Tewoflos ( Ge'ez: ቴዎፍሎስ), throne name Walda Anbasa (Ge'ez: ወልደ አንበሳ, died 14 October 1711), was

Emperor of Ethiopia The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, " King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolitio ...

from 1 July 1708 to 14 October 1711, and a member of the

Solomonic dynasty The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire formed in the thirteenth century. Its members claim lineal descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Tradition asserts ...

. He was the brother of Iyasu I, and one of four sons of

Fasilides Fasilides ( Ge'ez: ፋሲልደስ; ''Fāsīladas''; 20 November 1603 – 18 October 1667), also known as Fasil, Basilide, or Basilides (as in the works of Edward Gibbon), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1632 to his death on 18 October 1667, and a m ...

Reign

Following the murder of his nephew Tekle Haymanot I, Tewoflos was brought out of captivity at Mount Wehni and made Emperor. At first he faced a rival in the person of the four-year-old son of his nephew who was supported by the Master of Horse Yohannes and Empress Malakotawit. His nephew's name was Na'od and he was crowned at Emfraz upon the death of Tekle Haymanot I. However, Tewoflos moved quickly by having Yohannes, and several other non-royals accused of aiding in the murder of Tekle Haymanot, arrested then sent into exile. According to

James Bruce James Bruce of Kinnaird (14 December 1730 – 27 April 1794) was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who confirmed the source of the Blue Nile. He spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia and in 1770 became the first Euro ...

, at first he behaved as if he would not seek vengeance on those thought responsible for the death of his brother Iyasu; but this was a deception, and once this party relaxed their guard he acted. He accused his late nephew Emperor Tekle Haymanot of regicide and patricide, and Tekle Haymanot has been known as ''Irgum'' ("Cursed") ever since. Empress Malakotawit was publicly hanged, while her two brothers were speared to death; Bruce states that in one afternoon a total of 37 persons were executed. Not long afterwards he decided to move against all regicides, and ordered that all who had taken part in the plot that led to the death of his brother Iyasu I be found and executed. Tewoflos also initiated the canonization of his brother Iyasu I. His reign was an unquiet one. In 1709, Nebahne Yohannes was proclaimed ''nəgusä nägäst'' in a revolt that lasted until July 1710. Tewoflos also found himself compelled to support the doctrine known as ''Wold Qib''; when the monks of

Debre Libanos Debre Libanos ( Amharic: ደብረ ሊባኖስ, om, Dabra libanose) is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo monastery, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. It was founded in 1284 by Saint Tekle Haymanot a ...

asked the Emperor why he embraced the belief they opposed, he reportedly told them, "It is not because I hate you, but so that

Gojjam Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical province in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. Gojjam's earliest western boundary e ...

will be subject to me."Donald Crummey, ''Priests and Politicians'', 1972 (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2007), p. 22 Tewflos died under suspicious circumstances. He was buried at Teda.

Notes

1711 deaths 18th-century emperors of Ethiopia Solomonic dynasty Year of birth unknown {{Ethiopia-royal-stub