Baeda Maryam III, also known as Bida Maryam, was
Emperor of Ethiopia
The emperor of Ethiopia (, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse (, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The emperor w ...
for a few days in April 1826. Baeda Maryam was a figurehead, set on the throne by ''
Dejazmach
Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( , modern transcription , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary royal nobility, formed the upper ...
''
Haile Maryam, the governor of
Semien. Elisabeth-Dorothea Hecht has argued that this Baeda Maryam is the same person as
Baeda Maryam II, noting that the information that the earlier Baeda Maryam had died in combat in 1787 is wrong.
Reign
According to the ''Royal chronicles of Abyssinia'', ''Dajazmach'' Haile Maryam led a campaign south from Semien and held
Mount Manta for 15 days to make Baeda Maryam emperor. When ''
Ras''
Yimam cut short his expedition in
Gojjam
Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical provincial kingdom in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Markos.
During the 18th century, G ...
to oppose ''Dejazmach'' Haile Maryam, he found that the ''Dejazmach'' had seized control of the fords of the
Abay River
Abay may refer to:
People
* Abay (name)
Places
* Abay District, East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan
* Abay District, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
** Abay (town), the province's administrative center
* Abay, Almaty, Kazakhstan
* Abay, Aktobe, a villag ...
, so ''Ras'' Yimam circled west of
Lake Tana
Lake Tana (; previously transcribed Tsana) is the largest lake in Ethiopia and a source of the Blue Nile. Located in Amhara Region in the north-western Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately long and wide, with a maximum depth of , and ...
through
Dengel Ber
Dengel Ber is a town in western Ethiopia. Located on the south-western shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of . Access to this town includes track roads to both Shawra and Ku ...
to reach ''Dejazmach'' Haile Maryam in
Dembiya
Dembiya ( Amharic: ደምቢያ ''Dembīyā''; also transliterated Dembea, Dambya, Dembya, Dambiya, etc.) is a historic region of Ethiopia, intimately linked with Lake Tana. According to the account of Manuel de Almeida, Dembiya was "bounded on ...
. Surprised, ''Dejazmach'' Haile Maryam retreated to
Weldebba where ''Ras'' Yimam with his brother
Marye caught up with him and fought him for three days. On 6 January 1827, ''Dejazmach'' retreated again to
Wegera
Wegera or Wogera (Amharic: ወገራ), is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Wegera is named for the former province Wegera, which was located roughly in the same location, and was later made part of the province of Semien. Part of the Semien ...
and escaped from the brothers.
Baeda Maryam lived for several years after his deposition, as the missionary
Samuel Gobat
Samuel Gobat (26 January 1799 – 11 May 1879) was a Swiss Calvinist who became an Anglican missionary in Africa and was the Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem from 1846 until his death.
Biography
Samuel Gobat was born at Crémines, Canton of Bern, ...
mentions that he met Baeda Maryam, his wife and children, in
Adigrat
Adigrat ( , ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate Districts of Ethiopia, woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below ...
in June 1831.
[Samuel Gobat, ]
Journal of Three years' Residence in Abyssinia
', 1850, M.W. Dodd, p. 394
Notes
19th-century emperors of Ethiopia
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