Tekle Giyorgis II of Ethiopia

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Tekle Giyorgis II (Ge'ez ተክለ ጊዮርጊስ, "Plant of Saint George" born Wagshum Gobeze ዋግሹም ጎበዜ lit. "Governor of Wag [a prestigious title], my courageous one"; died 1873) was nəgusä nägäst (emperor) of Ethiopia from 1868 to 1872.

Gobeze based his claim to the Imperial throne on a dual heritage: through his father Wagshum Gebre Medhin, he was the heir to the old Zagwe dynasty and the rulers of Lasta, and his mother was a descendant of the Solomonic dynasty. After the suicide of Emperor Tewodros II, his rivals for sole rule were Menelik II, at the time king of Shewa), and Dejazmach Kassai (the future Emperor Yohannes IV). Gobeze married the sister of the latter, Dinqinesh Mercha (c.1815 - August 1907); she assumed the title of Itege or Empress.

In 1868, Wagshum Gobeze proclaimed himself Emperor Tekle Giyorgis II of Ethiopia at Soqota in his district of Wag. However, because Abuna Selama, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church had died shortly before, there was no one to properly crown him. Diplomatic appeals to his two rivals failed to gain their acknowledgement of his new rank, so Tekle Giyorgis attempted to assert his claim by force, moving against Dejazmach Kassai. Emperor Tekle Giyorgis crossed the Takazze River in 1871; however, Kassai (Tekle's brother-in-law) defeated him near Adwa on July 11 of that year, took him captive along with his sons, and proclaimed himself Emperor of Ethiopia with the name of Yohannes IV.

Tekle Giyorgis died in captivity at the Abune Gerima monastery at Adwa in 1872.

[edit] Legacy

Empress Dinqinesh stayed with her husband until his death, but then lived at the court of her brother Yohannes IV. She continued to enjoy the title and rank of Empress as her brother was a widower when he was crowned and remained thus until the end of his reign. Empress Dinqinesh remarried and had more children.

Because Tekle Giyorgis's rule had a minimal effect on Ethiopian history, some lists of the Emperors of Ethiopia omit his name.