Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot was born in Derefo Maryam near
Ankober, in what was then in the province of
Menz to his mother
Woizero Tenagnework Sahle Selassie and his father
Dejazmach Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot, who was the governor of the provinces
Menz and Doba (which are located in
Semien Shewa) His maternal lineage is ethnically
Amhara with a Solomonic genealogy, his mother was a daughter of
Sahle Selassie of
Shewa. In 1865, at the age of 14 his father took him to the court of
Negus Menelik, then ruler of
Shewa, where he engaged in military training and imbibed the skills of statecraft. Around July 1873, Makonnen married
Yeshimebet Ali, the
Oromo daughter of
Dejazmach Ali and
Woizero Wolete Giyorgis. In 1875, Yilma Makonnen was born to Makonnen and a woman who was not Yeshimebet Ali. In 1892,
Tafari Makonnen, the son of Makonnen and Yeshimebet Ali, was born. In 1901, following the death of Yeshimebet Ali, Makonnen was briefly married to a niece of Empress
Taytu Betul,
Woizero Mentewab Wale. Makonnen's marriage to Mentewab Wale was never consummated and, in 1902, it was annulled. In 1876, Makonnen was awarded the rank of
Balambaras and by 1881 commanded 1,000 well armed troops. In the same year he served in a campaign against the
Arsi Oromo who were disrupting trade caravans from
Tadjoura. He served in the
Battle of Embabo, and fought against the Arsi for a second time. Makonnen lead the troops that captured the Amir's field cannons during the
Battle of Chelenqo. According to Hararis, the oppression of
Harari people began with the invasion of Harar by
Ras Makonnen which followed mosques changed into churches and Abyssinian Christians arriving from the north to settle in the town. Makonnen had ordered the primary mosque of Harar to be replaced by an Orthodox Church. The French traveler Charles Michel notes that "the first years of the Abyssinian occupation were far from prosperous" as
the Abyssinians "took for themselves what could have any value", while "the soldiers, several thousand in number, chased the
Hararis from their dwellings to install themselves in their place, and devastated everything around them." Trade and traders were driven away from the city and markets were held instead in the remote countryside. As the occupation progressed, Makonnen set about undermining Harari wealth by expropriating their land and offering it to his soldiers. At Harar, Makonnen enjoyed good relations with expatriates, including
Capuchin missionaries and a growing number of Europeans enroute to the capital. From there he learned as much as possible about the outside world. He especially appreciated Russians due to their shared Orthodox faith, and unlike other western Europeans, did not have colonial pretensions. Makonnen also had a passion for firearms and was heavily involved in the local arms trade, he imported weapons, some of whom he shipped to
Shewa, others he used to subdue or extract tribute from the nearby
Somalis. Makonnen pushed the expansion of the empire to the east and south of Harar, conquering the territories of the
Issa and the
Gadabuursi. In 1890, more reinforcements from
Addis Ababa allowed Makonnen to occupy all of the
Ogaden by 1891. Conditions in the city rapidly improved once the soldiers left for service in the
Ogaden. The Harari nobility was allowed some participation in the city's government, as running of the city was entrusted to the Amir's nephew, Ali. However ravaging and additional atrocities against the populace by the Abyssinians did not cease, the
Harari people soon revolted and Makonnen marched into town with his troops, cowed the population, and imprisoned Ali. Once in the town, the troops went wild, demolished and looted homes, tyrannized the population, and killed several people. According to historian Norman Bennett, Makonnen may have aroused an insurrection to obtain absolute power in Harar. He successively replaced Ali with two other Harari viceroys, Yusuf Berkhedle and Haji
Abdullahi Sadiq.
Diplomat Due to his familiarly with the Europeans, he was soon made to lead Ethiopian missions aboard. His first trip took place in 1889 to witness
Rome's formal ratification of the
Treaty of Wuchale which provided a welcome opportunity to buy modern weapons and ammunition. On his way home in 1890, he stopped in
Jerusalem, where he purchased land on behalf of the Ethiopian government, and the Greek patriarch presented him with a gold crucifix in which a sliver of the
True Cross was embedded. In April of that year, after arriving in
Addis Ababa, he was promoted to the rank of
Ras. Back at home, Makonnen took part in debates about Article 17 of the Treaty of Wuchale, condemning Italy's position. In 1892, Ras Makonnen was summoned to
Shewa because of Italian intrigue in
Tigray, an insurrection in
Gojjam, and an attempted palace coup. Makonnen spent much of the next 2 years participating in internal and external debates about Article 17. In the meantime his well equipped troops in
Harar underwent raiding expeditions throughout the Somali lowlands to capture sheep and cattle to restock highland herds decimated by the rinderpest epidemic. Ras Makonnen's troops played an important role at the
Battle of Adwa, his men spent much of the battle mauling
Matteo Albertone's Brigade on the slopes of Enda Keret, then occupying Mount Gusoso between Albertone's and Dabormida's position. His forces then turn on Dabormida Brigade, allowing the Oromo cavalry to decimate it while attempting to withdraw.
Travel abroad In 1902,
Ras Makonnen attended the coronation of King
Edward VII in
London. He arrived in June to the ceremony originally scheduled for 26 June, and stayed in Europe while the King recovered from an operation, attending the rescheduled ceremony on 9 August. Between these dates, he paid visits to various parts of the United Kingdom, and visited
Italy,
France,
Turkey, and
Germany. He received the following decorations: Knight Commander of the
Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) during an audience with King Edward VII on 8 August 1902, Star of the Russian Order of St. Anne, Star of the French ''
Legion d'Honneur'' (Third Republic), Star of the Order of the Crown of Italy, Star of the Ottoman Order of Osmania. == Monument to Ras Makonnen ==