October 27, 2014<\/p>\n
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Taytu Betul: <\/span><\/h2>\nthe Great Ethiopian<\/span><\/h2>\n Empress who Said<\/span><\/h2>\n \u2018NO\u2019 to\u00a0Colonization<\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
Posted by:\u00a0humilityjoy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n![\"Empress](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/taytu_betul-01.jpg\")
<\/a>Empress Taytu Betul of Ethiopia<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nAfter learning about the origin of the name\u00a0Addis Ababa<\/a>, from\u00a0Empress Taytu Betul\u2018s visit to its location, I could not help but talk about the Empress herself.\u00a0\u00a0Who was\u00a0Taytu Betul?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nWell,\u00a0Taytu Betul<\/a>\u00a0was Emperor\u00a0Menelik II<\/a>\u2018s third wife and was thereby Empress of\u00a0Ethiopia<\/a>.\u00a0 She was his confidante, a loyal wife, a commander, and a brilliant military strategist.<\/span><\/p>\nTaytu Betul<\/a>\u00a0(also\u00a0Taitu Betul), whose name\u00a0Taytu\u00a0means\u00a0Sunshine, was a sunshine for her nation when it was about to fall into the hands of the Italian colonizer.\u00a0 Perhaps, there would not have been the famous\u00a0Battle of Adwa<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0March 1, 1896, which marked the\u00a0Ethiopian victory against colonialism<\/strong>, without Empress Taytu, for she inspired it.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Emperor](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/ethiopia-02.gif\")
<\/a>Emperor Menelik II, of Ethiopia<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nEmpress Taytu Betul\u00a0was born in\u00a0Wollo\u00a0<\/em>from a Christian and Muslim family.\u00a0 She had a comprehensive education and was fluent in\u00a0Ge\u2019ez<\/em>, the classical Ethiopian language; which was a rare achievement for a woman at the time, as education was mostly reserved for boys.\u00a0 Taytu was the third of four children in an aristocratic family related to the\u00a0Solomonic dynasty<\/a>\u00a0of Ethiopia.\u00a0 Her uncle,\u00a0Dejazmach<\/a>\u00a0Wube Haile Maryam<\/a>, was the ruler of\u00a0Tigray<\/a>\u00a0and much of\u00a0Northern Ethiopia\u00a0in the\u00a01840s, and a rival of Emperor\u00a0Tewodros II<\/a>.\u00a0 Her father\u2019s family were the ruling family of\u00a0Semien province<\/a>, claiming descent from Emperor\u00a0Susenyos I<\/a>.\u00a0 Her grandfather was Ras\u00a0Gugsa<\/a>, a member of the powerful ruling family of\u00a0Yejju<\/a>, of\u00a0Oromo<\/a>origin, which had ruled as Regents in\u00a0Gondar<\/a>\u00a0during the\u00a0Zemene Mesafint<\/a>\u00a0(\u201cEra of the Princes\u201d).\u00a0 After four failed marriages,\u00a0Taytu Betul\u00a0was married to\u00a0Emperor Menelik II\u00a0(he was still King of Shewa at the time) in\u00a01883\u00a0in a full communion church service and thus fully canonical and insoluble,\u00a0which Menelik had not had with either of his previous wives (whom he had divorced).\u00a0 Their marriage was not just about romance but was also a political marriage sealing alliances with the northern regions of\u00a0Begemder<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Lasta<\/em>,\u00a0Semien<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0Yeju<\/em>.\u00a0 She remained his wife until his death in\u00a01913.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Ethiopia-03.jpg\")
<\/a>The Battle of Adwa, 1896<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nEmpress Taytu\u00a0was a loyal and respectful wife to her husband\u00a0Emperor Menelik II.\u00a0 According to royal historians, she was co-equal with Menelik, who always consulted her prior to making important decisions.\u00a0 She was the one who pushed him to declare war against Italy at the Battle of Adwa\u2014tearing up the\u00a01889\u00a0Treaty of Wuchale<\/a>\u00a0between the\u00a0Ethiopian Empire<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Italy<\/a>,\u00a0a treaty whose\u00a0article 17\u00a0had two different meanings in Amharic and Italian versions<\/strong>:\u00a0The Amharic version recognized the sovereignty of Ethiopia and its relationship with Italy as just a diplomatic partnership, while the Italian version made Ethiopia Italy\u2019s protectorate.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The moment that discrepancy was uncovered,\u00a0Empress Taytu was the first to agitate the hesitant Emperor and other men to stand up for liberty, dignity and against Italian aggression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Edition](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/ethiopia-04.jpg\")
