Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles

Until the end of theEthiopian monarchyin 1974, there were two categories ofnobilityinEthiopiaandEritrea.TheMesafint(Ge'ez:መሳፍንትmasāfint,modern transcriptionmesāfint,singular መስፍንmasfin,modernmesfin,"prince" ), the hereditary royal nobility, formed the upper echelon of the ruling class. TheMekwanint(Ge'ez:መኳንንትmakʷanint,modernmekʷanint,singular መኰንንmakʷanin,modernmekʷaninorAmharic:መኮንንmekonnen,"officer" ) were the appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the aristocracy. Until the 20th century, the most powerful people at court were generally members of theMekwanintappointed by the monarch, while regionally, theMesafintenjoyed greater influence and power. EmperorHaile Selassiegreatly curtailed the power of theMesafintto the benefit of theMekwanint,who by then were essentially coterminous with the Ethiopian government.

Negusa NagastHaile Selassiewith other Ethiopian nobles and retainers.

RasMakonnen Wolde Mikaelsurrounded by retainers.

TheMekwanintwere officials who had been granted specific offices in the Abyssinian government or court. Higher ranks from the title ofRasdescending through toBalambaraswere also bestowed upon members of theMekwanint.A member of theMesafint,however, would traditionally be given precedence over a member of theMekwanintof the same rank. For example,RasMengesha Yohannes,son of EmperorYohannes IVand thus a member of theMesafint,would have outrankedRasAlula Engida,who was of humble birth and therefore a member of theMekwanint,even though their ranks were equal.

There were also parallel rules of precedence, primarily seniority based on age, on offices held, and on when they each obtained their titles, which made the rules for precedence rather complex. Combined with the ambiguous position of titled heirs of members of theMekwanint,Emperor Haile Selassie, as part of his programme of modernising reforms, and in line with his aims of centralising power away from theMesafint,replaced the traditional system of precedence with a simplified, Western-inspired system that gave precedence by rank, and then by seniority based when the title had been assumed – irrespective of how the title was acquired.

Imperial and royal titles

Negusa Nagast

Main article:Emperor of Ethiopia

EmperorHaile Selassieof theSolomonic dynasty.

Although several kings of Aksum used this style, until the restoration of theSolomonic dynastyunderYekuno Amlak,rulers of Ethiopia generally used the style ofNegus,although "King of Kings" was used as far back asEzana of Axum(320's–360 CE/AD).

The full title of the Emperor of Ethiopia wasNegusa NagastandSeyoume Igziabeher(Ge'ez:ሥዩመ እግዚአብሔር;"Elect of God" ). The titleMoa Anbessa Ze Imnegede Yehuda( "Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah" ) always preceded the titles of the Emperor. It was not a personal title but rather referred to the title ofJesusand placed the office of Christ ahead of the Emperor's name in an act of Imperial submission. Until the reign ofYohannes IV,the Emperor was alsoNeguse Tsion(Ge'ez:ንጉሠ ጽዮን,nəgusä tsiyon,"King of Zion" ), whose seat was atAxum,and which conferred hegemony over much of the north of the Empire.

The Emperor was referred to by the dignities of the formalGirmawi(Ge'ez:ግርማዊ,gərəmawi,"His Imperial Majesty" ), in common speech asJanhoy(Ge'ez:ጃንሆይjanihoy,"Your [Imperial] Majesty", or lit. "sire" ), in his own household and family asGetochu(our Master in theplural), and when referred to by name in the third person with the suffixofAtse(effectively "Emperor", i.e.AtseMenelik).

All formal speech concerning the Emperor was in the plural, as was his own speech;Haile Selassie,for instance, referred to himself in the first-person plural at all times, even in casual conversation and when speaking inFrench(however this was not the case when he spoke in English, in which he was not fully fluent).

Negesta Nagastat

TheNegesta Nagastat(Ge’ez:ንግሥተ ነገሥታትnəgəstä nägästât) wasEmpress Regnantin her own right, literally "Queen of Kings", or "Queen of Queens", or "female ruler of an empire."

