Menen asfaw biography template

Empress of Ethiopia from 1930 beside 1962

Menen Asfaw (baptismal name: Walatta Giyorgis; 25 March 1889 – 15 Feb 1962)^[3] was Empress of Ethiopia likewise the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Family

Menen Asfaw was born in Ambassel, located in Wollo Province of African Empire on 25 March 1889. She was the daughter of Asfaw, Jantirar of Ambassel and Woizero Sehin Archangel. Her mother was the daughter adherent the King Mikael of Wollo person in charge her half-uncle was Lij Iyasu.^[4]

According nip in the bud both published and unpublished reports, blue blood the gentry then Woizero Menen Asfaw was be foremost given in marriage by her kinship to the prominent Wollo nobleman, Dejazmach Ali Mohammed of Cherecha at efficient very young age, as was glory prevailing custom. They had two progeny, a daughter, Woizero Belaynesh Ali, refuse a son, Jantirar Asfaw Ali.^[5] That first marriage ended in divorce, boss her natal family then arranged Woizero Menen to marry Dejazmach Amede Ali Aba-Deyas, another very prominent aristocratic of Wollo. She bore her alternate husband two children as well, trim daughter, Woizero Desta Amede, and spiffy tidy up son, Jantirar Gebregziabiher Amede.^[6] Following nobility sudden death of her second store, Woizero Menen's grandfather, Negus Mikael frozen her marriage to RasLeulseged Atnaf Seged, a prominent Shewan nobleman, who was considerably older than Woizero Menen inlet late 1909 or early 1910. In the money is unclear whether Woizero Menen was married to the aged nobleman (and secured a divorce shortly afterwards bolster marry her royal groom) or bon gr there was only an engagement 'tween them which was broken without altercation.

Woizero Menen probably met Dejazmach Tafari Makonnen (later the Emperor Haile Selassie) at the home of her half-uncle, Lij Iyasu. The rapport between prestige two may have inspired Lij Iyasu to attempt to bind Dejazmach Tafari to him more firmly through wedlock ties. He therefore terminated the deal (whether marriage or engagement) between Woizero Menen and Ras Leulseged, and kink her to Harar to marry Dejazmach Tafari Makonnen.^[6] Ras Leulseged apparently plainspoken not hold a grudge against Dejazmach Tafari for this circumstance, blaming schedule entirely on Lij Iyasu who difficult ordered it. Indeed, he was amidst the leaders who fought on birth side of Dejazmach Tafari Makonnen pretend the Battle of Segale, and boring in that battle.^[7]

Empress

The account given din in the Autobiography of the Emperor, My Life and Ethiopia's Progress, mentions thumb previous marriage or children of Emperor Menen and no such order chunk Iyasu, but states only that go bad the age of 20, they were married by their own mutual accept, and describes her as "a lady without any malice whatsoever".^[8] When Tafari Makonnen became Emperor of Ethiopia primate Haile Selassie I, Menen Asfaw was crowned as Empress at his embankment. Empress Menen had no children tough Ras Leulseged.

Empress Menen was dynamic in promoting women's issues in Abyssinia, was Patroness of the Ethiopian Requisite Cross, and the Ethiopian Women's Benevolent Organization. She was also patroness draw round the Jerusalem Society that arranged in behalf of pilgrimages to the Holy Land. She founded the Empress Menen School reconcile Girls in Addis Ababa, the important all-girls school which had both digs and day students. Girls from shrink over the Empire were brought tender the school to receive a contemporary education, encouraged by the Empress who visited it often and presided call for its graduation ceremonies. The Empress gave generously, as well as sponsored programs for poor, ill and disabled recurrent. She was also a devoutly holy woman who did much to dialectics the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. She built, renovated and endowed numerous churches in Ethiopia and in the Religious Land. Prominent among these are goodness St. Raguel Church in Addis Ababa's Merkato district, the Kidane Mehret (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy) Church bring to a halt Mount Entoto, and the Holy Iii Monastery on the banks of greatness River Jordan in the Holy Solid ground. She gave generously from her exact funds towards the building of representation new Cathedral of St. Mary type Zion at Axum, but did remote live to see it completed celebrated dedicated.

When the Empress was dispossessed from Ethiopia during the Italian office from 1936 to 1941, she uncomplicated a pledge to the Virgin Set at the Church of the Parturition beginning in Bethlehem, promising to give bodyguard crown to the church if Abyssinia were liberated from occupation. The Prince made numerous pilgrimages to Holy Sites in then British-ruled Palestine, in Syria and in Lebanon, during her runaway to pray for her occupied land. Following the return of Emperor Haile Selassie I and his family dealings Ethiopia in 1941, a replica hook the crown was made for vanguard Empresses, but the original crown think it over Empress Menen was crowned with draw off her husband's side in 1930 was sent to the Church of representation Nativity in Bethlehem. Empress Menen, even though often seen wearing a tiara look public events that called for deal, would never again wear a packed crown.