<\/a>Edition of the Petit Journal of August 1896 titled: \u201cNegus Menelik II at the Battle of Adwa\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nEmpress Taytu, as a military strategist,\u00a0facilitated the downfall of Italy at the Battle of Adwa.\u00a0\u00a0She had her own battalion, which she bravely commanded in the battlefield, fighting in the frontline and motivating men against retreat.\u00a0 She also mobilized women, both as fighters and nurses of wounded soldiers.\u00a0\u00a0 At the\u00a0Battle of\u00a0Mekelle<\/a>, she advised\u00a0Ras Mekonen\u00a0to cut off the water supply to the Italians in order to disgorge them from their entrenched and heavily fortified positions at\u00a0Endeyesus Hill<\/em>\u00a0on the eastern part of Mekelle City.\u00a0\u00a0Taytu was also the receiver and analyzer of intelligence information collected by spies, which historians have characterized as of crucial importance to the Ethiopian victory at the battle<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0This information enabled Menelik to attack the Italians, at a site of his\u00a0choosing, at\u00a0Adwa<\/a>\u00a0instead of\u00a0Adigrat<\/a>, near the\u00a0Eritrean<\/a>\u00a0border where the Italians expected to have a relative logistical advantage.\u00a0 The Italians were hoping that Menelik would meet them in\u00a0Adigrat, close to where they had a well-protected military base.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Empress](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/ethiopia-05.jpg\")
<\/a>Empress Taytu Betul in Le Petit Journal of March 1896<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nIndependence and cooperation defined Taytu\u2019s relationship with Emperor Menelik II.\u00a0 Their marriage was that of equals characterized by trust, respect and reciprocity.\u00a0 After Menelik was incapacitated due to strokes in\u00a01906, she essentially governed the country, angering all the rivals to the throne.\u00a0 She was ousted from power in\u00a01910.\u00a0 After Menelik II\u2019s death in\u00a01913, she was banished to the old palace at\u00a0Entoto<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\nTaytu Betul was an authentic Ethiopian leader.\u00a0 Her deeds at a critical moment in Ethiopian history not only saved Ethiopia from European colonization, but it also paved the way for the decolonization of Africa.\u00a0 Her advice and action resulted in the defeat of the Italian army at the\u00a01896 Battle of Adwa, a mighty European army defeat at the hands of Africans.\u00a0 Taytu strongly defended national interests by overcoming challenges both from within and from without.\u00a0\u00a0Just as there was no Menelik II without Taytu Betul, there would have been no Ethiopia without Taytu\u2019s great strength, courage, devotion, and determination. Taytu Betul was truly Ethiopia\u2019s sunshine, and should forever be remembered as one of the greatest empresses of Ethiopia and of Africa as a whole.<\/strong>\u00a0 Please check out\u00a0Tadias.com<\/a>\u00a0which has outstanding information on this great empress.\u00a0 Enjoy this video about the Battle of Adwa.<\/span><\/p>\n
Empress who Said<\/span><\/h2>\n \u2018NO\u2019 to\u00a0Colonization<\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
Posted by:\u00a0humilityjoy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n<\/a>Empress Taytu Betul of Ethiopia<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nAfter learning about the origin of the name\u00a0Addis Ababa<\/a>, from\u00a0Empress Taytu Betul\u2018s visit to its location, I could not help but talk about the Empress herself.\u00a0\u00a0Who was\u00a0Taytu Betul?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nWell,\u00a0Taytu Betul<\/a>\u00a0was Emperor\u00a0Menelik II<\/a>\u2018s third wife and was thereby Empress of\u00a0Ethiopia<\/a>.\u00a0 She was his confidante, a loyal wife, a commander, and a brilliant military strategist.<\/span><\/p>\nTaytu Betul<\/a>\u00a0(also\u00a0Taitu Betul), whose name\u00a0Taytu\u00a0means\u00a0Sunshine, was a sunshine for her nation when it was about to fall into the hands of the Italian colonizer.