Opinions differ. But this one stands out to be the main reason. It's because he lied to her on slave trade which Britain was committed to end throughout the world.
One of his leutenants, Ras Alula cleaned out 2/3 of the Baria ethnic group, now in Eritrea, 40,000 of them by armed raids. It was business as usual. In broad daylights. Raids were celebrated as trophies. It was gold and riches. An open secret. British attaches to his kingdom did write back home about such raids for slaves. That is why this recod of 2/3 of the Baria tribe, estimated number being 40,000 is in history books.
This being the truth, a secret trade that never was, when there existed designated slave markets, King Yohannis, Elect of God in his letter to Queen Victoria, requesting access to the Red Sea, the bearer of which was a British, told her that no Christians did slave trade in his kingdom, except he said that the few Mohammedans who engaged in the trade would be stopped.
In the same letter, he promised the Queen that the British would get very liberal business deals for her help to give his kingdom access to the Red Sea, if possible with the cooperation of other European powers.
She ignored him. Request denied.
Re: Why did Queen Victoria ignore King Yohannis request for a Port on the Red Sea?
Dama you got it wrong ! It was the geopolitical competition among colonial powers( mainly between Britain & France) that made the British not to respect the agreement.
Re: Why did Queen Victoria ignore King Yohannis request for a Port on the Red Sea?
Dama,
I think you have not made a thorough investigation as to why the demand for slaves existed. You simply reflected your grudge against the King. Britain developed on the back of slaves and colorizations around the world. After the get enough out of slavery they acted as if democratic. It is very unfortunate the Baria of Eritrea were victims of slavery just not only under King Yohannes but under other kings, just as it was not only Tona who sold Wolayta, Silte, Sodo etc.
Yohannes is exceptionally known for restoring Christianity - that is re-convert those early Christians who were forced by evil Gragn Amhed. If you judge him on that ask yourself who is advocating to bring back the Mogasized Sodo Kistane.
As many former colonized country complaining about neo-colonization, in the case of slavery, it is like the slave importer who dictate the price of slaves in the market , like they do no determine the selling price of slaves. Only God knows how much Aba Jifar made by selling Oromo of Jimma, Janjerro and Tona selling Wolayta, Sodo of Huresa ancestors.
What would you say in today's Eritrea province, Shabia too is an Organ selling thug. Do you think remnant Baria tribe are the most victim of organ harvesting? It is only getting worse, just not only for the Baria tribe but for others in Eritrea.
I think you have not made a thorough investigation as to why the demand for slaves existed. You simply reflected your grudge against the King. Britain developed on the back of slaves and colorizations around the world. After the get enough out of slavery they acted as if democratic. It is very unfortunate the Baria of Eritrea were victims of slavery just not only under King Yohannes but under other kings, just as it was not only Tona who sold Wolayta, Silte, Sodo etc.
Yohannes is exceptionally known for restoring Christianity - that is re-convert those early Christians who were forced by evil Gragn Amhed. If you judge him on that ask yourself who is advocating to bring back the Mogasized Sodo Kistane.
As many former colonized country complaining about neo-colonization, in the case of slavery, it is like the slave importer who dictate the price of slaves in the market , like they do no determine the selling price of slaves. Only God knows how much Aba Jifar made by selling Oromo of Jimma, Janjerro and Tona selling Wolayta, Sodo of Huresa ancestors.
What would you say in today's Eritrea province, Shabia too is an Organ selling thug. Do you think remnant Baria tribe are the most victim of organ harvesting? It is only getting worse, just not only for the Baria tribe but for others in Eritrea.
Re: Why did Queen Victoria ignore King Yohannis request for a Port on the Red Sea?
Sidetracking obviously. I think it is unintended.Abere wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025, 19:18Dama,
I think you have not made a thorough investigation as to why the demand for slaves existed. You simply reflected your grudge against the King. Britain developed on the back of slaves and colorizations around the world. After the get enough out of slavery they acted as if democratic. It is very unfortunate the Baria of Eritrea were victims of slavery just not only under King Yohannes but under other kings, just as it was not only Tona who sold Wolayta, Silte, Sodo etc.
Yohannes is exceptionally known for restoring Christianity - that is re-convert those early Christians who were forced by evil Gragn Amhed. If you judge him on that ask yourself who is advocating to bring back the Mogasized Sodo Kistane.
As many former colonized country complaining about neo-colonization, in the case of slavery, it is like the slave importer who dictate the price of slaves in the market , like they do no determine the selling price of slaves. Only God knows how much Aba Jifar made by selling Oromo of Jimma, Janjerro and Tona selling Wolayta, Sodo of Huresa ancestors.
What would you say in today's Eritrea province, Shabia too is an Organ selling thug. Do you think remnant Baria tribe are the most victim of organ harvesting? It is only getting worse, just not only for the Baria tribe but for others in Eritrea.
The post is not about a study on slave trade, on providers and buyers.
It's about why Yohannis' request for access to the Red Sea was ignored by Queen Victoria, 6 decades after Britain banned slave trade.. While knowing his generals were engaged in slave trade and benefitying from it, knowing the Queen declared end to slave trade in early 1800s, while British consuls living in his kingdom writing to Colonial Office their eye witness testimonies about the existence of slave raids by the king's high officials like Ras Alula, to lie in his letter to her in which he requested for help for access to the Red Sea that his Christians' hands were free of the crime, but minimizing it that it was only some Muslims who were engaged in slave trade in his kingdom was dumb and paid for it by rejecting his request for access to the Red Sea.
Last edited by Dama on 20 Dec 2025, 23:16, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Why did Queen Victoria ignore King Yohannis request for a Port on the Red Sea?
