Ethiopia's God-King: Who is Haile Selassie?

Edward Gibbon, the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, says:

The Ethiopians slept for a thousand years, during which they forgot themselves and the world.

Traveling to Addis Ababa in 1954, a French writer recounts when, on his way from the airport to the city, he suddenly came across a green Rolls Royce, saw a herd of goats running, some men on the backs of donkeys, and witnessed everyone bowing.

Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (Enderase) for Empress Zewditu from 1916. Haile Selassie is widely considered a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, and the key figure of Rastafari, a religious movement in Jamaica that emerged shortly after he became emperor in the 1930s.

According to the author, it's not just about leaning forward a bit; on the contrary, it took place in such a way that one's chest was in contact with the ground.

The Ethiopian emperor was called the king of kings (negus of the negus).

If a man was given the honor of meeting with a negus at the imperial court, he would have to bow three times before appearing before him:

First when he stood at the threshold of the hall, then in the middle of the road, and finally before the emperor.

Born in Harar in 1892, the emperor was the most powerful man in his country from 1917 to 1974.

When the emperor was born, he was given the name Tafari Makonnen.

His father was the chief adviser to Emperor 2 Menelik.

When his daughter Taitu became empress in 1917, Tafari Makonnen also became vice and heir apparent.

After Taitu's death, he was crowned Haile Selassie.

He fled when Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935.

He returned to the throne in 1941 and installed an incredible autocratic government.

It also made Ethiopia an important destination in Africa.

He ruled Ethiopia as he ruled his own palace.

He personally checked everything from contracts with cooks to reports in ambassadors' bags.

He would arrange surprise visits to schools and ask them what classes they had taken the previous day, and what they had studied.

Haile Selassie's management was somewhat excitingly different.

Also, Selassie was the man who moved Ethiopia into a relatively modern century.

He always aspired to serve as his country's Minister of Education.

Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974 in a left-wing coup led by Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam.

As a result of the 'progressiveness' that came with Haile Mariam, the civil war started, in which more than a million people died.

A million more died during the famine.

Brutal wars were fought with neighboring countries, especially Sudan.

Another event, also more profound and influential, was Eritrea's independence after a long war with the regime.

Mengistu Haile Mariam ended his life as a political refugee in Zimbabwe.

It was revealed that he killed Haile Selassie in his palace after he fled the country.

His body was buried under a concrete slab on the floor of the hall.

As it is said with a bit of black humor; This time he would not be able to return to power.

Life story

Haile Selassie I, was the 225th and last emperor of Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia). As emperor, he became a symbol of his country's hopes and dreams and sought to make his young country strong and adapt to the changing world. There was no funeral for the man who ruled Ethiopia for 60 years. The location of his burial is still unknown.

As emperor, he became a symbol of his country's hopes and dreams and sought to make his young country strong and adapt it to the changing world. He made Ethiopia a member of the League of Nations in 1923 and went to Europe as ruler of Ethiopia in 1924. He was about to make the country more modern. He became even stronger when he took over the army in 1926, which enabled him to receive the title of "King". The power he exercised over the country and government helped him draft a new constitution and centralize his power.

MUSSOLINI OCCUPED WITH MUSTARD GAS

Selassie ran into a bottleneck in 1935 when Italy's Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia. He chose to resist the invaders and the collaborating tribes along with the feudal tribal leaders who supported him.

Selassie sent troops to the city of Tigray in 1936. The army was victorious at the battle of Tembien, but as the fighting ended, the Italian fascists used mustard gas to defeat the Ethiopian army. The Ethiopian army retreated to Maychew. Following this defeat, Ethiopia lost its national independence. The following year, Selassie was exiled. The Ethiopian people continued to fight the Italians, starting a guerrilla war against the fascist army. Selassie remained in exile for the duration of the war but brought his country together to fight the Italians. He applied to the League of Nations for help, but to no avail. He then approached the British for help.

Trying to raise awareness of Ethiopia's situation in Europe, Selassie was away for five years. He remained mainly at "Bath's Fairfield House", but also briefly at Malvern in Worcestershire, London. Jamaican freedom advocate Marcus Garvey fiercely criticized Selassie for leaving his countrymen at the mercy of Italy.