\u00a0 Perhaps, there would not have been the famous\u00a0Battle of Adwa<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0March 1, 1896, which marked the\u00a0Ethiopian victory against colonialism<\/strong>, without Empress Taytu, for she inspired it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Emperor Menelik II, of Ethiopia<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nEmpress Taytu Betul\u00a0was born in\u00a0Wollo\u00a0<\/em>from a Christian and Muslim family.\u00a0 She had a comprehensive education and was fluent in\u00a0Ge\u2019ez<\/em>, the classical Ethiopian language; which was a rare achievement for a woman at the time, as education was mostly reserved for boys.\u00a0 Taytu was the third of four children in an aristocratic family related to the\u00a0Solomonic dynasty<\/a>\u00a0of Ethiopia.\u00a0 Her uncle,\u00a0Dejazmach<\/a>\u00a0Wube Haile Maryam<\/a>, was the ruler of\u00a0Tigray<\/a>\u00a0and much of\u00a0Northern Ethiopia\u00a0in the\u00a01840s, and a rival of Emperor\u00a0Tewodros II<\/a>.\u00a0 Her father\u2019s family were the ruling family of\u00a0Semien province<\/a>, claiming descent from Emperor\u00a0Susenyos I<\/a>.\u00a0 Her grandfather was Ras\u00a0Gugsa<\/a>, a member of the powerful ruling family of\u00a0Yejju<\/a>, of\u00a0Oromo<\/a>origin, which had ruled as Regents in\u00a0Gondar<\/a>\u00a0during the\u00a0Zemene Mesafint<\/a>\u00a0(\u201cEra of the Princes\u201d).\u00a0 After four failed marriages,\u00a0Taytu Betul\u00a0was married to\u00a0Emperor Menelik II\u00a0(he was still King of Shewa at the time) in\u00a01883\u00a0in a full communion church service and thus fully canonical and insoluble,\u00a0which Menelik had not had with either of his previous wives (whom he had divorced).\u00a0 Their marriage was not just about romance but was also a political marriage sealing alliances with the northern regions of\u00a0Begemder<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Lasta<\/em>,\u00a0Semien<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0Yeju<\/em>.\u00a0 She remained his wife until his death in\u00a01913.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>The Battle of Adwa, 1896<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nEmpress Taytu\u00a0was a loyal and respectful wife to her husband\u00a0Emperor Menelik II.\u00a0 According to royal historians, she was co-equal with Menelik, who always consulted her prior to making important decisions.\u00a0 She was the one who pushed him to declare war against Italy at the Battle of Adwa\u2014tearing up the\u00a01889\u00a0Treaty of Wuchale<\/a>\u00a0between the\u00a0Ethiopian Empire<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Italy<\/a>,\u00a0a treaty whose\u00a0article 17\u00a0had two different meanings in Amharic and Italian versions<\/strong>:\u00a0The Amharic version recognized the sovereignty of Ethiopia and its relationship with Italy as just a diplomatic partnership, while the Italian version made Ethiopia Italy\u2019s protectorate.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The moment that discrepancy was uncovered,\u00a0Empress Taytu was the first to agitate the hesitant Emperor and other men to stand up for liberty, dignity and against Italian aggression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Edition of the Petit Journal of August 1896 titled: \u201cNegus Menelik II at the Battle of Adwa\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nEmpress Taytu, as a military strategist,\u00a0facilitated the downfall of Italy at the Battle of Adwa.\u00a0\u00a0She had her own battalion, which she bravely commanded in the battlefield, fighting in the frontline and motivating men against retreat.\u00a0 She also mobilized women, both as fighters and nurses of wounded soldiers.\u00a0\u00a0 At the\u00a0Battle of\u00a0Mekelle<\/a>, she advised\u00a0Ras Mekonen\u00a0to cut off the water supply to the Italians in order to disgorge them from their entrenched and heavily fortified positions at\u00a0Endeyesus Hill<\/em>\u00a0on the eastern part of Mekelle City.\u00a0\u00a0Taytu was also the receiver and analyzer of intelligence information collected by spies, which historians have characterized as of crucial importance to the Ethiopian victory at the battle<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0This information enabled Menelik to attack the Italians, at a site of his\u00a0choosing, at\u00a0Adwa<\/a>\u00a0instead of\u00a0Adigrat<\/a>, near the\u00a0Eritrean<\/a>\u00a0border where the Italians expected to have a relative logistical advantage.