Zewditu(reigned 1917–1930) was the only woman to be crowned in Ethiopia in her own right since ancient times. Rather than take the titleitege,which was reserved forempress consorts,Zewditu was given the feminine version ofnigusa nigistto indicate that she reigned in her own right. She was accorded the dignity ofGirmawit( "[Her] Imperial Majesty" ) and the title ofSiyimta Igzi'abher(Ge’ez:ሥይምተ እግዚአብሔርsəyəmtä ’əgziabhēr,"Elect of God" ). She was commonly referred to asnigist,translated as "Queen". The1955 Constitution of Ethiopiaexcluded women from the succession to the throne so this title was effectively abolished.

Itege

AnItege(Amharic:እቴጌ’ətēgē) was anEmpress Consort.This refers to the wives of reigning emperors.

Empresses were generally crowned as consorts by the emperor at the Imperial Palace. However,Taytu Betul,consort of Menelik II, became the first Itege to be crowned by the Emperor at church rather than at the Palace. Her coronation took place on the second day of the emperor's coronation holiday.Menen Asfawbecame the first Itege to be crowned by thearchbishopon the same day and during the same ceremony as her husband,Haile Selassie.The Itege was entitled to the dignity ofGirmawit( "Her/Your Imperial Majesty" ).

Negus

Main article:Negus

ANegus(Ge'ez:ንጉሥnəgus,"king" ) was a hereditary ruler of one of Ethiopia's largerprovinces,over whom collectively the monarch ruled, thus justifying his imperial title. The title ofNeguswas awarded at the discretion of the Emperor to those who ruled important provinces, although it was often used hereditarily during and after theZemene Mesafint.The rulers ofBegemder,Shewa,Gojjam,Wollo,all held the title of Negus at some point, as the "Negusof Shewa ","Negusof Gojjam ", and so forth.

During and after the reign ofMenelik IIvirtually all of the titles either lapsed into the Imperial crown or were dissolved. In 1914, after having been appointed "Negusof Zion "by his sonLijIyasu,Mikael of Wollo,in consideration of the hostile feelings this provoked among much of the nobility in northern Ethiopia (particularlyLe'ul RasSeyoum Mengesha,whose family had resented being denied the title by Menelik), who were now technically made subordinate to him, instead elected to use the title ofNegusof Wollo. Tafari Makonnen, who later became Emperor Haile Selassie, was bestowed the title ofNegusin 1928; he would be the last person to bear the title.

Despite this, European sources referred to the Ethiopian monarch as theNeguswell into the 20th century, switching to Emperor only after theSecond World War– around the same time the nameAbyssiniafell out of use in favour ofEthiopiain the west.

Leul or Leoul

Leul or Leoul(Ge'ez:ልዑልlə‘ul,"Prince" ) was aprincelystyle used by sons and grandson of Ethiopia's dynastic monarchs. It is equivalent to that ofYour Highnessand was formerly only used as a form of address. The term was introduced as an official title in 1916 by the former foreign ministerBlatten Geta Heruy Wolde-Selassie;it was first applied to Dejazmatch Tafari and his wife Princess Menen, who were respectively designated Leul-Ras and Le'elt Woizero.

Le'elt

Le'elt(Ge'ez:ልዕልትlə‘əlt,"Princess" ). This title came into use in 1916 upon the enthronement ofZewditu.Reserved at birth for daughters of the monarch andpatrilinealgranddaughters. Usually bestowed on the wives ofLeul Ras,as well as the monarch's granddaughters in the female line upon their marriages. The notable exception to the rule wasLeultYeshashework Yilma,Emperor Haile Selassie's niece by his elder brother, who received the title with the dignity of "Highness" from Zewditu upon the princess' marriage toLeul RasGugsa Araya Selassiein 1918, and then again from her uncle upon his coronation in 1930 with the enhanced dignity of "Imperial Highness".

Abeto

Abetohun(Amharic:አቤቶኹንabētōhun) orAbeto(Amharic:አቤቶabētō,"Prince" ) – Title reserved for males of imperial ancestry. The title fell into disuse by the late 19th century.LijIyasu attempted to revive the title asAbeto-hoy(Amharic:አቤቶ ሆይ,"Great Prince" ), and this form is still used by the current Iyasuist claimantGirma Yohannes Iyasu. Lij Tedla Melaku, an influential Ethiopian philosopher, monarchist, and a member of the Gondar-Lasta branch of the Solomonic-Zagwe Imperial House and the Shewan nobility was also invested with the title of Abeto by the Crown Council of Ethiopia in 2019.

