Editing Lij Iyasu (section)

==Emperorship==
===Background===
Late in his life, Emperor Menelik was confronted with the problem of his succession; if he did not explicitly name an heir before he died, the nation he had built would likely dissolve into civil war and be devoured by European colonial powers. He had four possible heirs. According to the traditional rules of succession, the next direct patrilineal descendant was the grandson of Menelik's uncle, ''[[Dejazmach]]'' [[Taye Gulilat]]. His other three heirs were all in the female line. The first of these was his oldest grandson, ''Dejazmach'' [[Wosan Seged]], son of his daughter [[Shoagarad Menelik|Shoaregga Menelik]] by her first marriage to [[Wedadjo Gobena]]. The second heir of the female line was his younger grandson ''Lij'' Iyasu. Finally, the third heir of the female line was Menelik's elder daughter ''Woizero'' [[Zewditu I|Zewditu]], who was married to ''Ras'' [[Gugsa Welle]], nephew of the Empress [[Taitu Betul|Taitu]].

Menelik refused to consider Taye Gulilat, whom he deeply disliked. Wosan Seged was eliminated from consideration due to dwarfism. In March 1908, at any rate, Wosan Seged was in poor health and dying of [[tuberculosis]]. It was clear that the aristocracy would not respect a woman as their leader, so Zewditu was also not seriously considered at this time.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|pp=229f}}</ref>  On 11 June 1908, Menelik experienced a [[stroke]] while on pilgrimage to [[Debre Libanos]]. On 15 May 1909 Menelik informed his ministers that Iyasu would succeed him.{{cn|date=September 2020}} However, due to Iyasu's youth, Menelik agreed to the suggestion that he appoint a [[Regent]] ([[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles|''Enderase'']]){{efn|Equivalent to [[Regent]].}} during the minority of his [[heir apparent]].<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=231}}</ref>  Until Iyasu came of age, the elder statesman Ras Tessema Nadew would be [[Plenipotentiary|Regent Plenipotentiary]] (''Balemulu 'Enderase'').

In May 1909, shortly before the Emperor made this decision, ''Lij'' Iyasu was married to ''Woizero'' [[Romanework Mengesha]], the daughter of ''Ras'' [[Ras Mengesha Yohannes|Mengesha Yohannes]], granddaughter of Emperor [[Yohannes IV]], and the niece of Empress Taitu.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=238}}</ref> However, that marriage was annulled without having been consummated. Subsequently, in April 1910, Iyasu married [[Seble Wengel Hailu]], the daughter of ''Ras'' [[Hailu Tekle Haymanot]] of [[Gojjam]].

===Regency===
[[File:Lij Iyasu Ras Tassamma 1910.jpg|thumb|left|''Lij'' Iyasu with the new regent, Ras Tessema]]
[[File:Lij Iyasu with Dejazmach Tafari.png|thumb|left|''Lij'' Iyasu with ''Dejazmach'' Teferi (later Emperor [[Haile Selassie I]]).]]
Not long after his decision that ''Lij'' Iyasu would succeed him, Emperor Menelik succumbed to further strokes. These eventually left him a mere shell of his once-powerful self, and incapacitated until his death in 1913. During his last years, in a bid to retain power, Empress Taitu intrigued against his choice, intending to substitute either her step-daughter ''Leilt'' Zewditu or her daughter's husband ''Ras'' Gugsa Welle (who happened to be Taitu's nephew) for Iyasu. In response to Taitu's intriguing, a number of nobles organized in an ever-closer alliance against her. On 28 October 1909, after a massive stroke, Menelik's choice of Iyasu as his heir was made public with ''Ras'' ''Bitweded'' [[Tessema Nadew]] as regent.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=241}}</ref>

The new regent found his authority undermined not only by the still living but paralyzed Emperor Menelik, but also by the Empress. For example, she insisted that questions from the foreign legations in [[Addis Ababa]] be directed to her, not to Tessema.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=243}}</ref> Furthermore, Tessema himself suffered from an illness, which left him appearing helpless and apathetic and would take his life within a year. It took a ''[[coup d'état]]'' engineered by a group of aristocrats and the head of the [[Imperial Bodyguard]] to convince ''Ras'' Tesemma and [[Habte Giyorgis]] to decisively limit the influence of the Empress.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=244}}</ref> Despite these developments, the imperial government continued to falter: administrators were unwilling to make decisions because Tessema himself might be overthrown, and foreign affairs likewise suffered. Despite this, Harold Marcus notes that the presence of Tessema "did curb ministerial dissensions and intrigues and was a reminder of the existence of central authority."<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=250}}</ref>

