1878: The submission of Walda Mika*el of Hamassien to Ras Alula!
Posted: 14 Oct 2023, 03:59
September-December 1878: The subm ission o f Walda Mika*el
Hearing the news of A lu la 's return to Adwa, Ras Walda
Mika*el ca n celled h is p lan to cross the Marab. Instead he sta rted
recon stru ctin g Hazaga where he b u ilt a new c a s tle ,^ intending to
make th is v illa g e the ad m in istrative and commercial cen tre o f
h is t e r r it o r ie s .
But Gordon Pasha stron gly disapproved o f the Egyptian p o lic y
o f backing Walda M ika*el. On a v i s i t to Massawa in la t e May 1878,
ju st a fte r Bariyawu's death, he dism issed the governor o f Massawa,
nominating fo r the p o st h is devotee *Ala* ad-DTn Pasha who c lo se ly
follow ed Gordon's in str u c tio n s to stojjsupplying Walda M ika*el.^
During the ea rly ra in s th at year Walda Mika*el marched towards
A ylet w ith h is hungry troop s, but was denied grain from Massawa.
The a r r iv a l of a B r itis h warship to the port pzrsvetdedthe outlaw
if
th at he had been abandoned.
In the meantime Ras A lula had m obilised a 20,000 man strong
army in Tegre and "on the f i r s t Saturday a fte r Masqal /T 7 S e p t ./
1 P*<^.
See below. Also M atteucci, p .233.
2Kolmodin, No. 260; G. Simon, L 'E th iop ie, P aris 1883, p. 58.
3% ld e, '8 3 -'8 7 . I , pp. 3 3 ^ 335 i FO 407/11, Gordon, "Abyssinie
l877“l879H j 15-9.79.
^F0 78/2857i L a sc e lle s to S alisb u ry, 2 6 .9 .7 8 , 17.10.78; Kolmodin,
No. 261.
1878" he crossed the Marab and entered Hamasen. An advance
guard cut the Hamasen-Bogos road in order to allow Walda Mika*el
no escape route.^
"When there was heard the news o f the coming o f the
man o f God, Ras Alula" wrote h is biographer, 2 "a man
r e so lu te and w arlike . . . fea r and trem bling seize d th is
wicked man Dajjazmac Walda M ikael, and he melted lik e
wax before the f ir e . . . And a fte r t h is he sen t emiss a r ie s to him, to Ras A lula, saying 'Forgive me, Ras
A lu la, my lo rd , and do not look on the e v il of ry deeds,
because I w ill not f a il ' to . . . /B le s s you/; and you,
do not lo s e the opportunity fo r mercy. 1 He said th is ,
not d esirin g to make peace and lo v e , but because of
the fea r and trem bling which had come on him. A fter
t h is they made r e c o n c ilia tio n and peace."
This meeting between A lula and Walda Mika*el took p lace in Aksum
where the desperate reb el came in December 1878, accompanied by
three hundred fo llo w er s. A lula then in v ite d him to come to
■5
Yohannes, who was camping a t Dabra Tabor.
"And Ras A lula said to him, 'Come, l e t us go to where
our lo rd , Yohannes, King o f K ings, i s , th a t we may see
h is fa c e , and bow down to the glory o f h is k in gship ,
fo r he i s forgivin g and not r e v e n g e fu l.'
When Yohannes,King o f Kings, saw Dajjazmac Walda Mikael
bowing b efore him and doing homage to the glory o f h is
k in gsh ip , he remembered the word of the Book which says,
' I f your brother s in s , fo rg iv e him seventy tim es s e v e n .'
He gave him au th ority over th e land o f Hamasen, and
granted him a name g rea ter than a l l names . . . . . that i s
to say, Ras Walda M ikael. And they returned w ith joy
and glad n ess, as Ras Walda Mikael p raised Yohannes . . .
and m agnified the name o f Ras A lu la, saying: 'What can
I g iv e back to Ras A lula fo r a l l he has done fo r me?