Yes, Britain outlawed the slave trade in 1807 with the Slave Trade Act, making it illegal for British ships to carry enslaved people, and later abolished slavery itself throughout the empire with the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 (effective 1834). The 1807 Act banned the transport of enslaved Africans, enforced by the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, while the 1833 Act freed over 800,000 enslaved people in the colonies, though it included compensation for slave owners and apprenticeship for the newly freed.
Key Legislation:
Slave Trade Act 1807: Prohibited the buying, selling, and transportation of enslaved people by British subjects, though slavery itself continued.
Slavery Abolition Act 1833: Ended slavery in most British colonies, freeing over 800,000 people, but required freed individuals to work as apprentices for several years and compensated slave owners.
Enforcement & Impact:
The Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron actively patrolled the African coast to intercept slave ships, seizing many vessels and freeing Africans onboard.
The abolition movement involved religious groups like Quakers and powerful abolitionists like William Wilberforce, who pushed for change.
While slavery ended, the legacy of colonialism and slavery continued, with practices like "modern slavery" still existing today, notes Wikipedia.
Key Legislation:
Slave Trade Act 1807: Prohibited the buying, selling, and transportation of enslaved people by British subjects, though slavery itself continued.
Slavery Abolition Act 1833: Ended slavery in most British colonies, freeing over 800,000 people, but required freed individuals to work as apprentices for several years and compensated slave owners.
Enforcement & Impact:
The Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron actively patrolled the African coast to intercept slave ships, seizing many vessels and freeing Africans onboard.
The abolition movement involved religious groups like Quakers and powerful abolitionists like William Wilberforce, who pushed for change.
While slavery ended, the legacy of colonialism and slavery continued, with practices like "modern slavery" still existing today, notes Wikipedia.
Re: Why did Queen Victoria ignore King Yohannis request for a Port on the Red Sea?
Dama you asked what agreement , that is History 101 question but read this : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... XsH5LHQ8eG
Re: Why did Queen Victoria ignore King Yohannis request for a Port on the Red Sea?
No, I am directly addressing your inquiry. The accusation that King Yohannes sold the Baria people was merely a pretext. It was not the real reason Britain declined his request for access to the Red Sea. Similarly, Queen Victoria ignored King Tewodros’s earlier requests for technology transfer because Britain was pursuing a geopolitical strategy designed to preserve its own influence.
King Tewodros later came to understand this. Upon ordering the missionaries to leave Ethiopia, he reportedly instructed them to wash their feet in the Red Sea, believing they might otherwise carry Ethiopia’s gold away with them. At the time, Britain was allied with the Ottoman Empire, which Tewodros sought to keep away from the Red Sea.
King Yohannes failed to recognize that Britain never intended to allow Ethiopia strong control over its Red Sea coast (Bahir Medir). Instead, Britain’s long-term strategy favored Italy as the regional power that would limit Ethiopian influence along the Red Sea.
Please note that it was not only because of the progress of morality that Britain and others stopped slavery but also their economy stopped wanting slave labor - that was plantations that need slave labor were replaced by manufacturing or industry that used wage labor.
King Tewodros later came to understand this. Upon ordering the missionaries to leave Ethiopia, he reportedly instructed them to wash their feet in the Red Sea, believing they might otherwise carry Ethiopia’s gold away with them. At the time, Britain was allied with the Ottoman Empire, which Tewodros sought to keep away from the Red Sea.
King Yohannes failed to recognize that Britain never intended to allow Ethiopia strong control over its Red Sea coast (Bahir Medir). Instead, Britain’s long-term strategy favored Italy as the regional power that would limit Ethiopian influence along the Red Sea.
Please note that it was not only because of the progress of morality that Britain and others stopped slavery but also their economy stopped wanting slave labor - that was plantations that need slave labor were replaced by manufacturing or industry that used wage labor.
Dama wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025, 19:58Sidetracking obviously. I think it is unintended.Abere wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025, 19:18Dama,
I think you have not made a thorough investigation as to why the demand for slaves existed. You simply reflected your grudge against the King. Britain developed on the back of slaves and colonization's around the world. After the got enough out of slavery they acted as if a democratic one. It is very unfortunate the Baria of Eritrea were victims of slavery, just not only under King Yohannes but also under other kings, just as it was not only Tona who sold Wolayta, Silte, Sodo etc.
Yohannes is exceptionally known for restoring Christianity - that is re-convert those early Christians who were forced by evil Gragn Amhed. If you judge him on that ask yourself who is advocating to bring back the Mogasized Sodo Kistane.
As many former colonized countries complaining about neo-colonization, in the case of slavery, it is like the slave importer who dictate the price of slaves in the market, like they do determine now the selling price of coffee exported to them. Only God knows how much money Aba Jifar made by selling Oromo of Jimma, Janjerro and Tona selling Wolayta, Sodo of Huresa ancestors.
What would you say in today's Eritrea province, Shabia too is an Organ selling thug. Do you think remnant Baria tribe are the most victim of organ harvesting? It is only getting worse, just not only for the Baria tribe but for others in Eritrea.
The post is not about a study on slave trade, on providers and buyers.
It's about why Yohannis' request for access to the Red Sea was ignored by Queen Victoria, 6 decades after Britain banned slave trade.. While knowing his generals were engaged in slave trade and benefitying from it, knowing the Queen declared end to slave trade in early 1800s, while British consuls living in his kingdom writing to Colonial Office their eye witness testimonies about the existence of slave raids by the king's high officials like Ras Alula, to lie in his letter to her in which he requested for help for access to the Red Sea that his Christians' hands were free of the crime, but minimizing it that it was only some Muslims who were engaged in slave trade in his kingdom was dumb and paid for it by rejecting his request for access to the Red Sea.