Yonas (Ge'ez: ዮናስ; died May 1813) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 18 August 1797 to 4 January 1798, and a member of Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Letezum, and the grandson of the Emperor Fasilides.H. Weld Blundell, The Royal chronicle of Abyssinia, 1769-1840 (Cambridge: University Press, 1922), p. 446
Reign According to E. A. Wallis Budge, Yonas was a figurehead, proclaimed Emperor by Ras Isra'el of Begemder, and deposed by Gugsa, a chieftain of the Yejju Oromo people.E.A. Wallis Budge, A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia, 1970 (Oosterhout, the Netherlands: Anthropological Publications, 1970), p. 479 However, the Royal Chronicle records that he was proclaimed Emperor after the Emperor who controlled Gondar, Salomon III, had been defeated by the rebel Balambaras Asserat, who forced him to flee Gondar. However, during Yonas' reign the realm was afflicted by a famine in which "more men died than could be numbered." Yonas' son Mafu died 7 November, then his wife Esther, both apparently from this famine. Lacking any support or rationale for his rule, the major warlords of the time -- Ras Mare'ed, Dejazmach Hailu Eshte, Dejazmach Wolde Selassie, and Ras Guebra -- all successfully petitioned to Emperor Tekle Giyorgis to return from exile in Waldebba and become ruler once again. Upon learning of Tekle Giyorgis' approach when he was still one day's march away, Yonas fled to sanctuary in the Abuna's palace.Weld Blundell, The Royal chronicle, pp. 447f
After months of hiding in the Abuna's palace, Yonas became a potential pawn when Waheldu, the brother of Asserat and also in conflict with the major warlords, attempted to have Yonas brought to him and used as his own candidate for Emperor. Tekle Giyorgis managed to foil this plot by giving amnesty to Yonas, and had him and Yonas' brother Goshu, "Dwell with him in friendship" in the Royal Enclosure.Weld Blundell, The Royal chronicle, p. 453
By 1802, he was a prisoner in Lasta.Weld Blundell, The Royal chronicle, p. 471 Henry Salt is reported to have met with his son Fasilidas in Adowa 16 September 1805, and who "seemed anxious to have a private conversation [with Salt], but was prevented."John J. Halls, Life and Correspondence of Henry Salt, (London, 1834), vol. 1 p. 120 Nathaniel Pearce reports that Yonas was living in exile in Gojjam at the time of his death, and died penniless "without leaving sufficient even to purchase a coffin to receive ... [his] remains, or money enough for fettart or toscar."Nathaniel Pearce, J.J. Halls. ed. The Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pearce (London, 1831), vol. 1, pp. 124f. Pearce heard of Yonas' death on 7 June, but did not record the exact date it occurred.
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