Amha Selassie I.
Amha Selassie I., actually Asfa Wossen ( Amharic ሀ ሥላሴ, አስፋ ወሰን ; * July 27, 1916 in Harar ; † February 17, 1997 in McLean , Virginia ), was the eldest son of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, Crown Prince of Ethiopia .
Life
Asfa Wossen was initially crown prince, but during a state visit by Haile Selassie to Brazil in 1960 , a coup attempt by high military and progressive forces against the absent emperor took place. The revolutionaries demanded reforms and proclaimed Crown Prince Asfa Wossen Emperor of Ethiopia. After the revolt was put down, the Crown Prince assured his father that this had happened against his will. However, he fell out of favor and from then on stayed mainly in the USA and Great Britain , observers spoke of an exile and his renewed involvement in further coup attempts in 1970 and 1972. However, the fact that Asfa Wossen had a stroke in London around the same time speaks against this had suffered. Instead, Prince Iskander Desta , a grandson of Haile Selassie and nephew Asfa Wossens, tried to put a coup in 1973 .
It was not until July 1974 that the emperor was actually ousted by a military revolt , but on April 14, 1974, Asfa Wossen's son Zere Yacobe Selassie (Zar'a Jaqob) was appointed as the new crown prince and heir to the throne in place of the already paralyzed Asfa Wossen . Because of the still great respect for the old " Lion of Judah ", Haile Selassie was not finally deposed until September 12, 1974. In the meantime, up to the formal transformation of Ethiopia into a republic on March 21, 1975, both Asfa Wossen ( the throne name "Amha Selassie I." he only took over a decade later during his coronation in exile in London) and Haile Selassie's grandson as the "very last" emperor. In fact, Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam prevailed within the new junta in 1977 against General Aman Andom , an officer who was considered devoted to the emperor and progressive during the revolution of 1960. In London, Asfa Wossen met reggae musician Bob Marley in the same year and is said to have given him his father's signet ring, which further inspired the saint-cult of the Rastafarians around Haile Selassie worldwide. Asfa Wossen, on the other hand, died forgotten in exile in 1997.
His son Zar'a Jaqob returned to Ethiopia soon after Mengistu was overthrown in 1991 and is considered the rightful pretender to the throne of a constitutional monarchy to be re-established .
literature
- Asfa Wossen , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 03/1990 from January 8, 1990, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Haile Selassie I. |
Emperor of Ethiopia 1974–1975 |
- |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Amha Selassie I. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wossen, Asfa |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ethiopian nobleman, Crown Prince of Ethiopia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 27, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Harar |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 17, 1997 |
| Place of death | McLean (Virginia) |