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Mereb Melash (Tigrinya: መረብ ምላሽ, English: Beyond the Mereb), also known as Midri Bahr, Ma'ikele Bahr or Bahr Melash was a semi-autonomous province located north of the Mareb River, in the Eritrean highlands (Kebassa) and some surrounding areas. Mereb Melash corresponds to the administrative territory ruled by the Bahr Negash in medieval times. Mereb Melash comprised the historical provinces of Hamasien and Seraye.

History

The exact date of the establishment of Mereb Melash is not known. According to historian Richard Pankhurst it was during the reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob (r. 1433–1468) when the title Bahr Negash ("Ruler of the sea") appeared for the first time. However, it also appears in an obscure land grant of the Zagwe King Tatadim, who ruled during the 11th century. He considered the unnamed Bahr Negash as one of his seyyuman or "appointed ones". Zara Yaqob's chronicle explains how he, after arriving to the region, put much effort into increasing the power of Bahr Negash, placing him above other local chiefs and eventually making him the sovereign of a territory covering the highlands of Hamasien and Seraye. To strengthen the imperial presence in the area, Zara Yaqob also established a military colony consisting of Maya warriors from the south of his realm. These settlers were believed to have the terrified the local population and it is said that the "earth trembled at their arrival" and the inhabitants "fled the country in fear". Near the end of his reign, in 1464/1465, Massawa and the Dahlak archipelago were pillaged by Emperor Zara Yaqob, and the Sultanate of Dahlak was forced to pay tribute to the Ethiopian Empire.

In the 1520s, Mereb Melash was visited by the Portuguese traveller and priest Francisco Alvares. The current Bahr Negash bore the name Dori and resided in Debarwa, a town on the very northern edge of the highlands. Dori was an uncle of emperor Lebna Dengel, to whom he paid tribute. These tributes were traditionally paid with horses and imported cloth and carpets. Dori was said to wield considerable power, with his influence reaching almost as far north as Suakin, plus he was also a promoter of Christianity, gifting the churches and monasteries everything they needed. By the time of Alvares' visit, Dori was engaged in warfare against some Nubians after the latter had killed his son. The Nubians were known as robbers and generally had a rather bad reputation. They originated somewhere five to six days away from Debarwa, possibly Taka (a historical province named after Jebel Taka near modern Kassala).

During the Ethiopian-Adal War, Mereb Melash was one of the last parts of the empire to be confronted by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi due to its location in the far north. The Bahr Negash Za-Wangel was killed fighting the Adalites in the Battle of Shimbra Kure in 1529. However it wasn’t until 1535 the forces of Imam Ahmad crossed the Mareb river into the region. The Adalite occupation was resisted bitterly by the local population lead by Tafsā Le’ul, who killed the Adalite governor Vizer Addole and sent his head to the Emperor. The Emperor upon receiving it had drums beaten and flutes played, optimistically declaring that the fortunates of the war were soon turning. In response, an army lead by Wazir Abbas and Abu Bakr Qatin marched into Seraye where they then completely destroyed Tafsā Le’ul’s army to the last man. Tafsā Le’ul and all of his sons who had also died in the battle where then beheaded and had their heads sent to the Imam in revenge for Addole. The Imam's occupation of the coastal highlands resulted in considerable destruction. In 1541 the Portuguese warrior Miguel de Castanhoso arrived in the region, he noted that the lands of the Bahr Negus was "depopulated, through fear" and the countryside was devastated. Many Christians upon seeing the Portuguese came out of their hiding with "crosses in their hands, in solemn procession, praying God for pity." The local monks informed the commander, Cristóvão da Gama, that their enemies had destroyed all their monasteries and churches. They called on de Gama to seek vengeance and many locals joined the Portuguese in their struggles against the Imam, most notably the Bahr Negus Yeshaq.

After the death of Imam Ahmad in 1543, Emperor Gelawdewos immediately reestablished imperial suzerainty over the Eritrean highlands. In 1557 the Ottoman Turks conquered the port of Massawa and under Ozdemir Pasha led an expeditionary force inland where they occupied the town of Debarwa. The Turkish troops then built a large fort, but due to the local population's access to firearms, they were forced to retreat back to the coast. Around this time the Bahr Negus Yeshaq, a supporter of Gelawdewos, became very powerful due to the import of firearms through the coast. Although a ruler of a self-governing province, Yeshaq would heavily involve himself in internal Ethiopian affairs. After the death of Gelawdewos he attempted to place one of his nephews on the throne, but was defeated by Emperor Menas in battle. According to James Bruce, upon being defeated, the Bahr Negash "threw himself at the mercy of the Turks." At the price of their help he ceded Debarwa to the Turks.

Yeshaq and his Turkish allies marched into Tembien to face the army of Sarsa Dengel, however this battle ended in disaster as the Bahr Negus was captured and then executed by the Emperor. Sarsa Dengel then proceeded to march into Debarwa were he captured large quantities of firearms and ordered the destruction of the Turkish fort. This victory was of major importance as put an end to the hopes of the provincial nobility to achieve independence or autonomy from the Ethiopian Empire. Sarsa Dengel who was greatly angered by Yeshaq's treachery and arrogance, significantly reduced the Bahr Negash's status and autonomy. However, Emperor Susenyos I would revive the old tradition of appointing provincial rulers with the title of the Bahr Negus. According to the Scottish traveller James Bruce, the Bahr Negash was killed in 1772 fighting the warlord of Tigray, Ras Mikael Sehul. The rulers of Hamassien and Seraye were then nominally under the rule of the governor of Tigray. Mereb Melash was listed as being one of the northern provinces paying tribute in the tax records of Emperor Tewodros II, although it was not considered to be apart of Tigray province.

