Tekle Haymanot I.

Tekle Haymanot I. ( Ethiop . ተክለ ሃይማኖት, throne name Le`al Sagad ለዓለ ሰገድ, "before whom the Blessed One bows"), (* 1684 ; † 1708 ), was from March 27, 1706 to June 30, 1708 Negus Negest ( Emperor ) of Ethiopia . He was the son of Iyasu I and Empress Malakotawit of the ruling Solomon dynasty . He is often referred to as "Irgum Tekle Haymanot" or "Tekle Haymanot the Cursed".

After Emperor Iyasu withdrew to an island in Lake Tana , some officials argued, following King Ella Asbeha's precedent , that Iyasu had resigned. They were supported in this opinion by Empress Malakotawit. Tekle Haymanot was then crowned emperor in Gonder . This process was not welcomed across the country. In the ensuing strife among the population, Iyasu was murdered on the orders of Tekle Haymanot.

In September 1707 a rebel in Gojam declared himself Emperor Amda Seyon . He managed to penetrate into the capital and be crowned there. Tekle Haymanot returned quickly to Gonder despite the stressful travel that the rainy season brought with it. He forced the usurper to flee and celebrated his triumph.

Nevertheless, he never succeeded in reducing his unpopularity, which he had acquired through the commission to murder his widely revered father. The involvement of his mother, Malakotawit, and his recognition by other members of the dynasty did irreparable damage to the monarchy. His own courtiers conspired against him, and it was debated whether it was worth keeping such a corrupt dynasty in power.

While on a trip through the provinces, Tekle Haymanot was stabbed to death by some of his father's courtiers. ¹

Some historians date the beginning of the Ethiopian Zemene Mesafint or "Era of the Princes" (a time of disorder in which power was decentralized in the hands of warlords) to the time of the murder of Iyasu the Great by his son Tekle Haymanot and the beginning of the decline of the Respect of the dynasty.

literature

1. Richard PK Pankhurst: History of Ethiopian Towns . Franz Steiner Verlag (Wiesbaden 1982), pages 142f.

predecessor	Office	successor
Iyasu I.	Emperor of Ethiopia 1706 - 1708	Na'od II.