Part 24

At Arogé, near Makdala, a portion of Theodore’s army fell upon the British, and was, of course, scattered (10th April 1868); no Abyssinian bravery could withstand Snider rifles, rockets, and artillery. The king recognised that he could never again bring his troops to face such a foe. Hope alternated with paroxysms of rage. He began to treat with Napier, and at last released all the Europeans unconditionally. It is possible that he may have done this because he had been informed that Napier was prepared to accept a present from him, and so had virtually conceded peace; but it is at least equally probable that he did not wish the Europeans to be involved in his ruin. Shortly before this, at any rate, he had made an attempt (prevented by his grandees) at suicide, without previously giving orders that he should be avenged on his prisoners. The intelligence he had received soon proved to have been false; the British pressed forward, and his army deserted him. The proud king could not yield to Napier’s demand that he should surrender; with a few of his faithful followers he went to meet the foe, and after some of those beside him had fallen, he shot himself with his own pistol (Easter Monday, 14th April).

The British soldiers showed little respect for the body, but their commander afterwards caused it to be buried after the rites of the Abyssinian Church. The conquerors liberated all the captives in Makdala,—scions of ancient families, rebels, robbers, officials, and officers in disgrace,—people for the most part of very questionable antecedents. The young queen Terunesh, along with the boy Alem-ayehu, Theodore’s only legitimate son, accompanied the British on their return. She died of consumption before she could leave Abyssinia, the boy not long afterwards in England. The army quitted the country as promptly as might be, in view of the approach of the rainy season, which makes all communication impossible. It is to be regretted that so little care was taken to utilise the opportunity offered by the expedition for a more exact scientific survey of the country.[123]

Thus lies Theodore in the mountain fastness of the Wollo-Gallas. I do not know whether these savages have desecrated the grave of their mortal enemy, or whether, perhaps, their awe of him still keeps them at a distance. Legend is certain ultimately to glorify the memory of Theodore among the Christians of Abyssinia; songs will long be sung and stories told of the mighty king who restored the kingdom, triumphed over the infidel, and at last, worsted by the magical arts of strangers, preferred death to surrender.

The task of permanently uniting Abyssinia, in which Theodore failed, proved equally impracticable to John, who came to the front, in the first instance, as an ally of the British, and afterwards succeeded to the sovereignty. By his fall (10th March 1889) in the unhappy war against the “dervishes” or Moslem zealots of the Soudan, the path was cleared for Menilek of Shoa, who enjoyed the support of Italy. The establishment of the Italians on the Red Sea littoral, and their policy there, which, though not free from many mistakes, has been on the whole very intelligent and effective, according to all appearance, promises a new era for Abyssinia. If Italy perseveres with firmness, prudence, and moderation on the laborious path on which she has entered, and if the policy represented by Count Antonelli and others is not frustrated by party exigencies or excessive parsimony, she may derive great advantages from her African enterprise. But Abyssinia will profit still more, though there be an end to the proud dream of an independent kingdom of all Abyssinia.

[115] Originally published in _Deutsche Rundschau_, x. (1884) p. 406 sqq.

[116] The MS. was presented to the Royal Library in Berlin by the worthy missionary Flad, along with a German abridgment. A portion of the abridgment appears in his instructive work, entitled _Twelve Years in Abyssinia_ (_Zwölf Jahre in Abessinien_).

[117] The good-natured Menilek of Shoa (now king of all Abyssinia) has undertaken many similar expeditions against neighbouring peoples on a larger scale than the nefarious slave hunts of the Arabs, and not less inhuman.

[118] I repeat the story exactly as given in the Amharic biography. D’Abbadie at the time heard a somewhat different version in Gondar (_L’Abyssinie et le roi Théodore_, Paris 1868). D’Abbadie partly differs also in his order of events from the Abyssinian writer whom I follow; perhaps he may in some instances be right, but in others he has indubitably been misled by inaccurate recollection or by false information.

[119] De Jacobis is highly spoken of by all unprejudiced witnesses. With regard to all persons and things involving ecclesiastical interests, the judgments of Protestant and Catholic missionaries alike, and their partisans (D’Abbadie, for example), must be received with caution. It is undeniable that Abyssinia offers a much less favourable field to Protestant than to Catholic missions. Even the narrowest type of Protestantism is something much too high for the Abyssinians, not to speak of negroes. The desires that occasionally find expression on the part of Russia for a union of the Abyssinian with the “Orthodox” Church have small prospect of ever being fulfilled.

[120] When the English, immediately after the death of Theodore, showed his picture to the Wollo princess Mastiat, his bitter enemy, and asked her whether it was like him, she replied, “How can I tell? Who has ever seen him and lived?”

[121] Not Magdala, as it is usually written in England and Germany.

[122] See above, p. 265.

[123] Of works upon the campaign that are not purely military, by far the best, so far as I know, is that of Markham (_A History of the Abyssinian Expedition_, London 1869). The writer is a keen observer, and an impartial judge.

I N D E X.

