The Battle of Amba Jebelli was fought in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

in 1854 between the forces of Kassa Hailu (later known as

Tewodros II Tewodros II (, once referred to by the English cognate Theodore; baptized as Kassa, – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to ...

), and the forces of Birru Goshu of

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 ...

. Kassa was victorious, Birru Goshu was captured and spent the next 14 years in chains. The battle was fought in Gojjam, in the modern Misraq Gojjam Zone. Birru sought to avenge his father, Goshu Zewde, who had been killed in the Battle of Gur Amba two years before. Confident of success, he left his fortress at Jebelli and in March 1854 Kassa Hailu engaged him and defeated him. Birru then tried to use the same tactics he had successfully used against Ras Ali, but his army failed him. As Mordechai Abir notes, "His Gojjamites were no longer fighting the hated Galla who had continuously ravaged their country, but a successful Amhara leader who was able to crush the much-disliked Yejju dynasty. Moreover, Kassa was the idol of the soldiers and his personal bravery became legendary." So when the two armies met again, Birru Goshu's army disintegrated and was taken prisoner. Birru's wife surrendered Jibelli (Jebelli is one of two ambas, or fortified mountaintops, in the valley of the Chamwaga River, and was frequently used as a stronghold by the rulers of Gojjam.) with its arsenal, if she were promised that she would not be reunited with her husband. Afterwards, Birru Goshu was imprisoned on an amba west of Chelga.Henry Stern, ''Wanderings among the Falashas in Abyssinia'' (London, 1862), p. 72

Notes

Battles involving the Ethiopian Empire Battles of the Zemene Mesafint 1854 in Ethiopia Conflicts in 1854 March 1854 {{Ethiopia-hist-stub