A Ras Tafari less world

yourworstnightmare

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Start of a TL, more a rough draft. No PoD yet, all OTL. Might rewrite it after feedback.

A Ras Tafari less World

1. THE SUCCESSION OF MENELIK II

menelikii.jpg

Emperor Menelik II


In 1909 the Negusa Nagast[FONT=&quot][1][/FONT] Menelik II of Ethiopia faced a serious problems. Since he lacked a legitimate heir[FONT=&quot][2][/FONT], he had to name his successor. He had initially hoped his distant cousin Ras Makonnen[FONT=&quot][3][/FONT], one of the heores of Adwa would succeed him, but when Makonnen died in 1906 the succession was once again open. The emperor was also at the time suffering from syphilis, so naming a successor was an important matter indeed. According to sources in the court Menelik had mumbled the name Lij Iyasu to his wife, the empress Taitu, but no one else had heard it. Lij Iyasu, the son of Menelik’s daughter Shoagarad and the powerful Oromo ruler of Wollo; Ras Mikael, was thus named Menelik's successor. Iyasu, a young teenager was most known for being an adventurer and troublemaker. With the succession settled Menelik fell more ill, and empress Taitu assumed control of the court. Taitu legitimized her regime by citing a prophecy that Menelik would be succeeded by an empress. However a year in her regime, she was overthrown in a coup by the Imperial Guard, the regent Ras Tessema, Habte Giyorgis[FONT=&quot][4][/FONT] and the powerful family of Ras Mikael. After the coup, the administration however faltered, the emperor was still sick, Iyasu was too young, and several aristocrats bid for power in the court. The powerful European Colonial Powers in the area: Italy, France and Britain all were frustrated that they had no idea who ruled Ethiopia. Meanwhile the borders became unsafe, and Ethiopian raiders raided for cattle and slaves both on their own side of the border and in neighbouring European Colonies, which further antagonized the Europeans. Soon it became clear that Iyasu himself had been raiding for slaves among the Gurage people, albeit on his own side of the border.

taitu.jpg

The empress Taitu

It was mostly thanks to his father, Ras Mikael, that Iyasu was not overthrown and the Menelikid dynasty continued. Menelik II was proclaimed dead in December 12 1913, and Iyasu acceded the throne as Iyasu V, starting one of the most troublesome eras in Ethiopian history. He again had his father to thank for his success. While the new emperor himself continued to roam free, Ras Mikael fought of two coup attempts only in 1913. It was no secret that the powerful ruler of Wollo would fight for his son’s throne.

[FONT=&quot][1][/FONT] King of kings, emperor

[FONT=&quot][2][/FONT] No sons with empress Taitu, several bastards though

[FONT=&quot][3][/FONT] Father of Ras Tafari

[FONT=&quot][4][/FONT] Powerful courtier in the Imperial Court, had started his carreer as a slave in Menelik’s household, but then climbed the ranks.
 
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yourworstnightmare

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Quotes from this TL:

"It's in my opinion that the Ethiopian disaster in the 20's clearly show that the Africans are unable to rule themselves"
British Colonial Ministry Official in 1955

"The Jews and their Liberal- Fascist- Communist pact destroyed all hope for true Conservatism when they destroyed Adolf Hitler in Germany."
Serious speech by a US senator, ca. 1970.

"The League of Nations may have faced some serious challenges in the past, but is still the only hope for any international cooperation, and the advancement of human rights."
A Labour Foregin Minister's defence of the LoN in 1949

"Doods, the Europeans so screwed Africa over in the 20s"
AH.com noob in 2010


 

yourworstnightmare

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2. The Reign of Iyasu V

lijiyasu.jpg

Iyasu V, emperor 1913-16



Iyasu escaped the angry looks of his colonial neighbours when the Great War broke out in 1914.[FONT=&quot][1][/FONT] Britain, France and Italy thus had their attention elsewhere and the security of the borders further deteriorated. Many Amharic aristocrats believed the war in Europe would cause the collapse of the Colonies and open the door for further Ethiopian conquest in the land of the Shankallas[FONT=&quot][2][/FONT]. Iyasu himself did not pay much attention to ruling, but travelled around to different parts of his country, visiting aristocrats and villages. Ras Mikael of Wollo came to be the real force behind the throne, and the court was filled with Oromos and other non- Amharic aristocrats, several of them Muslims. The old government ministers of Menelik II remained, but Iyasu referred to them as “old Shoan pigs”. Thus the old Shoan elite felt betrayed, and they all wished the young emperor to meet his demise soon.

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Ras Mikael of Wollo



Ras Mikael of Wollo became the real force in the court, even though he rather ruled from Wollo, instead of Addis Abeba. He was a hero of the battle of Adwa, where he had lead the feared Oromo cavalry against the Italians. He was born a Muslim, but had converted to Christianity and married the princess Shoagarad. After his son Iyasu had become emperor, he was anointed Negus[FONT=&quot][3][/FONT], and thus held the most prestigious title, save the emperorship. The army of Wollo was one of the largest and most fearsome in Ethiopia, and everyone plotting against the emperor knew they’d have to face that army if they ever revolted.

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Ras Makonnen, father of Ras Tafari


However Iyasu came soon to consider the son of Ras Makonnen; Ras Tafari Makonnen a dangerous rival. Ras Tafari was governor of Harar[4], and had in 1911 married Iyasu’s niece Menen Asfaw[5]. Ras Tafari was considered as a talented young man, who could speak foreign languages, and had been able to transform the poor, mismanaged province of Harar into a prosperous part of the empire. In 1915 Iyasu feared the Shoan nobility plotted a coup against him, and feared they’d replace him with Ras Tafari. Iyasu thus ordered Tafari to be assassinated[6], and in October 1915 when Tafari was out hunting, his party was surrounded by Oromo soldiers and wiped out. However the assassination of young Ras Tafari became another rallying call for the opposition against Iyasu’s rule

[FONT=&quot][1][/FONT] Apparently because a man named Archie Duke shot an ostrich

[FONT=&quot][2][/FONT]
Ethiopian equivalent of the word Negro, which was used to describe uncivilized darker people.

[FONT=&quot][3][/FONT]
king

[FONT=&quot][4][/FONT]
Ras Tafari had become governor of Harar after his brother Yelma, the former governor died in 1907.

[FONT=&quot][5][/FONT]
Daughter of Afsaw, the Jantirar (hereditary lord) of Ambassel and the princess Sehin Mikael.

[FONT=&quot][6][/FONT]
The PoD
 
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