Anestasyos

Last updated

Anestasyos [note 1] (died 2 August 1688), was one of the most prominent figures of 17th-century Ethiopia. He held several positions during the reigns of Fasilides, Yohannes I and Iyasu I. The latter relied on Anestasyos military prowess and made him Ras Bitwoded. Over the course of his career he became the provincial governor of Amhara, Damot, Semien and Shewa. [1] [2] [4]

Contents

Biography

Anestasyos was the son of Ras Yolyos by princess Malakotawit, daughter of the Solomonic Amhara Emperor Susenyos. His father, Yolyos was recognized and remembered as an Orthodox Christian martyr, following Susenyos abdication and the restoration of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in 1632. Anestasyos therefore seemed to have been favored by his uncle, Emperor Fasilides, who was a devout Orthodox Christian. Anestasyos attained the title of Dejazmach during his reign. [1] [2]

During Yohannes I reign, Dejazmach Anestasyos was the governor of Semien Province with the honorific title of Aggafari. [note 2] [1] On 15 July [note 3] 1682, the ailing Emperor Yohannes I made Iyasu his successor. Anestasyos was among the dignitaries witnessing Yohannes I final proclamation, other notables were Kanafero and Za-Wald (both Azzaz [note 4] ), basha Lesana Krestos, Dejazmach Senfa Yaqob, blattengeta Akala Krestos, dejazmach Delba Iyasus and fitawrari Fesseha Krestos. [6]

After the death of Yohannes I, he supported the ascension of prince Iyasu I to the throne in 1682 who, in turn, elevated Anestasyos to the office of Ras Bitwoded, and the governorship over Damot province, where his military skills was badly needed. Anestasyos did his best to support the young Emperor both on the battle field and in suppressing dissent. In 1683, for his faithful service, the wise and aged Anestasyos was appointed Sahafe Lam [note 5] of Amhara and Shewa. [1] [4]

In 1684, Iyasu I despatched Anestasyos, to confront the Wechales, an Oromo group, who lived west of Wollo. His forces killed a considerable number of Wechale warriors, burnt their houses and fields, seized many women as slaves, and carried off numerous cattle. The victory was so complete that the Wechales appealed for Iyasu's clemency. They declared that they were his subjects, and would serve him in any way he wished. [3]

Anestasyos took part in the church council of 1685 and presided at the church council of 1688, where he firmly supported the Tewahedo dogma and helped much in condemning the leaders of the Qabat docterine. [1]

On 2 August 1688, Anestasyos died and was vouchsafed a most praising epitaph (‘‘the great and good’’) by the royal chronicler. His wife Merayas was murdered shortly after by her servant Gabr whilst she was praying in the church of the Trinity; Gabr was executed. [note 6] . [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Anestasyos [1] [2] is also spelled in various sources as Anestayos. [3] and Anastasius [4]
  2. ↑ Aggafari was a honorific title for the governor of Semien Province since the first half of the 17th century. In 1629, Emperor Susenyos made his son Fasilides governor of Semien with the title of Aggafari. The title ‘‘Aggafari of Semien’’ became a normal title for the Crown Prince. Thereafter, the title became of considerable importance, which came to occupy the fifth place in Ethiopian table of ranks. [5]
  3. ↑ Source say 15th of Hamle [6] which is 15th of July, see Ethiopian calendar for more information.
  4. ↑ Azzaz is a common term for civil administrator. During the 17th century Gondarine era, the term was a common one for officials whose duties were to supervise the execution of daily affairs in the various departments of the royal court. All such chiefs were called Azzaz, with some addition to this title to indicate their special function. [7]
  5. ↑ Sahafe Lam is an old title, associated with the governorship of a few important provinces such as Bete Amhara, Damot and Shewa. [8]
  6. ↑ Merayas [4] is also spelled in various sources as Emmerays [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yohannes I</span> Emperor of Ethiopia from 1667 to 1682

Yohannes I, also known as Yohannes the Righteous, throne name A'ilaf Sagad was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1667 to 1682, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the fourth son of Fasilides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iyasu I</span> Emperor of Ethiopia from 1682 to 1706

Iyasu I, throne name Adyam Sagad, also known as Iyasu the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 19 July 1682 until his death in 1706, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty.

Tekle Haymanot I, throne name Le`al Sagad was Emperor of Ethiopia from 27 March 1706 until his death in 1708, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Iyasu I and Empress Malakotawit. He is often referred to as "Irgum Tekle Haymanot" or "Tekle Haymanot the Cursed".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorgora</span> Place in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Gorgora is a town and peninsula in northwestern Ethiopia. It is located south of Gondar on the north shore of Lake Tana, in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region. Gorgora has a latitude and longitude of 12°14′N37°18′E.

Nagasi Krestos was the ruling prince of Shewa, an important Amhara noble of Ethiopia. Nagasi succeeded to unite fragmented Amhara districts in Shewa, and launched several wars of reconquest of Shewan territories against his Oromo enemies.

The Battle of Debre Abbay, also known as the Battle of Mai Islami, was a conflict between Ras Marye of Yejju, regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia, and his rival from Tigray, Dejazmach Sabagadis of Agame. Although Ras Marye lost his life in the battle, Dejazmach Sabagadis was defeated and executed by Ras Marye's followers after surrendering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darge Sahle Selassie</span> Ethiopian governor and noble (1825/1830–1900)

Darge Sahle Selassie, also known by his horse name Abba Gersa, was a 19th-century Ethiopian nobleman, provincial governor, general, and a trusted councillor to his nephew, Emperor Menelik II.

