From shabait.com
History of Eritrea: Relationships with the Pre-Solomonic and Solomonic Kingdoms Up To the 16th Century
By Tewelde Beyene
Jun 14, 2005, 19:15
The issue on the political
relationships between Ethiopia and the area which since the 9th
century is known as Eritrea has been the object of opposite views; to the
contention that this area had constantly formed part of the Ethiopian empire has
been opposed the objection that Eritrea has existed as a separate political
entity.
Only an analysis of factual
evidence in the various historical periods can lead to a balanced assessment,
always being understood that concepts like the modern territorial state or
nation do not apply to the sociopolitical structures of pre-colonial Africa.
1.
The Disintegration of the Axumite unity. The decline and
the eventual collapse of the Axumite state breaking the unity that had held
together Tigray and Eritrea for about 7 centuries , had marked the beginning of
two distinct historical developments: while the shift of the political centre
southwards was laying the ground for the rise of successive Ethiopian empires,
the area which that far had constituted the northern half of the Axumite state
became exposed to different influences and was involved in a series of new and
distinct historical developments. From then on however the Ethiopian empires
that succeeded each other throughout the centuries never ceased looking for the
possibility of controlling the Red Sea coast and, for the sake of that,
the territory contiguous to it. With what success?
2.
An ephemeral success in the 19th C. in the
second half of the 9th C, the Ethiopian state (with Kubar as a
capital) during a period of power revival, succeeded in extending its influences
over Massawa (Badi as Al Ya' equbi calls it) and the Dahlak. It is impossible to
assess the nature of such a control or influence. At any rate, this was very
brief because the period of revival was brought to an end quite soon by the
advent of the Queen of Bani al-Hamwiyah, whose influence does not seem to have
been extended much beyond northern Tigray.
3.
A limited expansion during the Zagwe period. The
establishment of a power base at the monastery of Debre Libanos is Shimenzana
was aimed not only at counterbalancing the anti-Zagwe movements in Axum
and Debre Damo but also at creating a foothold for further expansion in the
Eritrean plateau. This is confirmed by the appointment, for the first time, of
officials with the title of Mae'kele Bahr (probably with residence in Tigray).
Nonetheless, the Zagwe rulers' efforts seem to have been fruitless, for only the
Shimenzana areas seem to have fallen under their control. The southernmost Belew
chiefs might have been for some time tributary to them (cf. Tadesse Tamrat,
Church and State, p.65, 80). Otherwise, as Conti Rossini writes, "The extension
of the Abyssinian kingdom at the time of the Zagwes ....must have been fairly
limited: Tigray, Lasta, Begemeder or even only part of it, Amhara and probably
the northern districts of Shewa.... In the north, Dahlak had a king of its own,
The Abyssinian Eritrean highlands were still inhabited by mainly Beja
populations, checked by the Bilen and other populations migrating from
Abyssinia." ( Storia d' Etiopia, p. 310)
4.
The Solomonic Kings bid for annexation. In the overall
Solomonic aim at sharing in the most lucrative trade routes, which inspired the
relentless anti-Islamic campaigns in the Southern provinces, the control of the
Eritrean Red Sea coasts was of primary importance for the Ethiopian rulers,
particularly from Amdezion onwards: "Just as in the southern provinces of Shewa,
Ifat and Hadya, Amdezion was deeply concerned about the damage of the
development of Muslim power on the Eritrean seaboard. He fully realized that the
restoration of Christian supremacy in the Ethiopian region would become complete
only it its impact was felt by coastal Muslim settlements" (T. Tamrat, p.76).
An immediate opportunity for a
campaign in Eritrea was offered to Amdezion by an autonomist rebellion staged in
Tigray by the governor of Enderta around 1325, with the support of religious
leaders of Axum and Debre Damo. The uprising was crushed and was followed by
settlements of military colonies recruited from central Ethiopia.
A historical note in Iyesus
Mo'a's Ms of the Four Gospels points out that Amdezion then moved with his
army to the Red Sea coast (cf. T. Tamrat, The Abbots of Dabra Libanos,
1248-1535, in Journal Ethiopian Studies, 8 (1970) p.85). The administrative
reorganization that followed the two campaigns in Tigray and Eritrea included
the appointment of a Ma'ekele Bahr with authority over the areas from Tigray to
the seaboard.
