Major-General '' Dejazmatch'' Beyene Merid (sometimes rendered as Beine Merid) (1897 - 24 February 1937) was an

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

army commander, a patriot, and the

son-in-law Son-in-Law (22 April 1911 – 15 May 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses. The National Horseracing Museum says Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this co ...

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...

Biography

Son of '' Dejazmatch'' Merid. '' Dejazmatch'' Beyenne Merid married ''Leult'' Romanework, the daughter of Haile Selassie. He spent most of his career as the ''Shum'' of Bale. By 1935, he had also established himself as the ''Shum'' of

Gamu-Gofa Gamu-Gofa was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, named after two of the ethnic groups living within its boundaries, the Gamo and the Gofa. First incorporated into Ethiopia by Emperor Menelik II in the 1880s , its capital was first at ...

. During the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...

, ''

Dejazmach Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( gez, መሳፍንት , modern , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary nobility, formed the upper ...

'' Beyenne Merid commanded the Army of Bale and fought on the "southern front" against Italian forces based in

Italian Somaliland Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centu ...

. Before the Battle of Genale Doria, Beyenne Merid and the 4,000 strong Army of Bale advanced down the

Shebelle River The Shebelle River ( so, Webi Shabeelle, ar, نهر شبيلي, am, እደላ) begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast ...

with the intention of invading central Italian Somaliland. Beyene Merid and his army was able to move forward quickly due to the good terrain along the Shebelle River. In November, advancing elements of Beyenne Merid's force clashed with about 1,000 ''

dubats Dubat (Arabic: العمائم البيضاء(دُوب عد); ḍubbāṭ: English: ''White turban'') was the designation given to members of the semi-regular armed bands employed by the Italian " Royal Corps of Colonial Troops" (''Regio Corpo di ...

'' of the pro-

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Olol Diinle. Both sides withdrew from the battlefield in the end, but Beyene Merid had been seriously wounded. Its commander stricken, the Army of Bale retired from battle. During the Italian occupation, Beyenne Merid fought as an '' Arbegna''. On 24 February 1937, he and his forces joined up with ''Ras''

Desta Damtew ''Ras'' Desta Damtew (Amharic: ደስታ ዳምጠው ; ''c.'' 1892 – 24 February 1937) was an Ethiopian noble, an army commander, and a son-in-law of Emperor Haile Selassie I. Biography Born in the village of Maskan (in the contempora ...

and his forces. On the same day, he and Desta Damtew were captured by the Italians. They were then immediately executed.

Family

Beyene Merid and Romane Work had four sons. In 1930, ''Lij'' Getachew Beyene was born. In May 1932, ''Dejazmatch'' Merid Beyene was born. In 1934, ''Dejazmatch'' Samson Beyene was born. In 1935, ''Lij'' Gideon Beyene was born. Only Merid and Samson survived the Italian occupation.Haile Selassie, p. 170

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * * * {{cite book, author=Pankhurst, Richard , title=The Ethiopians: A History (Peoples of Africa), publisher=Wiley-Blackwell; New Ed edition, year=2001, isbn=0-631-22493-9 , ref=Pankhurt 2001 1897 births 1937 deaths Ethiopian nobility Ethiopian military personnel Executed Ethiopian people Executed military personnel 20th-century executions by Italy

Biography

Family

See also

Notes

References