaica.
Rita Marley, Bob Marley's wife, converted to the Rastafari faith after seeing Haile Selassie on his Jamaican trip. She claimed in interviews (and in her book No Woman, No Cry) that she saw a stigmata print on the palm of Haile Selassie's hand as he waved to the crowd which resembled the markings on Christ's hands from being nailed to the cross—a claim that was not supported by other sources, but was used as evidence for her and other Rastafarians to suggest that Haile Selassie I was indeed their messiah. She was also influential in the conversion of Bob Marley, who then became internationally recognized. As a result, Rastafari became much better known throughout much of the world. Bob Marley's posthumously released song Iron Lion Zion refers to Haile Selassie.
Haile Selassie's attitude to the Rastafari
Haile Selassie I was the titular head of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church and, until his visit to Jamaica in 1966, he had never confirmed or denied that he was divine. During his visit, he specifically declined to contradict the Rastafari belief that he was Jesus. After his return to Ethiopia, he dispatched
Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq Mandefro to the Caribbean to help draw Rastafarians and other West Indians to the Ethiopian church and, according to some sources, denied his divinity.
In 1948, Haile Selassie donated a piece of land at Shashamane, 250 km south of Addis Ababa, for the use of people of African descent from the West Indies. Numerous Rastafari families settled there and still live as a community to this day.
Quotations
Honours
Chief Commander of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia - 1909
Grand Cordon of the Order of Solomon (Ethiopia) - 1930
Grand Collar of the Order of Solomon's Seal (Ethiopia)
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia)
Grand Cordon of the Order of The Holy Trinity (Ethiopia)
Grand Cordon of the Order of Menelik II (Ethiopia)
Riband of the Three Military Orders Of Christ
Knight of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation - 1928
Order of the Elephant - 1954
Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau of Luxembourg - 1924
Collar of the Order of the Seraphim - 1954
Maha Chakri - 1954
Order of Suvorov 1st class of USSR - 1959
Collar of the Order of Muhammad Ali of Egypt - 1930
Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur - 1924
Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit - 1945
Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlevi - 1964
Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle - 1954
Royal Victorian Chain (RVC) - 1930
Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) - 1954
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) - 1924
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) - 1917
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) - 1924
Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum-1956 (Grand Cordon-1930)
Order of the Liberator San Martin of Argentina
Order of the Nile of Egypt
Order of Pius IX of the Vatican - 1970
Order of Idris I of Libya
Order of Independence of Tunisia
Order of Hussein ibn Ali of the Jordan
Order of Muhammad of Morocco
Chain of Honor of the Sudan
Grand Order of the Hashemites of Iraq
Order of the Crown of Italy - 1917
Order of Leopold (Belgium) - 1924
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus - 1924
Order of the Tower and Sword of Portugal - 1925
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of William - 1954
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion - 1930
Order of the White Eagle of Poland - 1930
Collar of the Order of St Olav of Norway - 1949
Collar of the Order of Charles III of Spain
Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
Grand Cross of the National Order of Vietnam- 1958
Order of Truth of Burma - 1958
Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil - 1958
Collar of the Order of the Leopard of Zaire
Order of the Lion of Senegal
Order of the Lion of Malawi
Order of Valor of Cameroon
Order of the Sun of Peru
Collar of the Order of the Bust of the Liberator Simon Bolivar of Venezuela
Order of the Condor of the Andes of Bolivia
Special Grade of the Order of the Propitious Clouds of China
Order of Oummaya of Syria
Order of Mono of Togo
Order of Congolese Merit of the Republic of the Congo
Order of the Leopard of Somalia - 1960
Order of the Equatorial Star of Gabon
Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Order of the Source of the Nile of Uganda
Order of the Eagle of Zambia
Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany - 1954
Collar of the Order of the Republic of Italy - 1955
National orders of Lebanon, Chile, Central Africa, Upper Volta, Chad, Benin, Mali, Madagascar, Mauritania, Guinea and Niger.
Collar of the National Order of Honour and Merit of Haiti - 1966
Knight Grand Band of the Order of the Pioneers of Liberia
Grand Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya
Grand Star of the Decoration of Honor for Merit of Austria - 1954
Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 1st Class - 1958
Raja of the Order of Sikatuna of the Philippines
Commander of the Order of the Shield and Spears of Uganda - 1964
Order of the Yugoslav Great Star - 1954
Order of Pakistan, 1st Class - 1958
Order of the State Crown of Malaysia - 1968
Order of King Abdul Aziz, 1st Class, of Saudi Arabia
Order of the Star of Ghana - 1970
Banner of the People's Republic of Hungary, 1st Class with Diamonds - 1964
Military Medal of France - 1954
Honorary citizen of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - 1972
Honorary citizen of
Belgrade - 1954
Military ranks
Haile Selassie held the following ranks:
Field Marshal, Imperial Ethiopia Army
Admiral of the Fleet, Imperial Ethiopian Navy
Marshal of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force
Field Marshal, British Army
Ancestry
See also
Arba Lijoch - A group of 40 Armenian orphans sponsored during the 1924 trip to Europe.