Ras

Main article:Ras (title)

Ras(Amharic:ራስ,romanized:ras,lit. 'head', compare withArabicRais) – One of the powerful non-imperial titles; historianHarold G. Marcusequates this to aduke.The combined title ofLeul Ras(Amharic:ልዑል ራስ) was given to the heads of the cadet branches of the imperial dynasty, such as the Princes of Gojjam,Tigrayand theSelallesub-branch of the last reigning Shewan Branch.

Emebet

AnEmebet Hoy(እመቤት ሆይ’əmäbēt hōy,"Great Royal Lady" ) was a title reserved for the wives of those bearing the title ofLeul Dejazmachand other high ranking women of royal blood.

Alternatively, anEmebet(እመቤት’əmäbēt,"Royal Lady" ) was a title reserved for the unmarried granddaughters of the monarch in the female line (they were generally granted the title ofleultupon marriage), and to the daughters of theLeul Ras.

Bitwoded

Bitwoded(Amharic:ቢትወደድ,romanized:bitwädäd,lit. 'beloved') – An office thought to have been created byZara Yaqobwho appointed two of these, one of the Left and one of the Right. These were later merged into one office, which became the supreme grade ofRas,"Ras Betwadad". Marcus equates the style to anearl.

Lij

Lij(Amharic:ልጅ,romanized:ləj,lit. 'child') – Title issued at birth to sons of members of the Mesafint, the hereditary royal nobility.

Men's military titles

Further information:Ethiopian military titles

• Dejazmach(ደጃዝማችdäjazmač,short for Dejenazmach, Commander of the field) – a military title meaning commander of the central body of a traditional Ethiopian army formation composed of a forward or vanguard, the main central body, left and right flanks and a rearguard.Marcus equates this to acount.The heirs of the "Leul Rases"were titledLeul Dejazmach(ልዑል ደጃዝማችləul däjazmač) to elevate them above the non-imperial blood Dejazmaches.
• Fitawrari(ፊታውራሪfitawrari,Commander of the Vanguard) – a military title meaning commander of the vanguard of a traditional Ethiopian armed force. Marcus equates this to abaron.
• Qeñazmach(ቀኛዝማችqäñazmač,Commander of the Right flank) – a military title meaning commander of the right flank of a traditional Ethiopian armed force.
• Grazmach(ግራዝማችgrazmač,Commander of the Left flank) – a military title meaning commander of the left flank of a traditional Ethiopian armed force.
• Azmach(አዝማችazmač,Commander of the Rearguard) – a military title meaning commander of the rearguard of a traditional Ethiopian armed force. This was usually a trustworthy counselor and the leader's chief minister.
• Balambaras(ባላምባራስbalambaras,Commander of an Amba or fortress) – these could also be commanders of the guards, artillery or cavalry of a traditional Ethiopian armed force, basically a man entrusted with important commands.

Women's honorifics

• Woyzero(ወይዘሮwäyzärō,Dame) – Originally high noble title that over time came to be the general accepted form of address for married women in general (Mrs.). It was still awarded by the Emperor on rare occasions in the 20th century to non-royal women, and sometimes with the higher grade ofWoizero Hoy(ወይዘሮ ሆይwäyzärō hoy,Great Dame).
• Woyzerit(ወይዘሪትwäyzärit,Lady) – Originally high ranking noble title for unmarried women, now the general accepted form of address for unmarried women in general (Miss). It was sometimes awarded with the added distinction ofWoizerit Hoy(ወይዘሪት ሆይwäyzärit hoy,Great Lady), but only to widows.

