paul b. henze repeats the tradition that the jealousy of his older brother tewodros i forced the courtiers to take zara yaqob to tigray where he was brought up in secret, and educated in axum and at the monastery of debre abbay. while admitting that this tradition "is invaluable as providing a religious background for zar'a-ya'iqob's career", taddesse tamrat dismisses this story as "very improbable in its details." the professor notes that zara yaqob wrote in his "mashafa berhan" that "he was brought down from the royal prison of mount gishan only on the eve of his accession to the throne."