Negash
Negash (so in Tigrinya , Amharic Negus , Ethiop . ንጉሥ , ruler or ruler ) is a dignitary in imperial Ethiopia .
Negash (general)
see also: Negus
Negash had been one of the highest dignitaries conferred by the Emperor of Ethiopia since the 15th century . A Negash possessed an authority similar to the emperor. The title was given to the administrators of the most important areas. The administrators of Northern Ethiopia (Baher Negash) and the administrators of the provinces Damot (Damot Negash) and Gojam (Gojam Negash) carried the title. After decades of fighting the Baher Negash against the Emperors Minas (1559–1563) and Sarsa Dengel (1563–1597), Emperor Sarsa Dengel abolished the title of Baher Negash in 1590 after his victory. As a result, the title of Negash lost its importance, especially since the 18th century, and was only awarded as an honorary title to the administrators of smaller areas in the 19th century.
Baher Negash
The Baher Negash ( ባሕር ንጉሥ , also Bahre Negash or Bahr Negash - ruler of the sea or ruler of the sea ) was originally one of the highest dignitaries in early imperial Ethiopia after the emperor and emerged in the 15th century from the dignitary title of the Melake Baher .
The title was held by the ruler of northern Ethiopia, for example in the area of today's Eritrea and in parts of Tigre . The Baher Negash controlled Ethiopia's access to the Red Sea as well as the northern Ethiopian trade routes in his domain .
Emperor Zara Yaqob (1434–1468) expanded the rulership of the Baher Negash considerably to include additional areas in northern Ethiopia. His successor, Emperor Ba'eda Mariam (1468–1478), also bestowed the title on the imperial administrators of Angot (Central Ethiopia) and Qedda. In times of weak central imperial power, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Baher Negash ruled practically like an independent ruler. Sometimes the Baher Negash tried to take advantage of the emperors' weaknesses in order to make himself independent with his domain.
From 1560, the Baher Negash Yishaq took the lead in significant anti-imperial conspiracies against the emperors Minas and Sarsa Dengel. In his fight against the emperors, Baher Negash Yishaq also allied himself with the Ottomans. In 1578 the separatist northern Ethiopians and the Ottomans allied with them suffered a crushing defeat. The Baher Negash Yishaq fell in the decisive battle. Although the emperor was able to strengthen his position of power in the north, he did not yet succeed in establishing the unity of his empire.
For several years after Yishaq's death, the dignity of the Baher Negash remained vacant . Taking advantage of the power vacuum, the Ottomans finally bestowed the title on their vassal Welde Isum. It was not until 1589, after the defeat and death of Baher Negash Welde Isum, that Emperor Sarsa Dengel was able to consolidate his power in Northern Ethiopia.
Around 1590 after his victory, the emperor abolished the title of Baher Negash for the ruler of the northern Ethiopian territories and instead appointed an imperial administrator with the dignity of Welde Negus .
literature
- Andrzej Bartnicki, Joanna Mantel-Niecko: History of Ethiopia. From the beginning to the present . Edited by Renate Richter. 2 parts. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1978.