Amha Selassie of Ethiopia

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(Redirected from Asfaw Wossen) Have questions? Find out how to ask questions and get answers. Jump to: navigation, search Reign April 8, 1 8 ! "e#ruar$ 1%, 1 % proclaimed in e&ile and accepted #$ him as legitimate' Coronation (ever )rowned Born Jul$ *%, 1 1+ Birthplace ,overnors -alace, .arrar Died "e#ruar$ 1%, 1 % (aged 8/) Place of death 0c1ean, 2irginia Predecessor .aile 3elassie 4 Heir Apparent 5era 6aco# Amha 3elassie, )rown -rince of 7thiopia Consort 7mpress 0edferiashwor8 A#e#e !ss"e 49iga$ehu 0ar$am 3enna 3ehin A:e#e 3ifrash ;i:u 5era 6aco# Royal Ho"se .ouse of 3olomon Royal anthem 4t$opia .o$ <es 6i#elish Father 7mperor .aile 3elassie 4 #other 7mpress 0enen Amha Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, ,)0,, ,)2=, ,;7, (Jul$ *%, 1 1+>"e#ruar$ 1%, 1 %) was the last 7mperor of 7thiopia' "irst proclaimed 7mperor during the unsuccessful coup attempt #$ the 4mperial ,uards against his father .aile 3elassie 4 in <ecem#er 1 +/, he initiall$ went along with this proclamation under duress' ?he coup collapsed within da$s and the 7mperor was restored' .e was again proclaimed on the deposition of his father #$ the <erg on 3eptem#er 1*, 1 %@, #ut he never accepted this proclamation as legitimate, and in an$ case this #rief reign was ended with the a#olition of the 7thiopian monarch$ in 0arch 1 %A' .e was proclaimed in e&ile on April 8, 1 8 and this time he sanctioned the proclamation and accepted its legitimac$' ;orn as Asfa$ Wossen %affari, in the walled cit$ of .arrar, to <e9a:mach ?afari 0a8onnen, then the governor of .arrar and future 7mperor of 7thiopia, and his wife 0enen Asfaw, on *% Jul$ 1 1+' After his accession his full reign name was .is 4mperial 0a9est$ 7mperor Amha 3elassie 4, 7lect of ,od, )onBuering 1ion of the ?ri#e of Judah and Cing of Cings of 7thiopia'

Contents
DhideE 1 ;iograph$ * 3hort reign F 1ife in e&ile @ =rders, decorations and honours @'1 =rders and decorations @'* .onorar$ militar$ ran8s A 7&ternal lin8s

&edit' Biography
Amha 3elassie #ecame )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen of 7thiopia when his father was crowned 7mperor on (ovem#er *, 1 F/' )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen was granted the title of G0erida:machG and the province (former 8ingdom) of Wollo to rule as his fief' .e was married to -rincess Wolete 4srael 3e$oum, great!granddaughter of 7mperor 6ohannis 42, and had a daughter, -rincess 49iga$ehu' "ollowing the 4talian invasion of 7thiopia in 1 F+, the )rown -rince and -rincess went into e&ile with the rest of the 4mperial famil$' ?he$ separated around 1 F8, and eventuall$ divorced in 1 @1' "ollowing 7mperor .aile 3elassieHs restoration in 1 @1, the )rown -rince returned to 7thiopia, and participated in the campaign to drive the 4talian forces out of the cit$ of ,ondar, the last town the$ held in 7thiopia' .e #riefl$ served as acting governor of the provinces of ;egemder and ?igra$, retaining Wollo the entire time' .e was

