Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
IYASU
Menelik died a natural death in 1913. Iyasu, his raffish young grandson and nominated
heir, proved to be very much a product of the 20th century. Continuing with Menelik's re-
forms, he also showed a 'modern' secularist, nonsectarian attitude.
The young prince built mosques as well as churches, took several Muslim as well as
Christian wives, and supported the empire's peripheral populations, which had for years
suffered at the oppressive hands of Amharic settlers and governors.
Iyasu and his councillors pushed through a few reforms, including improving the system
of land tenure and taxation, but they faced ever-deepening opposition from the church and
nobility.
Finally, after also upsetting the allied powers with his dealings with the Weimar Repub-
lic (Germany), Austria and the Ottoman Empire, a pretext for his removal was found. Ac-
cused by the nobles of 'abjuring the Christian faith', the prince was deposed in 1921.
Zewditu, Menelik's daughter, was proclaimed empress. Things were not plain sailing for
her, though. Zewditu had a rival to the throne, Ras Tafari (the son of Ras Makonnen, Mene-
lik's cousin, and grandson of an earlier Showan monarch). The conservative Ethiopian aris-
tocracy largely supported Zewditu, but they had severe misgivings about other members of
her family. In the end a kind of 'power sharing' agreement was reached with Zewditu being
empress and Ras Tafari proclaimed the prince regent.
