'' Ras'' Mulugeta Yeggazu (

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

: ሙሉጌታ ይገዙ; 17 February 1865 – 27 February 1936) was an Ethiopian government official, who served in the first cabinet formed by Emperor

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 ...

. He served as Imperial Fitawrari, Commander of the Mahel Sefari (Central Army) of the Ethiopian Army 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 waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

Biography

Of Amhara descent, Mulugeta came from

Menz Menz or Manz (, romanized: ''Mänz'') is a former Subdivisions of Ethiopia, subdivision of Ethiopia, located inside the boundaries of the modern Semien Shewa Zone (Amhara), Semien Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region. William Cornwallis Harris describe ...

Shewa Shewa (; ; Somali: Shawa; , ), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa, is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at it ...

, he was relative of Emperor

and Tessema Nadew, and was a descendant of Tedu, the 18th century ruler of Morat in northern

. Mulugeta fought as a young warrior in 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. ...

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 ...

in 1896. In January 1905, he became palace treasurer ( Bajerond), and a confidant of

. In 1908, he served as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

during the last years of Emperor Menelik II's reign. He was demoted when Menelik's health detoriated and affairs was nominally ruled by Lij Iyasu. Tessema Nadew, regent of Ethiopia, reappointed Mulugeta as dejazmach over Gimira to the west

Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...

. In 1916, after the deposition of Lij Iyasu, he was again made minister of Finance under Empress

Zewditu Zewditu (, born Askala Maryam; 29 April 1876 – 2 April 1930) was Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 until her death in 1930. She was officially renamed Zewditu at the beginning of her reign as Empress of Ethiopia. Once she succeeded the throne af ...

. From 1916 to 1917, he was Ethiopia's

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

. While governor of Illubabor, Mulugeta escorted then Ras Tafari (the later Emperor

Haile Selassie 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 his tour of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in 1924. In 1926, he was appointed as

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, and a few years later commanded the loyalist troops to victory at the Battle of Anchem. During the

, Mulugeta was appointed Imperial Commander of the Vanguard ('' Fitawrari'') to replace the disgraced Birru Wolde Gabriel. Along with his son, Tadesse Mulugeta, he was killed during the retreat of his defeated army from Amba Aradam .Anthony Mockler, ''Haile Selassie's War'' (New York: Olive Branch Press, 2003), pp. 103f, 395.

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Photo of Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu 1930
1936 deaths Ethiopian nobility Finance ministers of Ethiopia Foreign ministers of Ethiopia Defence ministers of Ethiopia Ethiopian military personnel killed in action 20th-century Ethiopian politicians {{Ethiopia-hist-stub

Biography

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