Mereb Melash would gain international significance during the reign of Emperor Yohannes IV when it was defended against Egyptian expansionism during the Egyptian–Ethiopian War. On December 1875, a local ruler of the province, Woldemichael Solomon, submitted to the Egyptians at Massawa. This allowed the Egyptians to occupy the entire province with minimal resistance and build a large fort at Gura. However, Ras Alula would defeat the Egyptians at the Battle of Gura and forced them to withdraw from the province. Following this victory, Ras Alula was declared the governor of Mereb Melash and was authorized to crush opposition in the province. Alula defeated the followers of Woldemichael Solomon and imprisoned him, but Bahta Hagos evaded capture and allied himself with the Egyptian garrison at Sanhit. In June 1884, the Hewett Treaty was signed, which allowed the Ethiopians to gain free access to Massawa in exchange for the recuse of Egyptian garrisons besieged by the Mahdists. Alula tried to reach the Egyptians at Kassala, but as the Italians landed at Massawa and began their encroachment inland, Alula was forced to abandon this effort. Frustrated and distrustful of the local tribes, Alula allowed his men to massacre the Kunama and Beni-Amer tribes in November 1886. On January 1887, Alula attacked the Italians at Saati, but was beaten back. He subsequently ambushed an Italian battalion sent to reinforce Saati at the Battle of Dogali. In December 1889, Yohannes IV called Alula and his troops up to support him in his fight against the Mahdists, which allowed the Italians to march down from Massawa and seize all of Mereb Melash.

Following the death of Yohannes at the Battle of Gallabat, Tigray was completely exhausted from decades of uninterrupted wars. It could no longer challenge the Italians to the north or the Amharas to the south. Menelik II was later recognized as the new emperor, thus cementing Shoan domination over Ethiopia. The loss of Mereb Melash was recognized by Menelik in the Treaty of Wuchale. On the signing of the treaty, Menelik said "The territories north of the Merab Milesh do not belong to Abyssinia nor are under my rule. I am the Emperor of Abyssinia. The land referred to as Eritrea is not peopled by Abyssinians – they are Adals, Bejaa, and Tigres. Abyssinia will defend his territories but will not fight for foreign lands, which Eritrea is to my knowledge."

Notes

1. Caulk, Richard Alan (2002). "Between the Jaws of Hyenas": A Diplomatic History of Ethiopia (1876-1896). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 9783447045582.
2. G. Marcus, Harold (1994). A History of Ethiopia. University of California Press. p. 27. ISBN 9780520925427.
3. Tamrat 1977, pp. 121–122. sfn error: no target: CITEREFTamrat1977 (help)
4. ^ Pankhurst 1997, p. 101.
5. Derat 2020, pp. 43–44.
6. Connel & Killion 2011, p. 54.
7. Connel & Killion 2011, p. 160.
8. Pankhurst 1997, p. 102-104.
9. ^ Pankhurst 1997, p. 270.
10. Pankhurst 1997, p. 102-103.
11. Pankhurst 1997, p. 154-155.
12. Werner 2013, p. 149-150 & note 14. P. L. Shinnie suggests an origination from the area around Old Dongola, but could this region not be reached from Eritrea within five - six days of travelling time.
13. Connel & Killion 2011, p. 96.
14. Frederick A. Edwards (1905). The Conquest of Abyssinia pp.354.
15. ^ Pankhurst 1997, p. 219.
16. Pankhurst 1997, p. 236.
17. Pankhurst, Richard (1982). History Of Ethiopian Towns. p. 68. ISBN 9783515032049.
18. Oliver, Ronald (1975). The Cambridge History of Africa Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. p. 546. ISBN 9780521204132.
19. Pankhurst 1997, p. 413.
20. Pateman, Roy (1998). Eritrea Even the Stones are Burning. The Red Sea Press. p. 36. ISBN 9781569020579.
21. Bruce, James (1860). Bruce's Travels and Adventures in Abyssinia. p. 83.
22. Pankhurst, Richard (1982). History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935. Steiner. p. 143.
23. Erlikh, Haggai (1996). Ras Alula and the Scramble for Africa A Political Biography : Ethiopia & Eritrea, 1875-1897 (PDF). p. 34.
24. Man, Know Thyself: Volume 1 Corrective Knowledge of Our Notable Ancestors by Rick Duncan, p. 328
25. Caulk, Richard (2002). "Between the Jaws of Hyenas": A Diplomatic History of Ethiopia (1876-1896). Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden. p. 129.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References

• Connel, Dan; Killion, Tom (2011). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810875050.
• Derat, Marie-Laure (2020). "Before the Solomonids: Crisis, Renaissance and the Emergence of the Zagwe Dynasty (Seventh–Thirteenth Centuries)". In Samantha Kelly (ed.). A Companion to Medieval Ethiopia and Eritrea. Brill. pp. 31–56.
• Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. The Red Sea Press. ISBN 9780932415196.
• Tamrat, Tadesse (1972). Church and State in Ethiopia (1270–1527).
• Tronvoll, Kjetil (1998). Mai Weini, a Highland Village in Eritrea: A Study of the People. Red Sea Press. ISBN 9781569020593.
• Werner, Roland (2013). Das Christentum in Nubien. Geschichte und Gestalt einer afrikanischen Kirche.

Further reading

• d'Avray, Anthony (1996). Lords of the Red Sea. The History of a Red Sea Society from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Centuries. Harrassowitz.

• History of Eritrea
• Former kingdoms