August 17 also marks the 171th birthday of Empress Taitu Bitul August 17, 1851 - February 11, 1918 Taitu Bitul was born in 1851 in Debre Tabor to Ras Bitul Haile Mariam of Semien and his wife Woizero Yewubdar. Her mother was from the minor nobility of Beghemidir, but her father was from one of the most aristocratic families of northern Ethiopia. His half brother was Dejazmatch Wube Haile Mariam was the ruler of most of northern Ethiopia and lost out on being crowned Emperor only by being defeated and imprisoned by Tewodros II (who eventually married his daughter). She was also descended from Ras Gugsa the Great, whose dynasty of Princes from Yejju in Wollo who had served as regents (virtually shoguns) who had ruled in the name of the latter Emperors in Gondar who were virtually their puppets. She was thus of mixed Amhara and Oromo ancestry and fiercely proud of her heritage.

August 17 also marks the 171th birthday of Empress Taitu Bitul 

August 17, 1851 - February 11, 1918

Taitu Bitul was born in 1851 in Debre Tabor to Ras Bitul Haile Mariam of Semien and his wife Woizero Yewubdar.  Her mother was from the minor nobility of Beghemidir, but her father was from one of the most aristocratic families of northern Ethiopia.  His half brother was Dejazmatch Wube Haile Mariam was the ruler of most of northern Ethiopia and lost out on being crowned Emperor only by being defeated and imprisoned by Tewodros II (who eventually married his daughter).  She was also descended from Ras Gugsa the Great, whose dynasty of Princes from Yejju in Wollo who had served as regents (virtually shoguns) who had ruled in the name of the latter Emperors in Gondar who were virtually their puppets.  She was thus of mixed Amhara and Oromo ancestry and fiercely proud of her heritage.

Taitu married Menelik when he was still King of Shewa.  She was his third wife, and he was her fourth husband.  Their marriage however was the only one for both that was sanctified in church and and through Holy Communion which made it insoluble.  When Menelik II was crowned Emperor she became Empress-Consort.  In the past, Empress-Consorts of Ethiopia were always crowned by their husbands in their palace on a separate occasion from his own coronation.  Empress Taitu was the first Empress-Consort to be crowned like her husband in the Church by the Archbishop on the third day of the week long celebration of her husband’s coronation.

Empress Taitu is credited with founding the present capital of Ethiopia, and naming it Addis Ababa (New Flower).  The seat of her husband’s kingdom had been atop Mt. Entoto, which was cold and inhospitable, and was increasingly lacking in wood for construction and fuel.  Taitu built a house on the hilly plateau below Entoto close to the hot springs there which she and her ladies would use as a spa.  Other nobles built homes nearby, followed by their attendants and those trading with their households and thus a city was born.  She named it Addis Ababa, and today it is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, as well as Africa’s Diplomatic capital as the seat of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and numerous other international and continental institutions.

Empress Taitu was no decorative spouse to be restricted to adorning her husband’s court in glittering finery and ceremonial niceties.  She was in every way an equal partner in his rule.  She was privy to all state affairs and voiced her opinion in all matters.  Her views carried great weight with her husband and his advisors.  Even the greatest nobles would admit that she could reduce them to children with a few words.  She was unrivaled as a political player and a formidable strategist.  During the run up to the first Italo-Ethiopian war she led the hardliners who urged the Emperor not to give an inch.  She commanded her own military units in the war, and was the person who came up with the idea of cutting the water supply to to the Italian fortress on Mount Enda Yesus at the battle of Mekelle, and was thus the key to that victory.  She was present and contributed at the subsequent great victory at Adwa.

Taitu was more conservative and cautious than her adventurous and innovation loving husband.  Where he was always eager to embrace modernization, technology, and innovation, she would cautiously consider what the impact of these would be on society, and the resources needed for them.  When Alfred Ilg was aggressively promoting the building of a railroad from Addis Ababa to Djibouti, Menelik told him it was Taitu that he needed to convince.  Ilg passionately made his case for the economic benefits, but Taitu pointed out that this railroad would devastate the operators of the camel caravans, mostly lowland Muslims whose societies depended greatly on this livelihood of carrying trade back and forth between the highlands and the coasts.  Who would feed their wives and children she wanted to know.  Menelik was a debonair easy going man in daily life.  He could be determined and resolute in matters of life and death, but on routine issues he often preferred to defer decisions rather than offend or upset people with a difficult decision.  His wife had no such issue, and so he often relied on her to make those decisions in his place.  The Emperor was known for saying “Ishi nege” (roughly ok, let’s discuss tomorrow) while Empress Taitu was known for her resolute “imbi” (no).  As a result the Emperor was massively popular man with a deserved reputation of great compassion, while his wife’s reputation suffered during her lifetime.  This is perhaps not surprising.  Strong female leaders are often resented and the subject of gossip even today in the “developed” west, never mind in the late 1800s Africa.  Empress Taitu had a strong suspicion of the intentions of western powers in Ethiopia.  She always questioned their motives and viewed their many offers and schemes with a strong skepticism.  She did not believe that their intentions were friendly in the least, and cautioned that the quest for modernity had to be tempered with vigilance for Ethiopia’s independence.  As such western diplomats labeled her as hostile to foreigners and being “reactionary”.  It is certainly true that she had distaste for Ethiopians who adopted western dress and mannerisms.  She believed that her country and its people needed to be protected, and saw all sorts of cultural, religious and political threats surrounding them. 

Taitu Bitul was a woman who loved her country and worked to improve the lives of its people alongside her husband.  She at the same time worked to preserve her country’s interests.  She was a person fully capable of ruling the Empire in her own right.  She is a towering figure in our history, not just as a female leader, but a LEADER period!