Adefrsew Yenadu (1873–1950) was an army commander, a member of the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of the

Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire, historically known as Abyssinia or simply Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day territories of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It existed from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak a ...

, and a patriot. He was the brother of Dejazmach habte Michael yenadu he was also Adwa veteran

Biography

Adefrsew Yenadu was the son of ''Ras'' Yenadu. He was a young favorite of

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Menelik II Menelik II ( ; horse name Aba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913), baptised as Sahle Maryam (ሣህለ ማርያም ''sahlä maryam'') was king of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Et ...

. In 1896, during the

First Italo-Ethiopian War The First Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the First Italo-Abyssinian War, or simply known as the Abyssinian War in Italy (), was a military confrontation fought between Kingdom of Italy, Italy and Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia from 1895 to ...

, Adefrsew Yenadu fought bravely at the

Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa (; ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian army defeated an invading Italian and Eritrean force led by Oreste Baratieri on March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa. ...

. In 1930, ''Dejazmach'' Adefrsew Yenadu was appointed head of the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

('' Kebur Zabangna'') by Emperor

Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

. On 31 March, during Gugsa Welle's Rebellion, he was at the

Battle of Anchem The Battle of Anchem (also Battle of Anchiem or Battle of Anchim) was fought between two factions of the Royal family in the Ethiopian Empire (''Mangista Iteeyop'p'ya''). The battle was fought to determine who would rule the empire, Empress ( ...

as part of the Imperial Army. His forces were part of the reserves. In 1935, at the beginning the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

, Adefrsew Yenadu was with Emperor Haile Selassie. In March 1936, at the

Battle of Maychew The Battle of Maychew () was the last major battle fought on the northern front during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The battle consisted of a failed counterattack by the Ethiopian forces under Emperor Haile Selassie making frontal assaults ...

he commanded the palace guard and reported directly to the emperor. He remained with Haile Selassie to the end of the conflict and, in May, joined him in exile. Adefrsew Yenadu stayed in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in the British Mandate of Palestine. In 1940, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Adefrsew Yenadu was in the

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

at the beginning of the East African Campaign. He was entrusted with the task of negotiating political arrangements with the ''

Arbegnoch The Arbegnoch () were Ethiopian anti-fascist World War II resistance fighters in Italian East Africa from 1936 until 1941 who fought against Fascist Italy's occupation of the Ethiopian Empire. The Patriot movement was primarily based in the ru ...

'' and continued to do so throughout the campaign. In early 1941, when Haile Selassie crossed into Ethiopia, Adefrsew Yenadu was with him. In 1942, having successfully served his Emperor, Adefrsew Yenadu was made ''Shum'' of

Sidamo Province Sidamo Province (Amharic: ሲዳሞ) was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to southern Ethiopia, called the Sidama, who are located ...

and elevated to ''Ras''. In 1948, he was appointed as a crown councillor and a senator.Haile Selassie I, Volume II, p. 104

Footnotes and citations

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References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yendau, Adefrsew 1873 births 1950 deaths Ethiopian nobility Ethiopian military personnel

Biography

See also

Footnotes and citations

References