1855-1868 Tewodros II
A remarkable, but, as it proved, quite futile attempt to resuscitate the unity and power of the ancient kingdom was begun about the middle of the 19th century by King Theodore, who aimed at the restoration of the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia, with himself for _ its sovereign. He introduced European artisans, and went to work wisely in many ways, but his cruelty and tyranny counteracted his politic measures.
In the mid-nineteenth century, a major figure in Gonder was Kasa Haylu, son of a lesser noble from Qwara, a district on the border with Sudan. Beginning about 1840, Kasa alternated between life as a brigand and life as a soldier of fortune for various nobles, including Ras Ali, a Christian of Oromo origin who dominated the court in Gonder. Kasa became sufficiently effective as an army commander to be offered the governorship of a minor province. He also married Ali's daughter, Tawabech. Nevertheless, Kasa eventually rebelled against Ali, occupied Gonder in 1847, and compelled Ali to recognize him as chief of the western frontier area. In 1848 he attacked the Egyptians in Sudan; however, he suffered a crushing defeat, which taught him to respect modern firepower. Kasa then agreed to a reconciliation with Ali, whom he served until 1852, when he again revolted. The following year, he defeated Ali's army and burned his capital, Debre Tabor. In 1854 he assumed the title negus (king), and in February 1855 the head of the church crowned him Tewodros II. Having subjugated all his rivals, and scorning the secondary title of Ras, caused himself to be crowned Emperor, by the name of Theodore the Second.
He pretended to be the monarch of that name, who, according to a native prophecy, is to divide the eastern world with the Emperors of Rome, that is to say the Eastern Empire; he being crowned at Jerusalem, whilst the Emperor of Russia, as the head of the Greek Empire, is crowned at Constantinople, and in whose time all the world is to become Christian. This vast scheme, which was rather an appropriation than a fulfilment of the native prophecy, was of foreign origin. The Abyssinians generally did not readily accept the usurper as the true Theodore of prophecy, who was to come from the east, whereas Kassai's native country, Kwara, is in the west. That it was only in consequence of his wonderful success at first that they submitted to close their eyes to this discrepancy; and that in consequence of his excessive tyranny, cruelty, and oppression - so diametrically opposed to the attributes of the Christian Monarch they were led to expect - they later styled him Pharoah, King of Egypt, and sighed for the Moses who was to deliver them from the hands of the oppressor. The final battle which placed Theodore upon the throne was fought at Dereski on the 5th of February, 1855. Oubig fell by the hand of Kasai himself. Cheton, wounded in the field, dragged himself to a cavern hard by, and there died ; Kokobie, Oubig'a general, passed over with his army to the enemy, and Kasai found himself at last in the position he had so long and so ardently coveted. The day following, he caused himself to be crowned with regal splendor, in the same church at Dereskie which the vanquished general had but the day before prepared for his own coronation.
Kasai took the name of Theodore, which had been borne by a great and glorious Negus who reigned about the twelfth century. The fact of assuming this name marked the determination of Kasai. A tradition universally known in Abyssinia asserted that a negus of the name of Theodore should restore the Ethiopian empire to its former splendour, destroy Islamism, and raise the Cross above the Crescent. With consummate audacity he declared that he was the man indicated by the prophecy. It is certain that in 1855 every one in Abyssinia believed it.
Tewodros II's origins were in the Era of the Princes, but his ambitions were not those of the regional nobility. He sought to reestablish a cohesive Ethiopian state and to reform its administration and church. He did not initially claim Solomonic lineage but did seek to restore Solomonic hegemony, and he considered himself the "Elect of God." Later in his reign, suspecting that foreigners considered him an upstart and seeking to legitimize his reign, he added "son of David and Solomon" to his title.
The first acts of King Theodore II were stamped by a sound judgment and moderation, which contrast strangely with his subsequent character. Never did monarch conduct himself more discreetly than at that critical moment, and the programme which he followed for four years amply justifies the prepossession with which he was regarded by certain Europeans. His idea was very simple: he wished to regenerate Abyssinia, and to draw from its ancient civilization the elements of its restoration. This Utopian idea was eminently grateful to the overweening national pride of the Abyssinians, and enabled the king to avoid that resistance against reforms which Peter the Great and the Sultan Mahommed, under similar circumstances, could only combat by the effusion of blood.
The barbarity brought in by unceasing anarchy of the nobility, being overbearing and rapacious, the Church corrupt, justice venal, marriage annulled by the contagious example of the aristocracy, and the right of refuge and of caravans were violated. There was no other means of restoring the integrity of the empire, than by enforcing the ancient royal code with impartiality and rigor. Judicial and religious reform therefore occupied the paramount attention of Theodore. The principal want of Abyssinia was security in travelling, and in fact the country generally was infested with bands of robbers. A royal proclamation dated from the camp of Abadjard, near Gondar, in August, 1855, ordered " that every one should return to the profession of their fathers, the merchant to his shop, the peasant to his plough."
Tewodros's first task 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. At first he ruled prudently and with moderation, being chiefly guided by two Englishmen, Mr Plowden and Mr Bell, who had become resident in the country, and the former of whom had been appointed consul. But after he lost his two counsellors (who were killed in an attack by a rebel chief in 1860), his rule became more and more tyrannous. The enormous army (as many at one time as 150,000 out of a population of 3 or 4 millions) exhausted the resources of the country. One province after another rose in rebellion, unable to bear the exactions ; and these insurrections were suppressed with unheard-of rigor.
In the course of subduing the Shewans, Tewodros imprisoned a Shewan prince, Menelik, who would later become emperor himself. Despite his success against Shewa, Tewodros faced constant rebellions in other provinces. 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. By 1865 other rebels had emerged, including Menelik, who had escaped from prison and returned to Shewa, where he declared himself negus.
In addition to his conflicts with rebels and rivals, Tewodros encountered difficulties with the European powers. Theodore had made several attempts to procure the active alliance of England and France against the Mussulman powers; and as all his efforts had failed, he now began to entertain hatred towards Europeans. When Captain Cameron went to Abyssinia in 1862 as consul, Theodore gave him a letter to Queen Victoria, of which, by some neglect, no notice was taken. A similar letter to the Emperor of the French received an answer, but not from the Emperor himself; and these circumstances so enraged Theodore that he began to maltreat the consuls and their servants, and kept them prisoners along with the missionaries and other Europeans in his dominions. Seeking aid from the British government (he proposed a joint expedition to conquer Jerusalem), he became unhappy with the behavior of those Britons whom he had counted on to advance his request, and he took them hostage.
In consequence of a slight, real or fancied, which he had received at the hands of the British government, he threw Consul Cameron and a number of other British subjects into prison in 1864, and refused to give them up. To effect their release an army of about 16,000 men under Sir Robert Napier was dispatched from Bombay in 1867; it landed at Zulla on the Gulf of Aden in January 1868, and after marching 400 miles besieged Magdala, Theodore's capital, which was taken by storm 13 April. Theodore was found among the slain, the general opinion being that he had fallen by his own hand. British arms overturned that sovereign, who died in defense of his kingdom, and his son became a prisoner and a pensioner in England.
Tewodros never realized his dream of restoring a strong monarchy, although he took some 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 also intended to reform the church, believing the clergy to be ignorant and immoral, 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 but a poor politician.
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