Yohannes IV

Yohannes IV
ዮሓንስ ፬ይ
Emperor of Ethiopia
Reign11 July 1871 – 10 March 1889
Coronation12 January 1872
PredecessorTekle Giyorgis II
SuccessorMenelik II
Born(1837-07-11)11 July 1837
May Baha, Tembien, Ethiopian Empire
Died10 March 1889(1889-03-10) (aged 51)
Gallabat, Mahdist Sudan
SpouseWoizero Tibebe Selassie
IssueRas Araya Selassie
Ras Mengesha
DynastyHouse of Solomon
FatherDejazmatch Mercha Wolde Kidan, Shum of Tembien
MotherWoizero Silass Dimtsu of Chelekot, Enderta
ReligionEthiopian Orthodox
Styles of
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Reference styleTigrinya: ግርማዊ girmāwī
His Imperial Majesty
Spoken styleAmharic: ጃንሆይ djānhoi
Your Imperial Majesty
(lit. "O [esteemed] royal")
Alternative styleAmharic: ጌቶቹ getochu
Our Lord (familiar)
(lit. "Our master" (pl.)) yohanes

Yohannes IV (Tigrinya: ዮሓንስ ፬ይ Rabaiy Yōḥānnes; horse name Abba Bezbiz also known as Kahśsai; born Lij Kahssai Mercha; 11 July 1837 – 10 March 1889)[1] was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1871 to his death in 1889 at the Battle of Gallabat, and king of Tigray from 1869 to 1871. During his reign he successfully defended Ethiopia against a large-scale Egyptian invasion.

In his earlier years, he rebelled against Tewodros II; having risen to power in the 1860s, he maintained the policy of Tewodros, that of continued unification and also implemented a policy of touring entire regions and meetings with governors. He assisted the British in their British expedition to Abyssinia which ended in Tewodros' suicide, from which Yohannes was rewarded in ammunition and artillery. He regarded Islam as a hindrance to the stability of the state and worked to strengthen Christian dominance in Ethiopia. Its estimated that he had converted 550,000 Oromos and Jebertis to Christianity. In foreign policy, he had disagreements and military conflicts with both Isma'il Pasha of the Khedivate of Egypt and Muhammad Ahmad during the latter's Mahdist War.

  1. ^ "Index Y". Rulers.org. Retrieved 2 December 2017.