With Tessema, Iyasu continued Menelik's program of modernization, including the establishment of the first police force in [[Addis Ababa]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Bahru Zewde|title= A History of Modern Ethiopia|url= https://archive.org/details/historyofmoderne00bahr|url-access= registration|year= 2001|edition=second|publisher= James Currey|location= Oxford|isbn=0-85255-786-8|page= [https://archive.org/details/historyofmoderne00bahr/page/122 122]}}</ref>  On 10 April 1911, Tessema Nadew died and, when the council met to appoint a successor as ''Enderase'', ''Lij'' Iyasu demanded a role in the process. When asked whom he desired in the position, he is reported to have replied, "Myself!"  On 11 May, the seal of Iyasu replaced that of his grandfather, although not with the style of Emperor.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=251}}</ref>

Marcus describes Iyasu's abilities as a ruler:

{{quote |From the very beginning of his ''de facto'' reign, ''Lij'' Iyasu showed that he was not the stuff from which great monarchs were made. He was bright, but also impulsive, cruel, lascivious, prone to depressions and egocentricities, and politically inept. Despite his vision of an Ethiopia in which religion and ethnic affiliations made no difference in a man's political or private career, he had no clear comprehension of the power realities in the empire, nor of his own position as its ruler.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|pp=251f}}</ref>}}

In the first year, he was faced with several serious challenges to his rule. On 31 May, ''Ras'' Abate attempted a ''coup d’état'' by seizing the arsenal and its modern weapons in the palace, but was eventually convinced to make a public submission in return for being allowed to depart for his estates in the southern provinces. On 14 July, an attempt was made to poison Iyasu. That same year Menelik's soldiers sent a delegation demanding back pay and regular supplies, which made clear that the government was on the brink of financial insolvency. Intelligence reached Iyasu's father, ''Ras'' Mikael, of another plot, and he arrived on 14 November in Addis Ababa with an army of 8,000 men. This was only the first of many efforts ''Ras'' Mikael made to keep his son on the Imperial throne.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|pp=253–258}}</ref> Mikael established a powerful position behind the scenes.

At this point, ''Lij'' Iyasu decided to leave the capital, ostensibly on a military expedition against the [[Afar people|Afar]], but he simply traveled through eastern [[Shewa]] and into [[Wollo]], meeting with the common people. He had promised to return to Addis Ababa in May 1912, but instead visited Debre Libanos, then [[Addis Alem, Shewa|Addis Alem]], before joining ''Dajazmach'' Kabbada's expedition into southwest Ethiopia.<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|pp=258f}}</ref> Here ''Lij'' Iyasu took part in a series of slave raids, in which 40,000&nbsp;people of both sexes were captured, "half of whom died en route of [[smallpox]], [[dysentery]], hunger and fatigue."<ref>Richard Pankhurst, ''Economic History of Ethiopia'' (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University, 1968), p. 107.</ref>  Marcus explains this constant journeying beyond the capital by his will "to prove that the government could not function without him and to force the ministers to authorize his immediate coronation."<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=259}}</ref>

Once he finally returned to the capital, he came into conflict with the commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, which was eventually settled by the mediation of [[Abuna]] [[Abuna Mattheos X|Mattewos]]. The conflict began when Iyasu expressed his wish to the ministers that the incapacitated Emperor be removed from the Imperial Palace so that Iyasu himself could take up residence there. Trying to please the heir, the ministers asked for an audience with Empress Taitu and suggested that she take the Emperor to [[Ankober]] as a change of scene that might be beneficial for his health. Taitu had however been informed that Iyasu was intent on moving into the Imperial Palace, and defiantly refused to move either herself or her husband from the Palace. Informed of this exchange, the commander of the Imperial Bodyguard swore that he would protect the Emperor in his palace with his life. Angrily, Iyasu ordered the palace complex surrounded by his soldiers and only allowed in enough food for the Emperor himself. With Iyasu's soldiers in a tense standoff with the Imperial guard, the situation deteriorated to the point that gunfire was exchanged, and the bedridden Emperor had to be moved to the cellars as his bedroom windows were shattered in the battle. Hearing the guns, the Archbishop rushed to the scene and arranged for a ceasefire. Empress Taitu then emerged from the palace to publicly berate Iyasu as an ungrateful child who wanted to kill his grandfather. She angrily declared that neither she nor the Emperor would be going anywhere and returned to her rooms. Iyasu was thwarted, but demanded vengeance against the commander of the Imperial Bodyguard. Although he had wanted him severely punished, he was convinced to accept a sentence of banishment from the capital. Iyasu indulged in a lavish celebration, which led the European diplomats to conclude "that he was purposely neglecting urgent business and impeding the ministers from carrying out their duties".<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=260}}</ref>

''Lij'' Iyasu left the capital after little more than a month, and during this time engaged in a raid upon the Afar, who had reportedly massacred 300 of the [[Karayu Oromo]] at the village of Sadimalka on the [[Awash River]]. Unable to find the responsible parties, he made a punitive raid upon the general population which provoked a general uprising of the Afar. On 8 April, after repeated messages from his father to return to the capital, he finally did arrive at the city and managed to accomplish nothing. On 8 May, Iyasu left to meet his father in [[Dessie]].<ref>{{harvp|Marcus|1995|p=260}}</ref>