History Unit 5
History Unit 5
History Unit 5
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Introduction
This unit discusses socio-economic and political developments from the
early sixteenth to the late eighteenth centuries.
These contributed to the making of modern Ethiopia through the
intermingling of peoples, economic interdependence and political
activities.
Major developments of the period include
expansion of trade,
conflicts between the Christian Kingdom and Muslim Sultanates
foreign interventions;
the population movements of the Afar, the Somali, the Argoba and the Oromo;
religious expansions, interaction of peoples and the resultant integration across
ethnic and religious diversities.
Finally, this unit discusses the Gondarine Period (1636-1769), Zemene
Mesafint (1769-1855) including the Yejju rule (1786-1853).
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5.1. Conf lict between the Christian Kingdom and the Sultanate of
Adal and After
The interest to control trade routes lay at the heart of the conf li ct between the two powers that
continued for over two centuries, concluding in the wars between them lasted from 1529 to 1543.
Prelude to this conf lict, the Muslim Sultanates faced internal strife and anarchy which needed a new
leadership Imam Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi took the power and try to sole the problem in the
sultanate.
The origins of Imam Ahmed, alias “the left-handed,” are obscure.
He was born at Hubet in between Dire Dawa and Jigjiga and raised by his devout Muslim kin in one
of the oases on the route to Zeila.
He was a devout Muslim and soldiered for Garad Abun of Adal,
The Imam withdrew to the countryside, upon the death of his source of inspiration, Garad Abun, and
started calling for devotion to the teachings of Islam.
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Conf lict between the Christian Kingdom and the Sultanate of Adal
After Imam Ahmad’s rise to power, the battles were not just fought for control of the trade route but
mainly because of environmental pressure among the Afar and Somali pastoralists.
Increased population and overgrazing in Somali and Afar, from the 13th to 16th C. raiding at water
holes or animal rustling intensified.
Imam Ahmed able to convince them not to f ight amongst themselves but to unite and expand to
the Christian Kingdom and resolve their pressing material needs.
He was able to gain acceptance as Imam & consolidated his army to fight C.K.
Conf lict between the Christian Kingdom and the Sultanate of Adal
By the time Imam Ahmed set a strong army in 1520, he refused to pay tribute and launch a campaign
against the C.K in 1527.
The Imam’s army controlled the territories including Bali, Dawaro, Fatagar, Sidama, Hadiya and
Kambata and putting the Christian Kingdom at risk.
In 1528, realizing the rising threat, Lebne-Dengel mobilized a vast force and encamped about 50 KM
east of what is now Addis Ababa.
The army had an excellent leadership, better mobility and flexible tactics with a unified command.
As a result, the Christian army was defeated in one of the most decisive engagement at the battle of
Shimbra Kure in 1529, near Mojo.
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Bati Del Wanbara, the wife of the Imam was the most illuminating figures during the war.
She was the daughter of a leader of Adal known as Imam Mahfuz.
She encouraged her husband to avenge the death of her father and accompanied him in his
expeditions even in a state of pregnancy and delivered two sons during the campaigns of 1531 and
1533 in Ifat and Tigray respectively.
The military set back forced the reigning king, Lebne-Dengel, to retreat f inally dying in 1540 as a
fugitive.
His son and successor, Gelawdewos (r. 1540-1559), continued to face the wars this time with more
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Based on earlier request made by Lebne-Dengel in 1535, about 400 Portuguese soldiers led by
Christopher da Gama, arrived in 1541.
In August 1542 the Christian army was defeated in Ofla, in southern Tigray.
200 Portuguese were killed and their leader was beheade d in the Battle.
Lebne-Dengel's wife Seblewongel. have participated in the war in 1542
After the war, Imam Ahmed was conf ident on his army’s ability; that he sent his allies back home and
let his army camp.
Imam’s army challenged because they didn’t know where the attacks came from.
On February 25, 1543 while Imam Ahmed was encamped near Lake Tana, he was attacked and killed
after a fierce fighting at the battle of Woyna-Dega.
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Adal under the leadership of Nur Ibn al-Waazir Mujahid was ready to wage war against the Christian state for
revenge.
In 1559, the forces of Emir Nur confronted Gelawdewos and killed the king himself.
Emperor Minas (r.1559-1563) who succeeded Gelawdewos defeated the Turks' force and reclaimed territories
in the coast including Dabarwa.
Similarly, Sartsa-Dengle (r.1563-1598) had to defend his terittory from the Turks while f ighting with the Agaw,
Gumuz, Bete-Israel, Sidama, Enarya and the Oromo.
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both were weakened thereby paving the way for the Oromo population movement.