eventuall$ remarried to -rincess 0edferiashwor8 A#e#e, and would father three more daughters, -rincesses 0ariam 3enna, 3efrash, 3ehin, and a son -rince 5era 6aco# Amha 3elassie' 4n <ecem#er 1 +/, the 4mperial ,uard launched a coup and sei:ed power in 7thiopia while the 7mperor was on a visit to ;ra:il' ?he coup leaders compelled the )rown -rince to read a radio statement, in which he accepted the crown in his fatherHs place and announced a government of reform' .owever, the regular arm$ and the 7thiopian =rthodo& )hurch #oth refused to accept the new government, and the leader of the church, -atriarch A#una ;aslios, issued an anathema against all those who cooperated with the coup leaders' ?he 7mperor returned to 7thiopia and the Arm$ stormed the palace where mem#ers of the government were #eing held prisoner #$ the 4mperial ,uards' ?he ,uards fled, #ut not #efore 8illing man$ mem#ers of the government and the no#ilit$ that had #een held prisoner in the ,reen 3alon of the palace' Although it was e&plained that the )rown -rince had acted under duress, his outloo8 had long #een regarded as considera#l$ more li#eral than that of his father, and so he would alwa$s #e suspected of having #een a willing participant in the coup attempt' 4n 1 %F, )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen suffered a massive stro8e and was evacuated to 3wit:erland for medical treatment' .e was accompanied #$ his wife and daughters' ?he stro8e left him permanentl$ una#le to wal8, paral$:ed on one side, and affected his speech' As -rince Asfaw Wossen was not e&pected to live, his son, -rince 5era 6aco# Amha 3elassie, a student at )am#ridge at the time, was named GActing )rown -rinceG and G.eir -resumptiveG'

&edit' Short reign

?he so!called GreignG of Amha 3elassie in 1 %@ was in name onl$ #etween the deposition of his father on 1* 3eptem#er 1 %@ until the a#olition of the monarch$ in the 0arch of 1 %A' .aile 3elassie 4 never signed an a#dication, nor did he renounce his rights' ?he militar$ 9unta declared the )rown -rince GCingG instead of G7mperorG, #ut he never ac8nowledged the title nor accepted his fatherHs dethronement' When the new government massacred the +1 e&!officials of the 4mperial government, )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen issued a strong denunciation that was #roadcast on the ;;)' ?he statement was issued in the name of G)rown -rince Asfaw WossenG which indicated that he was refusing to recogni:e the <ergHs declaration of him as monarch in his fatherHs place' .e continued to use the title of )rown -rince during his e&ile until April of 1 8 when he finall$ assumed the title of 7mperor with the reign name of Amha 3elassie 4' .is succession was #ac8!dated, not to 3eptem#er 1 %@ when his father was deposed, #ut to August 1 %A when 7mperor .aile 3elassie died' .e thus confirmed his refusal to regard an$ of the acts carried out #$ the <erg regime as legitimate or legal'

&edit' (ife in e)ile

=n 3eptem#er 1*, 1 %@, the 0ar&ist <erg militar$ 9unta deposed 7mperor .aile 3elassie and declared that )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen would #e anointed GCingG and a constitutional monarch upon his return from medical treatment in ,eneva, 3wit:erland' ?he -rince did not recogni:e this proclamation and did not return to 7thiopia' When instead he announced to the 7thiopian 7m#ass$ in 1ondon that he would #e moving to that cit$ shortl$, the 7m#ass$ as8ed the <erg for instructions as to whether it should receive him as Cing and head!of!state, or if it should receive him as )rown -rince upon his arrival in ;ritain' ?he <erg sternl$ replied that he should #e received as a simple citi:en of 7thiopia and that no ro$al dignities were to #e accorded to the -rince or his famil$' ?he revolutionaries soon showed their true colors and a#olished the monarch$ in 0arch of 1 %A, and )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen settled permanentl$ in 1ondon, where several other mem#ers of the 4mperial famil$ were alread$ #ased' ?he other mem#ers of the 4mperial famil$ who were still in 7thiopia at the time of the revolution were imprisoned, including Amha 3elassieHs father the 7mperor, his daughter #$ his first marriage, -rincess 49iga$ehu, his sister -rincess ?enagnewor8 and man$ of his nephews, nieces, relatives and in!laws' 4n 1 %A, first his daughter -rincess 49iga$ehu, and then his father 7mperor .aile 3elassie died in detention' 0em#ers of the 4mperial famil$ would remain imprisoned until 1 88 (for the women) and 1 8 (for the men)' 4n April 1 8 , )rown -rince Asfaw Wossen was proclaimed G7mperor of 7thiopiaG in e&ile, at his home in 1ondon #$ mem#ers of the e&iled 7thiopian communit$' .e too8 the throne name of Amha 3elassie 4' .is wife #egan also using the title of G7mpressG' A $ear later, the 7mperor and 7mpress in e&ile moved to the 2irginia su#ur#s of Washington, <')' to #e close to the large 7thiopian 4mmigrant population there' 4n 1 1, with the fall of the <erg, and the coming to power of the 7-R<" in 7thiopia, Amha 3elassie founded the 0oa Am#assa 0onarchist 0ovement to promote a monarchial restoration in 7thiopia and announced his intention to return to his countr$ for a visit' .owever, following the disinterment of the remains of 7mperor .aile 3elassie, a dispute erupted #etween the 4mperial famil$ and the new government over the status of a funeral that was planned for the late 7mperor' ?he government refused to give .aile 3elassie a state funeral, and as a result, the funeral, and the return of Amha 3elassie was indefinitel$ postponed' Amha 3elassie died after long illnesses in the I'3' state of 2irginia at age 8/ on "e#ruar$ 1%, 1 %' .e had never completel$ recovered from the massive stro8e he e&perienced in 1 %F' .is #od$ was flown #ac8 to 7thiopia and