Black Lions
Desta Damtew
List of people who have been considered deities
List of messiah claimants
Notes
;Footnotes
;Citations
References
Haile Selassie I. My Life and Ethiopia's Progress: The Autobiography of Emperor Haile Sellassie I. Translated from Amharic by Edward Ullendorff. New York: Frontline Books, 1999. ISBN 0-948390-40-9
Paul B. Henze. "The Rise of Haile Selassie: Time of Troubles, Regent, Emperor, Exile" and "Ethiopia in the Modern World: Haile Selassie from Triumph to Tragedy" in Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia. New York: Palgrave, 2000. ISBN 0-312-22719-1
Ryszard Kapuściński, The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat. 1978. ISBN 0-679-72203-3
Dread, The Rastafarians of Jamaica, by Joseph Owens ISBN 0-435-98650-3
Haile Selassie I : Ethiopia's Lion of Judah, 1979, ISBN 0-88229-342-7
Haile Selassie's war : the Italian-Ethiopian Campaign, 1935-1941, 1984, ISBN 0-394-54222-3
Haile Selassie, western education, and political revolution in Ethiopia, 2006, ISBN 978-1-934043-20-2
External links
Ethiopian Treasures - Emperor Haile Selassie I - The Ethiopian Revolution
Imperial Crown Council of Ethiopia
Speech to the League of Nations, June 1936 (full text)
Marcus Garvey's prophecy of Haile Selassie I as the returned messiah
Haile Selassie I and the Italo-Ethiopian war
Haile Selassie I, the Later Years
A critical look at the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
BBC article, memories of his personal servant
Watch News Reel: His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, 21 April 1966
Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I - The Church of Haile Selassie I
Haile Selassie I Speaks -Text & Audio-
Category:1892 births
Category:1975 deaths
Category:People from Addis Ababa
Category:Cold War leaders
Category:Emperors of Ethiopia
Category:Ethiopian princes
Category:Solomonid dynasty
Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Category:Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Category:Rulers of Ethiopia
Category:Governments in exile during World War II
Category:Burials at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa
Category:Rastafari
Category:Deified people
Category:Time Persons of the Year
![Ancient Of Days - Ron Kenoly - Gary Sadler Jamie Harvill [lyrics]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110523031331im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yM2EjnauKlY/0.jpg "Ancient Of Days - Ron Kenoly - Gary Sadler Jamie Harvill [lyrics]")
![Holy Trinity, fresco by Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738-9 (St. Gaudenzio Church at Ivrea). The Trinity is most commonly seen in Christian art with the Spirit represented by a dove, as specified in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ; it is nearly always shown with wings outspread. However depictions using three human figures appear occasionally in most periods of art.[102] The Father and the Son are usually differentiated by age, and later by dress, but this too is not always the case. The](http://web.archive.org./web/20110523031331im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/8d/f2/8762dea0dbe33f4e04c8b5e94dbc_grande.jpg "Holy Trinity, fresco by Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738-9 (St. Gaudenzio Church at Ivrea). The Trinity is most commonly seen in Christian art with the Spirit represented by a dove, as specified in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ; it is nearly always shown with wings outspread. However depictions using three human figures appear occasionally in most periods of art.[102] The Father and the Son are usually differentiated by age, and later by dress, but this too is not always the case. The")
![Holy Trinity, fresco by Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738-9 (St. Gaudenzio Church at Ivrea). The Trinity is most commonly seen in Christian art with the Spirit represented by a dove, as specified in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ; it is nearly always shown with wings outspread. However depictions using three human figures appear occasionally in most periods of art.[102] The Father and the Son are usually differentiated by age, and later by dress, but this too is not always the case. The](http://web.archive.org./web/20110523031331im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/8d/f2/8762dea0dbe33f4e04c8b5e94dbc_thumb.jpg "Holy Trinity, fresco by Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738-9 (St. Gaudenzio Church at Ivrea). The Trinity is most commonly seen in Christian art with the Spirit represented by a dove, as specified in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ; it is nearly always shown with wings outspread. However depictions using three human figures appear occasionally in most periods of art.[102] The Father and the Son are usually differentiated by age, and later by dress, but this too is not always the case. The")
