Imru Haile Selassie

Leul Ras Haile Selassiu Imru (born November 23, 1892 in Gursum , † August 15, 1980 in Addis Ababa ) was an Ethiopian nobleman and diplomat .

biography

Ras Imru, also transcribed as Imeru, was the son of Woizero Ehete Maryam, the niece of Ras Makonnen . Imru and Tafari Makonnen (later Haile Selassie ) were childhood friends and were raised together and educated in Old Ethiopian and Amharic at the age of seven .

Imru came from the Ethiopian ruling house and received the military title of Commander of the Left Wing of the Imperial Troops ( Gerazmach ) in 1909 and then Kniazmach in 1911 . In 1917 he became commander of the troops at the door of the imperial tent ( Dejazmach ) and in 1932 received the title Ras, the highest title of military leader that only the emperor could bestow.

When the defeat of Ethiopia in the Italo-Ethiopian War became apparent, Emperor Haile Selassie fled to Europe on May 2, 1936. Imru, who had been appointed ruler of the country by him, withdrew to the south of the country after the fall of the capital Addis Ababa (May 5). On December 19, 1936, however, he had to surrender and was taken prisoner in Italy. By 1943 he was on the island of Ponza in Italy arrested .

After his return to Ethiopia he was brought back to the imperial court as Ras and was then ambassador to the USA between 1949 and 1953 . In 1954 he was awarded the title Leul Ras and thus acquired the right to be addressed as Highness . He was then ambassador to India from 1954 to 1959 .

His son Mikael Imru was also a diplomat, minister and prime minister from August to September 1974.

Web links

• rulers.org