Battle of Anchem
On 27 October 1928, thirty-two-year-old Ras[nb 3] Tafari Makonnen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie I, was crowned King by Empress Zewditu.
As King and with the tacit approval of the Empress, Negus Tafari called for the governors of several neighboring provinces to suppress the Oromo revolt.
As a result, the response to Tafari's call was less than enthusiastic, efforts to suppress the Oromo were dissipated in palace intrigue, and the revolt continued.
A trusted cousin of Tafari, Ras Imru Haile Selassie, was made Shum[nb 5] of Wollo[3] in an effort to end the revolt.
In addition to not being happy with the rise of Tafari, Gugsa Welle tried to rally "traditional Ethiopia" to his side in support of his wife, the Empress.
In the end, as part of the government, the Empress was in the strange position of being formally on the same side as King Tafari and being against her husband who was rebelling on her behalf.
The newly appointed Minister of War, Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu, was only able to raise the Mahel Sefari[nb 7] with 16,000 men pledged to it.
Worse yet, Gugsa Welle was now in open revolt and he had already gathered an army in Debre Tabor of 35,000 utterly devoted men.
Attached to the proclamation was an anathema signed by the Coptic Abuna Kyrilos and by five new bishops, Sauiros, Abraham, Petros, Mikael, and Isaac.
It concluded "And therefore, you may follow Ras Gugsa Welle, you may attach yourself to him, be cursed and excommunicated; your life and your flesh are outcasts from Christian society."
[6] In mid-March, Ras Mulugeta marched the Mahel Sefari from Dessie to Debre Tabor to face the rebellious Gugsa Welle.
[nb 9] In 1922, Ras Tafari Makonnen had first shown interest in military aircraft and, by 1929, a small Ethiopian air arm was under development and was now used for the first time.
Battle began and, after four hours, the Imperial forces under Fitawrari Wondosson Kassa and Qegnazmach Ayalew Birru gained the upper hand.
Fitawrari Wondosson Kassa benefitted because his father, a loyal ally of Negus Tafari, was given all of the lands formerly controlled by Gugsa Welle.
On 2 November 1930, about eight months after the passing of Zewditu, Negus Tafari Makonnen was proclaimed Emperor (Nəgusä Nägäst)[nb 13] Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.