Linguistic and religious interactions accompanied by intermarriages among peoples of the various
cultural groups were one of these manifestations in the long history of Ethiopia and the Horn.
Competition for supremacy over the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean between Portugal and the Ottoman
gave the conflict a global dimension.
The Christian Kingdom made an alliance with Roman Catholicism as a tactic to secure weaponry and
training to restore its lost territories.
In 1557, Jesuit missionaries; Joao Bermudez, Pedro Paez and Alfonso Mendez with their bishop,
Andreas de Oviedo, came t o Ethiopia.
The Jesuits promoted Catholic doctrine of two different natures of Christ-divine and human, which
was contrary to Monophysite theology of EOC.
EOC taught that Christ, through union or Tewahedo had a perfect human nature inseparable from
the divine.
Minas and Sertse-Dengel, who succeeded Gelawdewos one after the other, were too busy f ighting
against the Oromo and the Turkish forces.
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The Jesuits got relative success with Emperor Za-Dengel (r. 1603-4), who was said to have been
concerned to Catholicism.
Yet Za-Dengel’s reign was too short for the Jesuits to effect the desired result.
He was overthrown by Yaqob (r.1604-7), who met a similar fate in the hands of Susenyos (r. 1607
-32).
Susenyos challenged by provincial leaders who refused to pay tribute, integrated the Oromo with his
forces to consolidate his Power.
He sought for an alliance, with the help of his diplomatic advisory of Pedro Paez.
In the meantime, in 1617-8 several anti-Catholic voices mounted following the changes in liturgy
and religious practices.
5.2. Foreign Intervention and Religious Controversies
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Alfonzo Mendez ordered re-consecration of Orthodox priests and deacons and rebaptism of the mass.
he called for the suspension of OT customs; male circumcision and the observance of the Sabbath
which include prohibition of preaching in Ge’ez, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, reverence for
Ethiopian saints and the Ark of Covenant.
he ordered eating pork, Latin Mass and Gregorian calendar to be adopted.
The reforms led to revolts led by the clergymen and the nobility even his son Fasiledas (r. 1632-67)
were opposed to the changes.
controversies, rebellions, repressions mounted
In a battle in June 1632, large number of peasants lost their lives in one day.
Finally, the emperor abdicated the throne in favor of Fasiledas.
Fasiledas restored the position of EOC as the state religion, expelled the Jesuits and punished
local converts
He introduced a “closed-door” policy, which isolated the country from all Europeans for about a
century and a half.
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Religious Controversies
Tewahedo teaches Hulet Lidet (two births) of Christ:
2. born again from St. Mary into the world as a perfect man and perfect divinity united in one
Qibat (Unction) was also developed from Hulet Lidet doctrine and accepted the eternal birth as the
f ir st birth of Christ, but claimed that at the moment of his incarnation, when he was born into the
world, Holy Ghost anointed him.
This sect was dominant in Gojjam.
Sost Lidet/Three Births (Ya Tsega Lij/Son through Grace) taught that Christ was f irst born in eternity
as divine being, was born again in the womb of St. Mary and anointed by Holy Ghost.
This sect was dominant in Gonder and Shawa.
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5.5. Peoples and States in Eastern, Central, Southern and Western Regions
5.5.1. Peoples and States in the East
Somali: they practiced pastoral economy for centuries possibly.
Ibn Said (1214-86), an Arab geographer, noted that Merca town, in the southern Somali
coast was a capital of Somalis together during the 13th C.
The songs celebrating King Yeshaq's military success depicts that they lived close to CK. .
Historically, a council known as shir governed the society.
The council governed wide affairs including resource allocation, marriage, trade and crime.
The guurti (a council of elders), the top council mandated with resolving conflict and crisis.
Afar: lived in N.E. Ethiopia, in N. Djibouti and also inhabited southern Eritrea.
They had an indigenous governance system known as Makabanto,
first mentioned by Ibn Said in 13th C., they occupied the territory near Bab el-Mandeb.
The land of Afar was home for many historical cities such as Maduna and Abasa.
Following the collapse of Adal in the 16th C., established their sultanates;Awsa, Girrifo,
Tadjourah, Rahaito and Gobad.
Awsa ruled by Mudaito Dynasty and the symbol of the Sultan was silver baton.
Awsa’s economy mainly depended on Bati-Ginda’e trade route.
Later it became center of Islamic learning led by preachers like Tola Hanfire.
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Amba Wahni to solve power rivalry were the major reform of the period.
Yohannes I established a separate quarter for Muslims at Addis Alem.
Iyasu I, reformed land tenure system, introduced a system of land measurement in
Begemder, taxes, and customs, and revised the Fetha Negest (the civil code).
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