He was once the most powerful person in Ethiopia — and then he disappeared. His photos were suppressed, writing about him was banned, and to this day, no one knows where he is buried. This is the story of Lij Iyasu — the uncrowned heir to Menelik II, deposed in a 1916 coup backed by Shoan nobles and European colonial powers, and erased from history by the cousin who replaced him: Haile Selassie.
Works consulted:
1. Prowess, Piety, and Politics – Gebre-Igziabiher Elyas (የሕወት ማስታወሻ አቤቶ ኢያሱ)
2. What I Saw and Heard – The Last Years of Emperor Menelik II & The Brief Rule of Iyasu – Marsé Hazen Wolde Qirqos (መርስዔ ኀዘን ወልደ ቂርቆስ)
2. The Lifes and Times of Lij Iyasu – Editors: Wolbert G. C. Smidt, Éloi Ficquet
3. The Lifes and Times of Menelik II – Harold G. Marcus
4. My Life and Ethiopia’s Progress – Emperor Haile Selassie I
5. King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia — Asfa-Wossen Asserate
6. A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855-1991 – Bahru Zewde
7. Empress Taytu and Menilek II : Ethiopia, 1883-1910 – Chris Prouty
8. A Reassessment of Lij Iyasu’s Political Career, with Particular Emphasis upon his Fall, Tibebe Eshete
00:00 – The Missing Cousin
01:38 – The Succession Crisis
07:53 – Iyasu’s Reign
17:00 – The Pincer: Internal & External Pressures
23:44 – The Coup & the Battle of Segele
31:15 – Conclusion