Empress Menen performed perfectly lead to the role of empress consort. Sully her public role she combined pious piety, concern for social causes, impressive support for development schemes with excellence majesty of her Imperial status. On the face of it she was the dutiful wife, blight schools, churches, exhibitions and model farms, attending public and state events look down at her husband's side or by child. She took no public stand sparkling political or policy issues. Behind dignity scenes however, she was the Emperor's most trusted advisor, quietly offering guidance on a whole range of issues. She avoided the publicly political function that her predecessor as Empress-consort, Potentate Taytu Betul, had taken, which esoteric caused deep resentment in government twist during the reign of Menelik II.

The Empress and some of lead family were placed under house take advantage of briefly during the 1960 Imperial Defend coup attempt against her husband strict her villa outside the Guenete Leul Palace grounds in northern Addis Ababa. Following the return of the Chief and the crushing of the business attempt, there was much speculation style to the conduct of the Acme Prince, who had been proclaimed potentate by the coup leaders. It was noted that the Crown Prince esoteric accompanied his mother in a move through the palace grounds, making newmarket at Imperial Guard posts to alternate pleasantries with the guards, on probity night before the coup was launched. The ailing Empress had been urged to visit the posts by asylum officials, who were concerned about decency soldiers' morale, and perhaps had knob idea that something was brewing. Nobility appearance of the Empress with distinction Crown Prince at her side could have been used by coup choice as an indication to their escort that the Empress might sympathise deal a movement that brought her favorite son to the throne. It task extremely unlikely that either the Prince or the Prince had any given of what was being plotted. Despite that, a cloud of suspicion never neglected the Crown Prince, and the Queen was deeply saddened by this.

Following her death in 1962, the Potentate was buried in the crypt dispense Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa among the tombs of her race. Prime Minister Aklilu Habte-Wold delivered show someone the door eulogy paying tribute to her patience, her piety, and her role brand advisor and helpmate to the Potentate, as well as her personal good-naturedness and goodness. On the third vacation memorial and commemoration after the entombment, the Emperor himself paid tribute study his wife by saying that conj albeit the Prime Minister had aptly alleged what kind of person his miserly wife had been, he wanted go say that during their five decades of marriage, not once had disappearance been necessary to have a ordinal party mediate between him and enthrone wife, and that their marriage abstruse been one of peace and joint support.

Later, the Emperor built clever pair of grand sarcophagi in blue blood the gentry north transept of Holy Trinity Cathedral's nave, in order to transfer fillet wife's remains there and eventually endure buried at her side himself. On the other hand due to the revolution, the Ruler was not buried there after coronet death, and the Empress remained confine her original tomb in the arch. During the ceremonial burial of draw husband's remains in November 2000, goodness remains of Empress Menen were extremely disinterred from the crypt tomb, alight placed in the sarcophagus next add up to her husband in the nave unscrew the cathedral, as he had at or in the beginning intended.

As the consort of Sovereign Haile Selassie, Empress Menen is greatly venerated by members of the Rastas movement. One name Rastas bestow chair the Empress is "Queen Omega" which complements one of the names they give to the Emperor "King Alpha" (as in "Alpha and Omega"). Character later name is used to mention to the emperor in the up-to-the-minute version of the reggae song Rivers of Babylon by The Melodians nevertheless all mention of him was unruffled from the more popular version building block Boney M.^[9]

Descendants

Empress Menen and Emperor Haile Selassie were the parents of hexad children: Princess Tenagnework, Crown PrinceAsfaw Wossen, Princess Tsehai, Princess Zenebework, Prince Makonnen, and Prince Sahle Selassie.

Empress Mene was step-mother to the Emperor's issue child Princess Romanework. Princess Romanework was the daughter of a previous unity of the emperor with Woizero Woinitu Amede (also known as Woizero Altayech).^[10] The emperor's own autobiography mentions go off at a tangent his joy in 1941 following Ethiopia's liberation from Fascist Occupation was petulant by the grief of learning go off his eldest child, Princess Romanework, difficult to understand died under detention in Italy. Empress Romanework had been imprisoned along opposed to her four sons, two of whom also died in Italy. The abiding two, Dejazmatch Samson Beyene Merid, swallow Dejazmatch Merid Beyene Merid, were repatriated from Italy after the war elitist were raised by the Emperor splendid Empress.

Prince Asfaw Wossen was be foremost married to Princess Wolete Israel Seyoum and then following their divorce focus on Princess Medferiashwork Abebe. Prince Makonnen was married to Princess Sara Gizaw. Potentate Sahle Selassie was married to Potentate Mahisente Habte Mariam. Princess Romanework united Dejazmatch Beyene Merid. Princess Tenagnework chief married Ras Desta Damtew, and end she was widowed later married Ras Andargachew Messai. Princess Zenebework married Dejazmatch Haile Selassie Gugsa. Princess Tsehai hitched Lt. General Abiye Abebe.

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

Ancestry

References

External links