Important regional offices

• Tsahife Lam of Amhara(ጻሕፈ ላም) - governor of theBete Amharaprovince and the most senior military officer next to the Emperor.
• Gojjam Negash(ጎጃም ነጋሽ) - Ruler ofGojjamreferred to as "The Lord of Lords" junior only to the Tsahife Lam ofAmhara.Senior military title abolished somewhere during the Era of the Princes.
• Bahr Negus(ባሕር ንጉሥbahər nəgus,orBahr Negash,"King of the sea" ) – Ruler of the territories north of theMareb River(Mereb Melash), a powerful official in medieval Ethiopia. As a result of the revolts of theBahr negus Yeshaq,this office lost much of its power. Although men are mentioned as holding this office into the 19th century, they held minimal influence.
• Merid Azmach(መርዕድ አዝማችmärəd ’azmač,"Fearsome Commander" or "supreme general" ) – This title is related to "Dejazmach"or"Qeñazmach"above. Beginning in the 18th century, this came to denote therulers of ShewauntilSahle Selassiedropped it in favor of the title ofNegus.Later revived in 1930 inWolloforCrown Prince Asfaw Wossen.
• Mesfina Harar(መስፍነ ሐረርmäsfinä ḥarar) – Duke of Harar. Hereditary title created in 1930 for Emperor Haile Selassie's second son,Prince Makonnen.(The wife of the Mesfin was properly titledSefanit,but was more commonly referred to as theMesfinit). Upon the death of the Prince, his son Prince Wossen Seged was elevated asMesfin Hararand would currently be second in line in the line of succession if Ethiopia were still a monarchy after Prince Zera Yacob.
• Nebura ed(ንቡረ እድnəburä ’əd,one put in office through the laying of hands ") – civil governor ofAxumreserved for the clergy. Also calledLiqat Aksum.Because of the historical and symbolic importance of this city, the rules of precedence promulgated in 1689 ranked theNebura edahead of all of the provincial governors. Indeed, when the title was granted withRas Warq(the right to wear a coronet), it was higher than even the title of Ras. Although a civil title granted by the Emperor, it was usually bestowed on a clergyman due to Axum's status as the holiest site of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church within the country.The title ofNebure edwas also granted to the administrator of the Church of St. Mary at Addis Alem, founded byMenelik IIwest of Addis Ababa. However theNebura edof Addis Alem was much further down the hierarchy than theNebura edof Axum, and was not accorded theRas Warq.
• Tigray Mekonnen(ትግራይ መኮንንtəgray mäkōnən) – Governor of the province ofTigrayduring the Middle Ages. Other districts included Akele Guzay (now part of Eritrea)
• Wagshum(ዋግሹምwagšum) – governor (orshum) of the province ofWag.The Wagshum was a hereditary title, and these rulers traced their ancestry back to the imperial family of theZagwe dynasty.
• Shum Agame(ሹም ዓጋመShum Agame) - Governor ofAgameprovince ofTigray,and hereditary in the family ofDejazmachSabagadis Woldu,a major figure of the Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes) period.RasSebhat Aregawi,a longtime rival of the family of Emperor Yohannes IV was one of the more famous of theShum Agame.
• Shum Tembien(ሹም ተምቤንšum tembien) – Governor ofTembiendistrict of Tigray. EmperorYohannes IVwas the son of Shum Mercha of Tembien.
• Jantirar(ጃንጥራርJant’rar) – Title reserved for the males of the family who ruled over the mountain fortress ofAmbasselinWollo(nowDebub Wollo Zone). The title of Jantirar is among the oldest in the Ethiopian Empire.Empress Menen,consort of EmperorHaile Selassie,was the daughter of JantirarAsfaw.

