Draft:Ras Birru
Comment: Please see Wikipedia's Referencing for Beginners guide for information about adding in-text citations. Significa liberdade (she/her) (talk) 01:02, 7 March 2025 (UTC)
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (March 2025) |
Ras Birru | |
|---|---|
 Dej azmach Teferi Mekonnen, Lij Iyasu and Ras Birru Wolde Gabriel | |
| Born | 1880 Entoto, Ethiopia |
| Died | 1937 (aged 56–57) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Occupation(s) | Governor, Military Leader, Minister of War |
| Spouse | Amakelech Ali |
| Children | 7 |
| Parent | Emperor Menelik II (claimed) |
Ras Birru Menelik (Birru WoldeGabriel) was an Ethiopian nobleman and military leader, believed by some oral traditions to be a biological son of Emperor Menelik II (Tessema, 1962 E.C.). He grew up in the Grand Palace alongside future Emperor Haile Selassie and Lij Iyasu, maintaining a close relationship with Menelik throughout his life (Marcus, 1995).
Menelik arranged Ras Birru’s marriage to Amakelech Ali and granted him a house built by Indian architects in 1887. This house is the present-day Addis Ababa Museum (YouTube, 2022). Additionally, Ras Birru received 1,240,000 hectares of land (31,000 gasha meret) across both urban and rural areas, along with gold and diamonds (Tessema, 1962 E.C.). Some accounts claim that Menelik’s gifts to Ras Birru were equivalent to granting him the throne (Tessema, 1962 E.C.).
Governorship and Military Role
[edit]Ras Birru served as the ruler of the Sidamo, Kaffa, and Wollega regions. He also held the position of Minister of War, playing a significant role in military and administrative affairs during his time (Marcus, 1995).
Land Confiscation by the Derg
[edit]Following the Derg's rise to power in 1975 and the implementation of the Land Reform Proclamation (Share Meret Awaj), Ras Birru’s vast landholdings were confiscated. This was part of the Derg’s broader effort to dismantle the feudal land system and redistribute land to peasants (FAOLEX, 1975).
Family
[edit]Ras Birru had seven children from different women: Firirte Birru, Ayalech Birru, Zenebwork Birru, Teshome Birru, Mekonnen Mesfin Birru, Mered Birru, and Atsede Birru (Tessema, 1962 E.C.).
References
1. YouTube. (2022). Explore Ethiopia: Addis Ababa Museum home to traditional artifacts, treasures, heritages. https://youtu.be/pwEeFWiEUt8?si=Ydgu4RHWe1hvGjWW.
2. Tessema, D. K. (1962 E.C.). Dejazmach Kebede Tessema Yetarik Mastawesha. Artistic Publisher.
3. Harold G. Marcus's book, Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years, 1892–1936.
4. FAOLEX. (1975). Public Ownership of Rural Lands Proclamation No. 31 of 1975. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC003096/.