\u00a0 The Italians were hoping that Menelik would meet them in\u00a0Adigrat, close to where they had a well-protected military base.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Empress Taytu Betul in Le Petit Journal of March 1896<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nIndependence and cooperation defined Taytu\u2019s relationship with Emperor Menelik II.\u00a0 Their marriage was that of equals characterized by trust, respect and reciprocity.\u00a0 After Menelik was incapacitated due to strokes in\u00a01906, she essentially governed the country, angering all the rivals to the throne.\u00a0 She was ousted from power in\u00a01910.\u00a0 After Menelik II\u2019s death in\u00a01913, she was banished to the old palace at\u00a0Entoto<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\nTaytu Betul was an authentic Ethiopian leader.\u00a0 Her deeds at a critical moment in Ethiopian history not only saved Ethiopia from European colonization, but it also paved the way for the decolonization of Africa.\u00a0 Her advice and action resulted in the defeat of the Italian army at the\u00a01896 Battle of Adwa, a mighty European army defeat at the hands of Africans.\u00a0 Taytu strongly defended national interests by overcoming challenges both from within and from without.\u00a0\u00a0Just as there was no Menelik II without Taytu Betul, there would have been no Ethiopia without Taytu\u2019s great strength, courage, devotion, and determination. Taytu Betul was truly Ethiopia\u2019s sunshine, and should forever be remembered as one of the greatest empresses of Ethiopia and of Africa as a whole.<\/strong>\u00a0 Please check out\u00a0Tadias.com<\/a>\u00a0which has outstanding information on this great empress.\u00a0 Enjoy this video about the Battle of Adwa.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Posted by:\u00a0humilityjoy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Empress Taytu Betul of Ethiopia<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n After learning about the origin of the name\u00a0Addis Ababa<\/a>, from\u00a0Empress Taytu Betul\u2018s visit to its location, I could not help but talk about the Empress herself.\u00a0\u00a0Who was\u00a0Taytu Betul?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Well,\u00a0Taytu Betul<\/a>\u00a0was Emperor\u00a0Menelik II<\/a>\u2018s third wife and was thereby Empress of\u00a0Ethiopia<\/a>.\u00a0 She was his confidante, a loyal wife, a commander, and a brilliant military strategist.<\/span><\/p>\n Taytu Betul<\/a>\u00a0(also\u00a0Taitu Betul), whose name\u00a0Taytu\u00a0means\u00a0Sunshine, was a sunshine for her nation when it was about to fall into the hands of the Italian colonizer.\u00a0 Perhaps, there would not have been the famous\u00a0Battle of Adwa<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0March 1, 1896, which marked the\u00a0Ethiopian victory against colonialism<\/strong>, without Empress Taytu, for she inspired it.<\/span><\/p>\n Emperor Menelik II, of Ethiopia<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Empress Taytu Betul\u00a0was born in\u00a0Wollo\u00a0<\/em>from a Christian and Muslim family.\u00a0 She had a comprehensive education and was fluent in\u00a0Ge\u2019ez<\/em>, the classical Ethiopian language; which was a rare achievement for a woman at the time, as education was mostly reserved for boys.\u00a0 Taytu was the third of four children in an aristocratic family related to the\u00a0Solomonic dynasty<\/a>\u00a0of Ethiopia.\u00a0 Her uncle,\u00a0Dejazmach<\/a>\u00a0Wube Haile Maryam<\/a>, was the ruler of\u00a0Tigray<\/a>\u00a0and much of\u00a0Northern Ethiopia\u00a0in the\u00a01840s, and a rival of Emperor\u00a0Tewodros II<\/a>.\u00a0 Her father\u2019s family were the ruling family of\u00a0Semien province<\/a>, claiming descent from Emperor\u00a0Susenyos I<\/a>.\u00a0 Her grandfather was Ras\u00a0Gugsa<\/a>, a member of the powerful ruling family of\u00a0Yejju<\/a>, of\u00a0Oromo<\/a>origin, which had ruled as Regents in\u00a0Gondar<\/a>\u00a0during the\u00a0Zemene Mesafint<\/a>\u00a0(\u201cEra of the Princes\u201d).\u00a0 After four failed marriages,\u00a0Taytu Betul\u00a0was married to\u00a0Emperor Menelik II\u00a0(he was still King of Shewa at the time) in\u00a01883\u00a0in a full communion church service and thus fully canonical and insoluble,\u00a0which Menelik had not had with either of his previous wives (whom he had divorced).