Dejazmach Birru Goshu (1814-1869) of Gojjam was a significant Ethiopian noble who held considerable sway over the political landscape of Ethiopia during the latter period of the Zemene Mesafint, a time of intense regional competition among ruling dynasties.
[1] Walter Plowden who was a guest at Birru's court in the 1840s described him thus:[1] The eye rests on a figure tall and imposing, and upon a countenance the most striking, without exception, I ever beheld—the nose slightly Roman; the mouth, in moments of repose, determined, when smiling, delightful, but in dropping into an expression of displeasure, savage; his hair (though scarce thirty years of age), fallen off from the centre of the forehead to the crown of his head—they say from the use of 'perfumes,'—is on each side luxuriantly black and curling, and gives a fine effect to a high and ample front; and his eyes (though I have seen many more beautiful), the only ones I know that justify the word 'piercing' in its strongest sense, seeming to defy scrutiny, and appearing to observe nothing, while nothing escapes them; their general expression is that of quiet triumph.
The muscles of his face, always ready to contract, indicated a tormented character, anxiety, suspicion, and cunning; and when his usually benevolent gaze became animated, it became piercing and difficult to bear, His manners announced pride, haughtiness, and a certain dominating elan that denoted that his fortune was rising.
A calculator and a miser, his riches were ordered in a scrupulous and avaricious manner; despite this disposition, he gave like a prince, and his intelligent and ingenious liberality earned him a reputation for generosity that attracted to his party leaders and soldiers of fortune from the most distant provinces.
Such a character could not be strong in a continuous way; also, he was dissimulated and defiant to excess.The illegitimate son of Ras Goshu Zewde, governor of Gojjam, Birru gained recognition for his independence and ambition as a leader in the Tana region.