BRITISH INTERVENTION

In 1941, the British finally came to their aid and helped liberate the country from Italian control. Selassie is back to sit on the throne. When he returned to his country, he realized that his administration had collapsed. He did everything he could to rebuild the administration and strengthen Ethiopia's defense. Gradually, many young people were sent abroad to study and learn about scientific and social developments from other cultures. He developed the country's infrastructure and managed to build bridges, hospitals, factories, and schools. Meanwhile, it was supported by the Western powers. He was viewed by many as a great reformer.

Despite being a reformer, he ruled his country with an iron fist. He was behind the times and became paranoid under the influence of the partisans fighting the Italians. He was afraid of their bravery and decided to drive them away. He replaced the guerrillas with those who collaborated with the enemy (Italians); because he knew that collaborators could be easily managed.

His methods of maintaining power required careful calculation of material resources and careful selection of government officials. He gradually reassured himself and allowed several new leaders to join the new government. In 1962 it annexed Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Not everyone in Ethiopia agreed with him. Therefore, he suppressed opposition political parties. Many Ethiopian peasants starved to death as they were forced to abandon their traditional way of life. Selassie was accused of creating a system in which people lived in poverty and oppression because of corruption and many other problems. People were expressing that they had no choice but to revolt under these conditions. The media was censored and placed under the Emperor's control; Only Western journalists were allowed to work in the country.

MARCUS GARVEY AND HIS PROPHECY

“Look at Africa when the day of liberation approaches, when a black king is crowned.” It was a prophecy that attracted people. The prophecy was owned by a man named Marcus Garvey. Garvey was a Jamaican activist who campaigned for political and social change on a tropical island that was an important center for slaves. After the slave trade was abolished in 1833 and Abraham Lincoln's "Declaration of Independence" declared all people held as slaves free, living conditions for former slaves, their children, and descendants had not improved for generations.

It was unclear if Marcus Garvey was referring to someone when he said "the black king". Rather, he was seen as a symbolic figure. But when news of Haile Selassie's coronation in 1930 reached Jamaica, a logical connection emerged for many of Garvey's followers. “Ras Tafari” (Prince Tafari) had become king and now the day of liberation was near. This omen meant they had to prepare to migrate to their homeland of Africa.

Although Marcus Garvey was not really a Rastafarian (a proponent of Prince Tafari), he is widely regarded as one of the prophets of the Rastafarian faith, as his ideals have shaped Rastafarian philosophy to a large extent.

On April 21, 1966, Haile Selassie visited Jamaica. This trip took place 36 years after his coronation; Despite the long time that passed, the faith and love of Rastafarians for him did not diminish. There was a new generation of Rastafarians, many of whom were still dreaming of reverse migration to Africa. Haile Selassie was revived with an enthusiastic welcome. Jamaican Rastafarians gave him a new title, calling him "Jah" (pronounced "Cah"), an abbreviation of the word "Jahweh" (God) they had inherited from Judaism.

He did nothing to dispel his belief in holiness about himself. Before this visit, Garvey had died and his criticism of Haile Selassie had been forgotten in Jamaica. But Rastafarians around the world disagreed on everything. Although he wanted to appear as a progressive emperor, he also faced accusations of being a greedy dictator.

Among the frenzied crowd honoring their savior were a 21-year-old Jamaican musician and his wife. This person was Robert Nesta Marley, known as Bob Marley, the founder of the group called The Wailers.

In terms of spiritual significance, several dates have been in the hearts of Rastafarians, such as April 21, 1966. Celebrated as the "Day of the Sun" by Selassie's followers, the Ethiopian Emperor's visit to Jamaica is used by Rastafarians everywhere to commemorate a godlike figure, Haile Selassie.

THE UNITED AFRICAN DREAM AND DEATH

In the 1960s, the Emperor was seen as a major force within the pan-African (United Africa) movement, demonstrating its extraordinary capacity to adapt to changing circumstances. In 1963, it was a major personal victory for Selassie when the African Union set up its newly formed headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

By 1970, the Emperor had withdrawn from day-to-day management problems and focused more on foreign affairs. He probably visited many more states than any other head of state. To him, diplomacy was an integral part of his prestige.

A famine in the Ethiopian state of Wello in 1973 severely undermined the credibility and legitimacy of the Selassie regime. Selassie was forced to abdicate on September 13, 1974, and spent the last year of his life under house arrest. On August 27, 1975, Selassie was declared dead. There was no funeral for the man who ruled Ethiopia for 60 years. The location of his burial is still unknown.