His Imperial Highness, Lij Eyasu
(Abba Tena)
Lij Eyasu Michael was the son of Ras (later King)Michael Ali of Wollo, and Woizero Shewaregga
Menelik, and was born in 1901. Ras Michael Ali was the ruler of the Wollo Oromo clan known as
the Mammadoch. He was related to both of the rival Mammadoch Queens, Werqitu and Mestawat,
who had fought each other as well as Emperor Tewodros II before the fall of that Emperor
at Magdalla. Born Mohammed Ali, son of Imam Ali Abba Dulla, a moslem claiming direct
decent from the Prophet Mohammed himself, Ras Michael (pronounced Mika-el)had been
compeled to convert to Christianity by Emperor Yohannis IV following the Council
of Boru Meda in 1878.
Emperor Yohannis IV stood as his godfather, and renamed him Michael
granting him the title of Ras, and the province of Wollo to rule.
A long time freind and ally of Yohannis IV, he was at the Emperor's side when Yohannis
was wounded and died at Mettema.
Ras Michael was a later a key figure during Menelik II's reign as well, after
finally aknowledging Menelik as Emperor following initial reluctance, as Menelik had
long been the ally of his rival, Abba Watew. Michael led the Wollo cavalry which smashed
the Italian center force at the battle of Adwa in 1896.
As a reward for his submission and recognition of his accession, and to tie
him more closely to his throne, Menelik married Ras Michael to his daughter Shewaregga.
Previous to his marriage to the Emperor's daughter, Ras Michael had been married before,
and one of his daughters was Woizero Sehin Michael, whose daughter would become Empress Menen,
consort of Emperor Haile Selassie. Woizero Shewaregga Menelik was the younger of Menelik's
two aknowledged daughters. Little is known of her mother, other than that she may have been
a servant in the royal household named Desta. Shewaregga Menelik was first married to
Dejazmatch Wedajo Gobena, son of Ras Gobena Dachi, a close friend of Menelik, and a major Oromo chief. From this marriage, she produced a son, Dejazmatch Wossen Segged Wedajo, who was eliminated from the Imperial succession due to dwarfism.
Following her marriage to Michael of Wollo, Woizero Shewaregga produced two children,
a son Lij Eyasu, and a daughter, Woizero Zenebework Michael.
Woizero Shewaregga died shortly after the birth of her children,
and Emperor Menelik took his two grandchildren to Addis Ababa from Ras Michael's seat at Dessie.
Ras Michael continued to be a favorite of the Emperor, and he was close with his children,
but they were raised at the Imperial Palace with other children of Imperial blood under
the eye of Empress Taitu. Their governess was the German Mrs. Hall (whose nationality
cause much concern in the British, French and Italian embassies in Addis Ababa).
At the age of twelve, Zenebework Michael was married to the much older Ras Bezabih
TekleHaimanot,
son of King Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam, and went to live with her new husband at Debre Markos.
Unfortunately, the young princess died a year later in childbirth.
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