#uried in the 4mperial famil$ vaults at .ol$ ?rinit$ )athedral in Addis A#a#a in a huge ceremonial funeral presided over #$ -atriarch A#une -aulos'

&edit' *rders, decorations and hono"rs

&edit' *rders and decorations
1i8e his father, Amha 3elassie o#tained man$ orders' ?hese included: ?he ,rand )ollar and )hain of the =rder of 3olomon (in 1 F/) ?he )ordon =rders of the =rder of the 3eal of 3olomon, =rder of .ol$ ?rinit$, =rder of 0eneli8 44, and the =rder of the 3tar of 7thiopia <istinguished 0ilitar$ 0edal of .aile 3elassie, 0ilitar$ 0edal of 0erit of 3t ,eorge (,reat ;ritain) Cnight of the =rder of the 3erephim of 3weden (1A'11'1 A@) =rder of the 7lephant of <enmar8 (1A'1'1 %/) ,olden )hains of the =rder of -olonia Restituta of -oland (F/'1/'1 F/), =rder of 0ohammed Ali (in 1 F*) and =rder of the (ile of 7g$pt 1egion of .onour ("rance) (*'1'1 F*) ;lac8 3tar of ;enin of "rance (F/'1/'1 F/) 33 0aurice J 1a:arus of 4tal$ (in 1 F*) =rder of -ius 4K of the 2atican (in 1 F*) =rder of 2asa of 3weden with collar ( '1'1 FA) =rder of the (etherlands 1ion (%'11'1 AF) =rder of 3t =lav of (orwa$ (1 A+) =rder of the 3outhern )ross of ;ra:il (@'%'1 A8) =rder of 1eopold of ;elgium (mil') =rder of the Redeemer of ,reece (April 1 A ) =rder of the Renaissance (special class) =rder of the 3tar of Jordan 3tar of Romania =rder of White 7lephant and =rder of the )rown of ?hailand =rder of Alfonso K44 of 3pain =rder of 0erit of the "ederal Repu#lic of ,erman$ =rder of 0erit of ;ulgaria =rder of the )hr$santhemum and =rder of the Rising 3un of Japan =rder of the )edars of 1e#anon =rder of the 3tar of ,hana (in 1 %/) 0edal of .onour of 0onaco

&edit' Honorary military ranks

Amha 3elassie held the following militar$ ran8s:D1E "ield 0arshal, 4mperial 7thiopia Arm$ Admiral of the "leet, 4mperial 7thiopian (av$ 0arshal of the 4mperial 7thiopian Air "orce