\u00a0 Their marriage was not just about romance but was also a political marriage sealing alliances with the northern regions of\u00a0Begemder<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Lasta<\/em>,\u00a0Semien<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0Yeju<\/em>.\u00a0 She remained his wife until his death in\u00a01913.<\/span><\/p>\n The Battle of Adwa, 1896<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Empress Taytu\u00a0was a loyal and respectful wife to her husband\u00a0Emperor Menelik II.\u00a0 According to royal historians, she was co-equal with Menelik, who always consulted her prior to making important decisions.\u00a0 She was the one who pushed him to declare war against Italy at the Battle of Adwa\u2014tearing up the\u00a01889\u00a0Treaty of Wuchale<\/a>\u00a0between the\u00a0Ethiopian Empire<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Italy<\/a>,\u00a0a treaty whose\u00a0article 17\u00a0had two different meanings in Amharic and Italian versions<\/strong>:\u00a0The Amharic version recognized the sovereignty of Ethiopia and its relationship with Italy as just a diplomatic partnership, while the Italian version made Ethiopia Italy\u2019s protectorate.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The moment that discrepancy was uncovered,\u00a0Empress Taytu was the first to agitate the hesitant Emperor and other men to stand up for liberty, dignity and against Italian aggression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edition of the Petit Journal of August 1896 titled: \u201cNegus Menelik II at the Battle of Adwa\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Empress Taytu, as a military strategist,\u00a0facilitated the downfall of Italy at the Battle of Adwa.\u00a0\u00a0She had her own battalion, which she bravely commanded in the battlefield, fighting in the frontline and motivating men against retreat.\u00a0 She also mobilized women, both as fighters and nurses of wounded soldiers.\u00a0\u00a0 At the\u00a0Battle of\u00a0Mekelle<\/a>, she advised\u00a0Ras Mekonen\u00a0to cut off the water supply to the Italians in order to disgorge them from their entrenched and heavily fortified positions at\u00a0Endeyesus Hill<\/em>\u00a0on the eastern part of Mekelle City.\u00a0\u00a0Taytu was also the receiver and analyzer of intelligence information collected by spies, which historians have characterized as of crucial importance to the Ethiopian victory at the battle<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0This information enabled Menelik to attack the Italians, at a site of his\u00a0choosing, at\u00a0Adwa<\/a>\u00a0instead of\u00a0Adigrat<\/a>, near the\u00a0Eritrean<\/a>\u00a0border where the Italians expected to have a relative logistical advantage.\u00a0 The Italians were hoping that Menelik would meet them in\u00a0Adigrat, close to where they had a well-protected military base.<\/span><\/p>\n Empress Taytu Betul in Le Petit Journal of March 1896<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Independence and cooperation defined Taytu\u2019s relationship with Emperor Menelik II.\u00a0 Their marriage was that of equals characterized by trust, respect and reciprocity.\u00a0 After Menelik was incapacitated due to strokes in\u00a01906, she essentially governed the country, angering all the rivals to the throne.\u00a0 She was ousted from power in\u00a01910.\u00a0 After Menelik II\u2019s death in\u00a01913, she was banished to the old palace at\u00a0Entoto<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n Taytu Betul was an authentic Ethiopian leader.\u00a0 Her deeds at a critical moment in Ethiopian history not only saved Ethiopia from European colonization, but it also paved the way for the decolonization of Africa.\u00a0 Her advice and action resulted in the defeat of the Italian army at the\u00a01896 Battle of Adwa, a mighty European army defeat at the hands of Africans.\u00a0 Taytu strongly defended national interests by overcoming challenges both from within and from without.\u00a0\u00a0Just as there was no Menelik II without Taytu Betul, there would have been no Ethiopia without Taytu\u2019s great strength, courage, devotion, and determination. Taytu Betul was truly Ethiopia\u2019s sunshine, and should forever be remembered as one of the greatest empresses of Ethiopia and of Africa as a whole.<\/strong>\u00a0 Please check out\u00a0Tadias.com<\/a>\u00a0which has outstanding information on this great empress.\u00a0 Enjoy this video about the Battle of Adwa.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>