Sabagadis Woldu

Sabagadis Woldu (; horse name: Abba Garray; baptismal name: Za-Manfas Qedus; 1780 – 1831) was a governor of Tigray Province of the Ethiopian Empire from 1822 to 1831. Sabagadis gained some notoriety in the first decade of the 19th century for rebelling a number of times against his overlord, Ras Wolde Selassie. But just before the death of Wolde Selassie it seems that he made up with his master and became one of his loyal lieutenants. Following Wolde Selassie's death in 1816, he defied the authority of Wolde Selassie's son, and became the most powerful warlord in Tigray. Making Adigrat his capital, he ruled Tigray and the coastal plains of Eritrea by 1818. His rule also extended to the Eritrean highlands (Hamasien, Akele Guzay, and Seraye).

Biography

Early life Of Tigrayan & Irob descent, Dejazmatch Sabagadis was the son of Shum Agame Woldu Kumanit who ruled Agame from the late 18th to the early 19th centuries. Shum Agame Woldu's legacy was the ascendancy of Saho speaking local Irob rulers over Tigrinya speaking Agame in the 18th century. Following his father's death in 1802, Sabagadis and his four brothers clashed over their respective fiefs.

Rise to Power After the death of Wolde Selassie, Sabagadis was one of the strongest chiefs seeking to succeed the Ras. He fought a series of devastating wars with regional contenders and finally acquired the Tigrayan overlordship in 1822. Sabagadis governed Tigray for a decade by appointed loyalist chiefs and members of his family.

Assuming the title of Dejazmatch, he followed the ambitions of his predecessors to remove Yejju Were Sheik dynasty(Were Sheik Wollo) political supremacy from Gondar. This was particularly the case after the death of Ras Gugsa Mersa in 1825. To this end, he requested British recognition as well as the supply of military trainers, experts in various fields, and more firearms to boost his army.

Sabagadis also masterminded strong political and military alliances with some prominent regional chiefs in northern Ethiopia, especially Dejazmatch Wube Hailemariam of Semien (at times his son-in-law), Wag Shum Kanfu of Lasta and Dejazmatch Goshu Zewde of Gojjam against the Yejju ruler in Gondar, Ras Maruye Gugsa.

Sabagadis maintained constant communication with the most important Christian lords in Ethiopia. Building upon his reputation, he formed a coalition with the lords of Gojjam, Lasta and Semien against Ras Marye of Yejju, the Enderase or regent of the Emperor. Marye defeated Dejazmach Goshu in Gojjam, marched the bulk of his army to Lasta, then quickly turned to Semien Province and attacked Wube Haile Maryam.

Neither Sabagadis foreign contacts nor his military pact with Wube Hailemariam bore fruit. He was soon overtaken by a fresh outbreak of extensive fighting engulfing the whole of northern Ethiopia. Maruya won Wube to his side after initial military encounters led to the rampaging of his province of Semien.

Demise However, this victory triggered Maruye, in collaboration with the fugitive Wube, to launch a vigorous campaign against Tigray. Three Tigrayan vassals of Sabagadis, including his own sons-in-law Dejazmatch Sahlu of Haramat, Dejazmatch Gebre Mikael of Dera, and Wedaj of Shire were also said to have defected. They conspired against Sabagadis with Wube and Maruye Gugsa. Ras Sabagadis would surrender only to Ras Wube, his son-in-law. Wube dutifully handed him over to Marye's followers. On the 15th of February they beat Dejazmach Hagos Subagadis to death, and executed Sabagadis in retaliation for Marye's death. His remains reportedly were later interred at the monastery of Gunda Gunde.

Legacy Sabagadis also established new churches such as Atsbi Selassie in Atsbi and Enda Medhanie Alem in Adwa and was closely connected to the monastery of Gunda Gunde, who patron he was. His descendants ruled over Agame until the 1974 Revolution.

Nearly a year after his death, although he was a Tigrayan, people all over the Amhara provinces lamented the loss of Sabagadis:

Family Sabagadis' sons were Wolde Mikael, Hagos, Kahsay, Sebhat and Shum Agame Aragawi. The later was actively involved in power struggles in Agame. A number of other children are claimed for him: Kassa, Balgada-Ar'aya (who rebelled against Wube and his older brother Wolde Mikael in 1838, and was defeated by them), and several daughters including Dinqinash, who was married by her father to Ras Wube three years before the Battle of Debre Abbay, and run away from ras wube for Gebre Egziabher the son of wolde silasse of Enderta.