1929–1930 rebellion between Gugsa Wale and Haile Selassie
Gugsa Wale's rebellion was a rebellion raised by "Ras" Gugsa Wale and by supporters of Empress Zewditu to rid her of the Crown Prince and heir apparent, "Negus" Tafari Makonnen. With Tafari gone, Zewditu would be the sole claimant to succession as the ruler of the Ethiopian Empire ("Mangista Ityop'p'ya"). As the husband of Empress Zewditu, Gugsa Wale expected to become Emperor.
Details.
In 1916, when Zewditu was crowned Empress, she was forced to separate from her fourth husband, "Ras" Gugsa Wale. Empress Zewditu was named Regent during the minority of "Ras" Tafari Makonnen, the heir apparent and Regent Plenipotentiary. As Regent, Zewditu exercised the real power in Ethiopia. Zewditu would govern while Tafari would administer.
Early in 1928, the authority of "Ras" Tafari Makonnen was challenged when "Dejazmach" Balcha Safo went to Addis Ababa with a sizeable armed force.
When Tafari consolidated his hold over the provinces, many of Menilek's appointees refused to abide by the new regulations he imposed. Balcha Safo, "Shum" of coffee-rich Sidamo Province was particularly troublesome in his refusal to comply. The revenues he remitted to the central government did not reflect the accrued profits and, as a result, Tafari recalled him to Addis Ababa. The old man came in high dudgeon and, insultingly, with a large army. When he arrived in Addis Ababa, the "Dejazmach" paid homage to Empress Zewditu, but snubbed "Ras" Tafari. On 18 February, while Balcha Safo and his personal bodyguard were in Addis Ababa, "Ras" Tafari had "Ras" Kassa Haile Darge buy off his army and arrange to have him displaced as the "Shum" of Sidamo Province. Powerless, Balcha Safo surrendered and was imprisoned.
In September 1928, a group of palace reactionaries including some of the courtiers of the Empress, made a final bid to get rid of Tafari. The attempted "coup d'état" was tragic in its origins and comic in its end. When confronted by Tafari and a company of his troops, the ringleaders of the coup took refuge on the palace grounds in Menilek's mausoleum. Tafari and his men surrounded them only to be surrounded themselves by the personal guard of Zewditu. More of Tafari's khaki clad soldiers arrived and, with superiority of arms, decided the outcome in his favor.
Background of unhappiness with "Ras" Tafari.
On 27 October 1928, thirty-two-year-old "Ras" Tafari Makonnen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie I, was crowned "Negus". He was crowned by Empress Zewditu. The crowning of Tafari as "Negus" caused him to begin exercising power at the expense of Zewditu. His crowning also caused two factions to develop within the royal court: One faction was pro-Tafari and one faction was pro-Zewditu. The husband of Zewditu, fifty-three-year-old "Ras" Gugsa Wale, imagined a future where Zewditu remained Empress and he himself would be proclaimed Emperor. He was clearly the leader of the pro-Zewditu faction.
Within a month of Tefari being crowned "Negus", the Raya Oromo revolted in Wollo Province. As "Negus" and with the tacit approval of the Empress, Tafari called for the governors of several neighboring provinces to suppress the Oromo revolt. "Ras" Seyum Mangasha from Axum in western Tigre, "Ras" Gugsa Araya Selassie from Mekelle in eastern Tigre, "Dejaz" Ayalew Birru from Semien, and "Ras" Gugsa Wale from Begemder were called upon. Gugsa Wale and others were unhappy with the rise of "Negus" Tafari. As a result, the response to Tafari's call was less than enthusiastic, efforts to suppress the Oromo were dissipated in palace intrigue, and the revolt continued. Gugsa Wale balked when he was called to Dessie by Tafari because he did not want to be made the scapegoat for the revolt. Ultimately a trusted cousin of Tafari, "Ras" Imru Haile Selassie, was made "Shum" of Wollo in an effort to end the revolt.
In addition to not being happy with the rise of Tafari, Gugsa Wale tried to rally "traditional Ethiopia" to his side in support of his wife, the Empress. In the opinion of this faction, Tafari was too young, too modern, and it was rumored that he had even secretly converted to Roman Catholicism. Gugsa Wale wrote letters to the leaders of Tigre and Gojjam seeking support for his revolt. He wrote to "Ras" Seyum Mangasha and "Ras" Gugsa Araya Selassie of Tigre and to "Ras" Hailu Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam. All three initially appeared supportive. But, after reconsideration, none responded to the letters from Gugsa Wale and all three failed to join him. On the other hand, the Oromo did agree to join forces.
Tafari Makonnen called a "chitet", the traditional mustering of the provincial levies. Ostensibly he was raising an army to finally crush the ongoing revolt in Wollo. At the time, Gugsa Wale was not in open revolt and Empress Zewditu was still pleading with him not to go into open revolt. In the end, as part of the government, the Empress was in the strange position of being formally on the same side as King Tafari and being against her husband who was rebelling on her behalf.
Open revolt.
The response to the "chitet", like the initial call to suppress the revolt in Wollo, was less than enthusiastic. The newly appointed Minister of War, "Ras" Mulugeta Yeggazu, was only able to raise an Army of the Center ("Mahel Sefari") with 16,000 men pledged to it. Worse, by January 1930, Mulugeta Yeggazu found himself with only 2,000 men as he gathered in Dessie. Even worse, Gugsa Wale was now in open revolt and he had already gathered an army in Debre Tabor of 35,000 utterly devoted men.
In mid-March, "Ras" Mulugeta marched the "Mahel Sefari" to Debre Tabor to face the rebellious Gugsa Wale. With him were five cannon, seven machine guns, and something entirely new for Ethiopian warfare: Aircraft.
Battle of Anchem.
On 31 March, Gugsa Wale and his army met the "Mahel Sefari" at Debre Zebit on the plains of Anchem. The use of aerial warfare, psychological warfare, and superior armaments by the "Mahel Sefari" meant that the Battle of Anchem was almost over before it was fought. Shortly after mid-day, Gugsa Wale was surrounded and isolated. Mounted on a white charger, Gugsa Wale was shot several times and killed. "Fitawrari" Shumye, the second-in-command of the Army of Begemder, fought on until he was captured later in the afternoon. What little was left of the army then completely disintegrated. With his death and with the destruction of his army, Gugsa Wale's rebellion was over.
Aftermath.
Within three days of the death of "Ras" Gugsa Wale, Empress Zewditu was dead of natural causes. On 2 November 1930, about eight months after the passing of Zewditu, "Negus" Tafari Makonnen was proclaimed Emperor ("Nəgusä Nägäst") Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.
"Nəgusä Nägäst" Haile Selassie was of the opinion that the Italians were behind "Ras" Gugsa's rebellion. In his autobiography, he claimed Italy was engaged in propaganda activities with the object of dividing the Ethiopian Empire. According to Haile Selassie, "Ras" Gugsa Wale of Begemder and "Ras" Hailu Tekle Haymanot of Goggam connived to carry out the work of deceit and propaganda with the Italians.
Footnotes and citations.
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