Today in history: Tafari Makonnen proclaimed Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia



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Emperor Haile Selbadie I during the last stages of his life. Image: Retrieved from Jamaicans.com.

On this day of 1930, Emperor Haile Selbadie I succeeded Emperor Menelik II as ruler of Ethiopia.

Born in 1892, Tafari Makonnen, or Haile Selbadie, is the son of Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael, governor of the Harrar region. Selbadie is known to have modernized Ethiopia (formerly known as Abyssinia) by transforming his government and institutions from a feudal system into a constitutional monarchy, and by opposing and resisting Italian attempts to colonize the country. country.

Despite strong opposition from the conservatives of the Ethiopian nobility, on April 3, 1930, he took the reins of the country. He immediately undertook to modernize Ethiopia's systems of governance, education and industry. However, the tensions he encountered during the ascension of the throne would haunt his reign for the rest of his life.

This would eventually play an important role in his overthrow by the Marxist dictator, Mengistu Haile Mariam, as his rivals would eventually fall as against him, as they did when Ethiopia was occupied by Italy. Despite the transgressions, some claim that Selbadie had been committed during his reign, the position he held as an African ruler of an empire claiming an older pedigree than most European empires gave to him. hope to many African countries seeking to evade the colonial yoke.

Information provided by: https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/tafari-makonnen-proclaimed-emperor-haile-selbadie-i-ethiopia.

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AUTHOR

Blake Linder

Journalist

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