During the following 90 years or
so, the successors of Amdezion, so much absorbed in the confrontation with the
militant faction of the Walasma ruling family, seem to have had little chance to
maintain the control over the Red Sea areas and the highland, although
occasional campaigns might have occurred (Yeshaq).
It is with Zere'a Ya'eqob that,
in the sources, Eritrea comes to the fore in the framework of a systematic
effort for administrative centralization and power consolidation. The first step
undertaken by this king was the settlement of the Sabbath controversy. The
monasteries of the house of Ewstatewos (Eritrea and Tigray), with Debre Bizen
(founded by Absadi around 1340-50) at the forefront, had strongly defended the
observance of the Sabbath, in opposition to the teachings of the monks of
Teklehaimanot in Ethiopia, who enjoyed the support of the Kings and of the
Alexandrian bishops. The political implications of the conflict were evident. In
order to remove such implications and facilitate political unification he
provided for the reintegration of the Ewstatean movement into the Orthodox
Church's mainstream by declaring the Sabbath observance official in 1450 and by
granting land donations to leading monasteries. His subsequent action included:
the settlement of military colonies from Shewa in the Eritrean plateau, the
grouping of Shire, Seraye, Hamsien, and Akkle Guzay in one administration under
the Bahri Negasi, and finally the construction of a port in Gerar.
The Gedle Yonas and the
Tzazzega and Hazzega Traditions suggest in no uncertain terms that the local
reception of Zer'a Ya'eqob's intervention was one of open hostility.
5.
The Gragn invasion represents another brief period of
annexation of the Eritrean plateau. It was not an easy conquest because of the
fierce resistance put up by the Atkeme Melega against the Gragn army. It was
only in a second attack that the latter could conquer Seraye in 1535. An easier
pacification of Hamasien and Akkle Guzay followed. The Gragn domination in
Eritrea lasted upto 1542 when the first engagement with the Portuguese
contingent was fought at Haneza in Akkele Guzay.
About 15 years later, the
Turkish attempt at conquest was to bring Eritrea into a whole new series of
historical developments which will be reviewed in the next chapters. Here, by
way of a first assessment of the period so far covered, we can make the
following points:
- After the disintegration of
the Axumite unity between Tigray and Eritrea, efforts have been made by
successive Ethiopian empires to extend their control over the Eritrean soil.
The very need to make such efforts is a clear evidence of the existence of a
gap between the two areas. The sources offer, here and there, examples of
resistance to these efforts.
- only during the rule of
strong Ethiopian Kings was successes achieved , but this had remarkable
limits:
-
The area of Ethiopian influence included only the
Highland (Hamasien, Akkele Guzay and Seraye). Such an influence lasted only for
limited periods. The coastal area saw nothing more than short-lived campaigns ,
just as the western lowlands and northern hills were areas of only occasional
raids;
-
In times in which the highland was placed under Ethiopian
control, it always remained a tributary entity, never fully integrated into a
unified administrative system, because no such a system could exist in a feudal
empire such as Ethiopia. The attempt made by Zer'a Ya'eqob was
counterproductive. About a century later, the administrative structure designed
by him became the basis for a strong centrifugal movement.
- An important development
integral to the process we have described was the emergence of that central
figure in Eritrean history which is the Bahri Negasi, the successor of the
Mae'kele Bahr. The chronicles of Zer'a Ya'eqob and Be'ede Maryam are the
earlier, or among the earliest, sources to indicate the emerging of this
office. However, it was only from the 16th C onwards that the Bahri
Negasi rose to a more decisive role in the relationships between Eritrea and
Ethiopian monarchies. The rise of Debarwa, due to the development of trade
between the coast and Ethiopia and to the resulting increase of wealth in the
neighboring highlands reached its highest stage when the town became the
capital of the Bahri Negasi.
In conclusion, it
would be historically inappropriate to speak tout-court about Eritrea having
consistently formed part of the Ethiopian empire. On the other hand however it
would be as much inaccurate to speak about Eritrea having existed as a unified
political entity before the colonial period, although after the decline of Axum
it became the scenery of distinct historical developments, for centuries it
remained an area which was territorially fragmented, culturally diversified,
ethnically heterogeneous and politically without any central element of cohesion
and integration.