Tewodros II (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, once referred to by the English cognate Theodore; baptized as Kassa, c. 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes).[1]
Although Tewodros II's origins were in the Era of the Princes, his ambitions were not those of the regional nobility. He sought to re-establish a cohesive Ethiopian state and to reform its administration and church.
Tewodros II's first task after having reunited the other provinces was to bring Shewa under his control. During the Era of the Princes, Shewa was, even more than most provinces, an independent entity, its ruler even styling himself Negus, the title for King. In the course of subduing the Shewans, Tewodros took with him a Shewan prince, Menelik II, who he brought up as his own son, who would later become Emperor (or Atse) himself. Despite his success against Shewa, Tewodros faced constant rebellions by stiffnecked nobles in other regions not understanding the benefits of modernization.[2][3] He ultimately committed suicide at the Battle of Magdala, during the British Expedition to Abyssinia.
In the first six years of his reign, the new ruler managed to put down these rebellions, and the empire was relatively peaceful from about 1861 to 1863, but the energy, wealth, and manpower necessary to deal with regional opposition limited the scope of Tewodros's other activities.
Tewodros II never realized his dream of restoring a strong monarchy, although he took many important initial steps. He sought to establish the principle that governors and judges must be salaried appointees. He also established a professional standing army, rather than depending on local lords to provide soldiers for his expeditions. He introduced the collection of books in the form of a library, tax codes, as well as a centralized political system with respective administrative districts.[4] He also intended to reform the church but he was confronted by strong opposition when he tried to impose a tax on church lands to help finance government activities. His confiscation of these lands gained him enemies in the church and little support elsewhere. Essentially, Tewodros was a talented military campaigner.[5][6]
^Authorities who put the end of the Zemene Mesafint include Bahru Zewde (A History of Modern Ethiopia, 2nd edition [Oxford: James Curry, 2001], p. 30), Paul B. Henze (Layers of Time [New York: Palgrave, 2000], p. 135), and Richard Pankhurst (The Ethiopians, A History [Oxford: Blackwell, 2001], pp. 142ff).
^Cite error: The named reference britannica.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"The Great Unifier: Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
^Ghelawdewos Araia (2006). The Great Unifier: Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. Archived 2007-07-04 at the Wayback Machine Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. 1–8. PDF.
^Cite error: The named reference Battle of Meqdala was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Aleqa Teklé was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
TewodrosII (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, once referred to by the English cognate Theodore; baptized as Kassa, c. 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia...
1879), was the son of Emperor TewodrosII and Empress Tiruwork Wube of Ethiopia. Alemayehu's father, Emperor TewodrosII died by suicide after his defeat...
Woizero Altash Tewodros, whom he divorced in 1865; the marriage produced no children. Altash Tewodros was a daughter of Emperor TewodrosII. She and Menelik...
continued until well into Tewodros's reign. Under the Emperors TewodrosII (1855–1868), Yohannes IV (1872–1889), and Menelik II (1889–1913), the empire...
on Tewodros' fortress at Maqdala, but stopped about 50 kilometres (30 miles) away, and turned to fight Tiso Gobeze, who had revolted against Tewodros and...
Tewodros may refer to: Tewodros I, Emperor of Ethiopia (1413–1414) TewodrosII, Emperor of Ethiopia (1818–1868) Tewodros Bekele, trade unionist Tewodros...
were led by Robert Napier, while the Abyssinians were led by Emperor TewodrosII. In March 1866, a British envoy had been dispatched to secure the release...
between Tewodros and the British government led the expedition to Abyssinia in order to free the European captives imprisoned there by Tewodros. From February...
Yohannes IV of Tigray's claim to the throne after the death of Emperor TewodrosII from Gondar, would leave the direct lineage of one royal family in favor...
also of the Palaiologos dynasty TewodrosII of Ethiopia, Theodore II, Emperor of Ethiopia, 1855–1868 Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria (born 1954), current...
look favourably on supporting Tewodros. The letter was preserved but not answered. The first European to cross Tewodros' path after this lack of a response...
or Magdalena (መቅደላ Magdalenā or Mäqdäla) during the reign of Emperor TewodrosII (1855-1868). Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, Amba...
of the Zemene Mesafint era. He was the older half brother of Emperor TewodrosII, who came of age at his court. Kenfu is remembered for his victory over...
and the coming to power of TewodrosII, whose later claims of Solomonic descent were never widely accepted. Following Tewodros, Wagshum Gobeze claimed the...
era was known as the Zemene Mesafint or "Era of the Princes". Emperor TewodrosII managed to unify the decentralized Ethiopian Empire in 1855 and inaugurated...
citadel in Tewodros' absence, Empress Tiruwork was instrumental in rallying the Emperor's forces and repelling Menelik. Upon TewodrosII's defeat and...
warlords fought for power, with the emperor being a mere puppet. Emperor TewodrosII (r. 1855–1868) put an end to the Zemene Mesafint, reunified the Empire...
decentralization known as Zemene Mesafint in the mid-18th century. Emperor TewodrosII ended Zemene Mesafint at the beginning of his reign in 1855, marking...
Synaxarium that Emperor Tewodros was "a very religious man, and a great lover of religious literature". Budge adds that Tewodros wished to make a pilgrimage...
and princes and would throne himself as TewodrosII, attempting to fulfill a prophecy that a man named Tewodros would restore the Ethiopian Empire to greatness...
August 1858) was the first wife of Kassa Haile, better known as Emperor TewodrosII of Ethiopia. They were married in 1848. Although she was offered as a...
Gondar Airport (IATA: GDQ, ICAO: HAGN), also known as Atse Tewodros Airport, is a public airport serving Gondar, a city in the northern Amhara Region of...
beginning of the Zemene Mesafint era until the defeat of Ras Ali of Yejju by TewodrosII in 1853, the Emperors of Ethiopia became, in the words of the Chronicals...
TewodrosII Secondary School is located in Debre Tabor, Ethiopia. Spanning 4 square kilometers, TewodrosII Secondary School serves the educational needs...
Yoshitsugu Saito, Jozef Gabčík, Hans Langsdorff, and Emperor Theodore (TewodrosII) of Ethiopia. Honor suicide has deep roots historically in Japanese society...
Darge was not punished by Tewodros for helping Menelik escape, and this was attributed to the deep affection TewodrosII had for Darge. He was released...
victories by Kassa, Ali II was decisively defeated by his son-in-law Dejazmach Kassa (who later assumed the throne name of TewodrosII) in the Battle of Ayshal...
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