Dera is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Dera is bordered on the south and west by the Bahir Dar, Zenzelma subcity located in Semien Gojjam zone, on the west by Lake Tana, on the north by Fogera, on the northeast by Misraq Este, and on the east by Mirab Este. The main settlement in Dera is Wereta, other towns in Dera include Amba Same, Arb Gebeya and Hamusit.

The title Aleqa is a honorific title used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It is used as the title of a chief priest of a major church, the head of a monastery, as well as being an honorific for a highly educated member of the church, especially in the case of dabtaras.

A horse name is a secondary noble title or a popular name for members of Ethiopian royalty; in some cases the "horse names" are the only name known for a ruler. They take the form of "father of X", where "X" is the name of the person's warhorse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semien Province</span> Historical province in northwest Ethiopia

Semien Province was a historical province of northwest Ethiopia. According to Manoel De Almeida Semien was bordered on the north-east and north by Tigray and Tselemt, on the east and south by Abergele, and on the west by Wegera. Alexander Murray include Wag as part of Semien.

Dabat is a town in northern Ethiopia, located about 50 kilometers north of Gondar in the Semien Mountains along the Gondar-Debarq highway Dabat it is in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, and is one of two towns in Dabat woreda.

Gebre Tasfa better known as Gebre of Semien was the governor of Semien, Tsegede, Welkait and Wogera during the late 18th and early 19th century in Ethiopia. He held the title of Ras, and had an unusually long reign spanning 44 years during the tumultuous Zemene Mesafint when lords of each province and district continuously fought each other for supremacy. Ras Gebre was the primary backer of his son-in-law Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I claims to the throne.

Bashah Aboye horse name: Abba Däffar, was a distinguished Ethiopian military commander under Emperor Menelik II, and governor of several former principalities and regions in the south. Bashah died fighting the Italians during the Battle of Adwa.

Betul Haile Maryam was a member of the Semien nobility through his paternal line in the Ethiopian Empire.

Fesseha Krestos was an Ethiopian commander of the royal guard regiment under Iyasu I, he was one of the closest confidants of the Emperor.

Demetros was a military commander under several Emperors, from Yohannes I to Tewoflos. He was regarded as a founder of a local dynasty in his native Merhabete, from where he initiated wars of reconquest of Shewan territories against the Oromos. Under Iyasu I he was elevated to the governorship of Shewa.

Hawarya Krestos was a member of the Gondarine court and royal chronicler.

Akala Krestos was a high court administrator during the reigns of Yohannes I and Iyasu I.

Walda Giyorgis was an ecclesiastic during the reign of Menelik II.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye; Crummey, Donald; Goldenberg, Gideon, eds. (2003). "Anestasyos". Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. p. 261. ISBN   9783447047463. OCLC   722894586.
  2. 1 2 3 Cohen, Leonardo (2009). The Missionary Strategies of the Jesuits in Ethiopia (1555-1632). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 56. ISBN   9783447058926.
  3. 1 2 Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. The Red Sea Press. p. 310. ISBN   9780932415196.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Budge, Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis (1966). A history of Ethiopia, Nubia & Abyssinia. According to the hieroglyphic inscriptions of Egypt and Nubia, and the Ethiopian chronicles . London, Oosterhout: Methuen (1928), N.B. Anthropological Publications (1966). pp. 409–411. OCLC   874381390.
  5. ↑ Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye; Crummey, Donald; Goldenberg, Gideon, eds. (2003). "Aggafari". Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. p. 146. ISBN   9783447047463. OCLC   722894586.
  6. 1 2 Alāf Sagad, Zenahu la negus negast (1955). Annales Iohannis I, Iyāsu I, Bakāffā. Louvain L. Durbecq. p. 60. OCLC   1244212657. Le 15 de hamlë, le roi se reposa des afflictions de ce monde passager, a la pointe du jour, un dimanche — evangéliste Marc — lian du monde 7:75. Ce meme jour les fonctionnaires qui etaient presents la-bas, a savoir le blattsengeta Akala Krestos, le da-Baz mas Anestasyos, 1 azai Za-Wald, l'azäz Kanäfero, le graz- mag Tequre; le fitawräri Fesseha Krestos (B Giyorgis), le dagazmaäë Dilba Iyasus, le basa Lesäna Krestos, avec les aza et les liq de droite et de gauche, proclamèrent roi son fils Iyäsu, comme porte l'usage des dispositions de la loi du règne.[On the 15th of Hamle, the king rested from the afflictions of this passing world, at daybreak, on a Sunday — Evangelist Mark — lian du monde 7:75. That same day the officials who were present there, namely the blattsengeta Akala Krestos, the da-Baz mas Anestasyos, 1 azai Za-Wald, the azäz Kanäfero, the graz-mag Tequre; the fitawräri Fesseha Krestos (B: Giyorgis), the dagazmaäë Dilba Iyasus, the basa Lesäna Krestos, with the aza and the liq of right and left, proclaimed his son Iyäsu king, as carries the use of the provisions of the law of the reign.]
  7. ↑ Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye; Crummey, Donald; Goldenberg, Gideon, eds. (2003). "Azzaz". Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. p. 422. ISBN   9783447047463. OCLC   722894586.
  8. ↑ Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye (2010). "Sahafe Lam". Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: O-X. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 459–460. ISBN   978-3-447-06246-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.