![]() During that time, on, he also fought Sheik Abdulqadr of the Habab who was siding with the Mahdist Osman Digna. After which he came back to his camp in the Asmara area.Īlula would remain in the area for more than a decade. Notably, he raided the villages of Ad-Tamaryan and Bejuk taking thousands of heads of livestock and thousands of Theresa Thalers in cash. But Alula stayed in Bogos at Debre Sina for weeks where he levied heavy taxes on the local population. Woldemichael came to and stayed at Dogali. On the second campaign, Woldemichael moved west toward Massawa where Alula avoided following him. Alula, with the aim of capturing Woldemichael, led an army of 12,000 in an expedition to Bogos twice, in 18, raiding and pillaging along the way. Raesi Woldemichael moved throughout the countryside forming alliances with local chiefs which also did not help Alula. Raesi Woldemichael Solomon, ruler of Mereb Melash His strategy of constant raids and heavy taxation of the local population to feed his massive army made him even more bitterly unpopular. For this, although he continually tried, he could not fully control the territory. This was the first time that Mereb Mellash was being ruled by someone from south of the Mereb River. Ras Alula Engida headquarters in Asmara Alula’s camp in AsmaraĪlula’s rule of Mereb Mellash was not welcome by the nobility there. To the west, he was clashing with the Mahdists from current-day Sudan. His successful ambush of an Italian reinforcement regiment at Dogali is one of his notable battles with the Italians. ![]() From Asmara, he devoted himself to defending the northern borders of the Ethiopian Empire against the Anglo-Egyptian forces and then the Italians who controlled the land to his east that included Red Sea coast. ![]() Later on he moved his quarters to Asmara, where he built his camp at the top of a hill in the middle of the town. That same year, the new Ras moved his family to Adi Teklai, 20km west of Asmara. ![]() On 9 October 1876, the Emperor Yohannes IV made Alula governor of Mereb Mellash (current-day central Eritrea) with the title of Ras, Duke. Alula, having come from humble origins, had risen through the ranks using his cunning maneuvers in the Emperor’s court and demonstrating his military acumen in battle, such as those fought at Gundet and Gura’e in November 1875 and March 1876 respectively, where he routed the Egyptian forces. With the failed campaign of Ras Barya’u at Bet Meka’e, having failed to control Raesi Woldemichael’s revolt in the central highlands of Eritrea, Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia promoted Shalleqa (equivalent to battalion commander ) Alula to Ras (equivalent to Duke) and sent him to deal with the rebelling aristocrat, who fled to Bogos, northern highlands of current-day Eritrea. ![]()
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