Important offices of the Imperial Court

• Enderase(Ge'ez:እንደራሴ,romanized:’əndärasē,lit. 'as myself') -Regentof the Empire in times of the Emperor's youth, infirmity, or other limited capacity. EmpressZewditu,who reigned from 1917 to 1930, was obliged to share power with anEnderase,RasTafari Makonnen,who was also her designated heir, and thus assumed the throne as EmperorHaile Selassiein 1930. The title used by the monarch's representatives to fiefs and vassals (in this sense, aViceroy). In the 20th century, the title was used by some provincial governors, chiefly that of the autonomous province ofEritreawhich was restored to Ethiopia in 1952. The title was still used after the dissolution of the federal arrangement, and was uniformly adopted by the rulers of the other provinces as well.
• Reise Mekwanint(ርእሰ መኳንንትrə‘əsä mäkʷanənt,"head of the nobles" ) – Title granted during theZemene Mesafint,which raised its holder over all appointed nobles. It was bestowed upon theEnderase,who during that period held most of the (considerably diminished) imperial power. It was last granted to Yohannes IV by his brother-in-lawTekle Giyorgis II(Wagshum Gobeze) before the former deposed the latter and seized the throne for himself.
• Tsehafe Taezaz(Ge'ez:ጸሓፌ ትእዛዝ,romanized:ts'äḥafe tə’əzaz,lit. 'scribe by command', translated as "Minister of the Pen") - The most powerful post at the Imperial court. According to John Spencer, he was" the one who traditionally walked two steps behind the Emperor to listen to and write down all orders that the latter gave out in the course of an audience or an inspection tour. "Spencer adds that under Haile Selassie theTsehafe Tezazsafeguarded the Great Seal, kept the records of all important appointments, and was responsible for publishing all laws and treaties; "his signature, rather than that of the Emperor, appeared on those [official] publications although the heading in each case referred to His Imperial Majesty."The office was combined with that of Prime Minister during the tenure ofAklilu Habte-Wold(1961–1974).
• Afe Negus(Amharic:አፈ ንጉሥ,romanized:’afä nəgus,lit: "mouth of the King" ) - Title for the Imperial Supreme Court Justices that is equivalent to "Lord Justice" or "Lord Chief Justice" (in the case of the Chief Justice). The title was originally given to the two chief heralds who acted as official spokesmen for the Emperor, hence the name "mouth of the King". Since the Emperor never spoke in public, these officials always spoke in public on his behalf (speaking as if they were the Emperor). By 1942, this title was granted only to Justices of the Imperial Supreme Court.
• Liqe Mekwas(ሊቀ መኳስliqä mäkʷas) - The impersonator or double of the Emperor, who accompanied him in battle. Two trusted and highly favored officials were given this title. They always walked or rode on either side of the monarch in battle, or in public processions, dressing as magnificently, or more magnificently then he, in order to distract assassins.
• Aqabe Se'at(ዐቃቤ ሰዓት’aqabē sä‘at,"keeper of time" ) - High official, often a clergyman, who was responsible for keeping the Emperor's schedule and had authority over the clergy assigned to the Imperial Court. The position was one of immense power in medieval times, but became largely titular under the Gondarine Emperors and eventually went out of existence.
• Blattengeta(ብላቴን ጌታblatēn gēta,"lord of the pages" ) - High court official that served as administrator of the Palaces. The title was later used as an honorific.
• Blatta(ብላታblata,"page" ) - The rank of high court officials in charge of maintaining palace protocol and meeting the personal needs of the Imperial family.
• Basha(ባሻbaša) - A rank originally derived from the Turkish (Ottoman)/Egyptian title ofPasha,but considered a lower rank in Ethiopia, whereas Pasha was a high rank at the Turkish and Egyptian courts.

Important offices of the civil government

• Negadras(ነጋድራስnägadras,"head of the merchants" ) - The appointed leader of a larger town's merchants, who supervised the operations of the markets, the administration of customs, and the collection of taxes.By the end of the 19th century anegadraswas often the single most important official in a town, essentially acting as its mayor. By 1900 the variousnegadrasochhad been subordinated to thenegadrasofAddis Ababa,Haile Giyorgis Woldemikael,who by 1906 supervised foreign businesses and diplomatic missions in the capital, the organisation of hand was responsible for granting concessions and contracts to foreign enterprises, making the post thede factoMayor of Addis Ababa,Chief of police,Minister of CommerceandMinister of Foreign Affairs.These functions were separated by the formation of the first cabinet in 1907, with Haile Giyorgis appointed to those posts. With Haile Giyorgis' removal from office by then-RegentRasTafari Makonnenin 1917, the post ofnegadrasofAddis Ababalost most of its powers to the office ofKantiba,the head of the municipal government, which had been created in 1910, with other towns later following suit.
• Kantiba(ከንቲባkäntiba,"mayor" or "Lord Mayor" ) - A mayor of a large town or city in modern times. In ancient times a kantiba was a chief, the king's lieutenant that used to govern a province or more provinces. He had soldiers. The kantiba had the task to administrate the given areas. In certain cases the title of kantiba could have passed down from father to son, and in some others the title was given to elected individuals for a few years, where at the end of the mandate another person was elected.

See also

• Balabat
• Ethiopian ecclesiastical titles
• Ethiopian military titles
• Horse name

Sources

• Ethiopia: a country study.Edited by Thomas P. Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1993. Online athttp://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ettoc.html#et0163

External links

• Imperial and Traditional Ranks and Titles

Taken from the 1998 book, Ethiopia Reaches Her Hand Unto God: Imperial Ethiopia’s Unique Symbols, Structures, and Role in the Modern World, by Gregory R. Copley, International Strategic Studies Association, published here online by The Crown Council of Ethiopia]

• Ethiopia's Aristocracy

Ethiopian Aristocratic And Court Titles