For he has made me g rea t, and has l i f t e d me up above
the c h ie fs o f Hamasen.'"4
1MAE(F), Massouah 4 , Carbonnel to MAE, 1 3 .9 .7 8 , l
Hearing the news of A lu la 's return to Adwa, Ras Walda
Mika*el ca n celled h is p lan to cross the Marab. Instead he sta rted
recon stru ctin g Hazaga where he b u ilt a new c a s tle ,^ intending to
make th is v illa g e the ad m in istrative and commercial cen tre o f
h is t e r r it o r ie s .
But Gordon Pasha stron gly disapproved o f the Egyptian p o lic y
o f backing Walda M ika*el. On a v i s i t to Massawa in la t e May 1878,
ju st a fte r Bariyawu's death, he dism issed the governor o f Massawa,
nominating fo r the p o st h is devotee *Ala* ad-DTn Pasha who c lo se ly
follow ed Gordon's in str u c tio n s to stojjsupplying Walda M ika*el.^
During the ea rly ra in s th at year Walda Mika*el marched towards
A ylet w ith h is hungry troop s, but was denied grain from Massawa.
The a r r iv a l of a B r itis h warship to the port pzrsvetdedthe outlaw
if
th at he had been abandoned.
In the meantime Ras A lula had m obilised a 20,000 man strong
army in Tegre and "on the f i r s t Saturday a fte r Masqal /T 7 S e p t ./
1 P*<^.
See below. Also M atteucci, p .233.
2Kolmodin, No. 260; G. Simon, L 'E th iop ie, P aris 1883, p. 58.
3% ld e, '8 3 -'8 7 . I , pp. 3 3 ^ 335 i FO 407/11, Gordon, "Abyssinie
l877“l879H j 15-9.79.
^F0 78/2857i L a sc e lle s to S alisb u ry, 2 6 .9 .7 8 , 17.10.78; Kolmodin,
No. 261.
1878" he crossed the Marab and entered Hamasen. An advance
guard cut the Hamasen-Bogos road in order to allow Walda Mika*el
no escape route.^
"When there was heard the news o f the coming o f the
man o f God, Ras Alula" wrote h is biographer, 2 "a man
r e so lu te and w arlike . . . fea r and trem bling seize d th is
wicked man Dajjazmac Walda M ikael, and he melted lik e
wax before the f ir e . . . And a fte r t h is he sen t emiss a r ie s to him, to Ras A lula, saying 'Forgive me, Ras
A lu la, my lo rd , and do not look on the e v il of ry deeds,
because I w ill not f a il ' to . . . /B le s s you/; and you,
do not lo s e the opportunity fo r mercy. 1 He said th is ,
not d esirin g to make peace and lo v e , but because of
the fea r and trem bling which had come on him. A fter
t h is they made r e c o n c ilia tio n and peace."
This meeting between A lula and Walda Mika*el took p lace in Aksum
where the desperate reb el came in December 1878, accompanied by
three hundred fo llo w er s. A lula then in v ite d him to come to
■5
Yohannes, who was camping a t Dabra Tabor.
"And Ras A lula said to him, 'Come, l e t us go to where
our lo rd , Yohannes, King o f K ings, i s , th a t we may see
h is fa c e , and bow down to the glory o f h is k in gship ,
fo r he i s forgivin g and not r e v e n g e fu l.'
When Yohannes,King o f Kings, saw Dajjazmac Walda Mikael
bowing b efore him and doing homage to the glory o f h is
k in gsh ip , he remembered the word of the Book which says,
' I f your brother s in s , fo rg iv e him seventy tim es s e v e n .'
He gave him au th ority over th e land o f Hamasen, and
granted him a name g rea ter than a l l names . . . . . that i s
to say, Ras Walda M ikael. And they returned w ith joy
and glad n ess, as Ras Walda Mikael p raised Yohannes . . .
and m agnified the name o f Ras A lu la, saying: 'What can
I g iv e back to Ras A lula fo r a l l he has done fo r me?
For he has made me g rea t, and has l i f t e d me up above
the c h ie fs o f Hamasen.'"4
1MAE(F), Massouah 4 , Carbonnel to MAE, 1 3 .9 .7 8 , l