―•―

Abaga, successor of Hulagu, 248 Abbádán, town of, 157 Abba Selama, 268, 273 Abbásids, 83, 108, 116, 120 Abdalláh, Mansúr’s uncle, 113, 116, 141 Abdalláh, son of Moáwiya, 112 Abdalláh, opponent of Yakúb the Coppersmith, 183 Abderrahmán, founder of Omayyad dynasty in Spain, 143 Abíwerd, battle near, 202 Abú Bekr, 72 Abú Duláma, favourite of Mansúr, 135 Abul-Abbás. _See_ Motadid Abul-Abbás. _See_ Saffáh Abul-Alá al-Maarri, 96 Abulfaraj. _See_ Barhebræus Abú Lahab and Mohammed, 52 Abú Moslem, 111, 114, 115, 117 Abú Salama, 114 Abú Sufyán, head of Omayyad family, 78 Abyssinia, 257 Abyssinian Church, 273 Ahmed, Mongol sovereign, 250 Ahrún, father of Barhebræus, 236 Ahwáz, taken by the Zenj, 158, 161 Aïsha, wife of Mohammed, 78 Alí, son of Husain, 179 Alí, son of Mohammed, leader of the Zenj, 146 Alids, 108, 120, 121 Amr, brother and successor of Yakúb, 195 Amr, governor of Egypt, 81 Arabian philology, 17 Arabs, aristocratic feelings of, 12; political adaptability, 11; military talent, 14; intellectual ability, 15; poetry of, 18; art, 19 Armenians, relations of, with Jacobites, 245 Ash‘arí, 92 Attar’athé, sanctuary of, at Mabbog 214

Bábís, 101 Babylonians, science of, 17 Bagdad, 84; taken by Hulagu, 99, 241; building of, 129 Baidáwí, his commentary on the Koran, 57 Barhebræus, 236-256; his works, 255 Barsaumá, brother of Barhebræus, 253 Basra, 125, 147, 155, 158 Basshár, poet, 127 Bell, John, 275 Beru, son of Goshu, 267 Búids, 88

Caaba, veneration of, 66; carried from Mecca, 90 Calendar, Moslem, 70 Caliphate, 99 Cameron, Consul, 278 Catholicus, title explained, 244 Commander of the Faithful, title assumed by Caliph Omar, 76 Coppersmith, Yakúb the, 176 _et seq._ Cufa, 111, 125, 150

D’Abbadie quoted, 265 Damascus, capital of Omayyads, 81 De Jacobis, Bishop, 268 Dervishes, 97; of the Soudan, 283 Dionysius, Syrian Metropolitan, 238, 239 Dirhem, Sístánese leader, 177, 178 Dogmatic controversies in Islam, 90 Druses, 89

Egypt, conquered, 90, 99; sultans of, 99 _Emír Almúminín_, 76

Fakirs, 97 Fatimid Caliphs, 89 Flad, German missionary, 260 Freethinking in Islam, 95

Gallas, 271 Genealogical table, of the Háshimids, 110; of the Abbásids, 116; of the Omayyads, 120; of the Alids, 121; of the Táhirids, 187; of Yakúb’s dynasty, 205 _Ghulám_, 188 Gondar, 258 Goshu of Gojam, 266 Gypsies on lower Tigris, 152

Hákim, Fatimid Caliph, 89 Hárún ar-Rashíd, 84 Hasan, son of Alí, 81 Háshimids, 110 Háshimíya, 129 Házim, Mansúr’s general, 119 Heraclius, emperor, 60, 75 Hierapolis, sanctuary at, 214 Hulagu, grandson of Jenghiz Khan, 99, 242 Humaima, 109, 111 Husain, son of Alí, 82

Ibn Amíd, Coptic author, 241 Ibn Hobaira, supporter of Omayyads, 114 Ibn Khaldún, 99 Ibn Mas‘úd, his codex of the Koran, 53 Ibn Mokaffa, 141 Ibráhím, the Abbásid, 111, 125-127 Ignatius, Jacobite Patriarch, 243, 247 _Imám_, 66 Isá, Mansúr’s cousin, 124, 127, 140 _Islám_, 62 Ismáíl the Sámánid, 201 Islam, and Christianity, 5; rise of, 60; ethics of, 64; theology of, 61; external observances, 65; survivals of heathenism, 66; circumcision, 68; dietary laws, 68; Church and State, 69; alms, 68; position of women, 70; slavery, 71; characteristics of, 71; and the Oriental Christians, 85; law of, 93; worship of saints, 102; vitality of, 104; headship of (caliphate), 99; tradition, weight of, 93; freethinking in, 95

Jacobites (Monophysite Syrians), 236; primate of, 244 John, Monophysite bishop of “Asia,” Church history by, 225 John Barmadeni, competitor for Jacobite Patriarchate, 239 Juristical schools of Islam, 93-95

Kadarites, 91 Karmatians, 89, 152 Kasa, 259 Kenfu, 260 Kerbelá, 82 Khalaf, son of Ahmed, 205 Khálid, Barmecide, 133 Khálid, the Sword of God, 73 _Khalífa_, 76 Kharijites, 80, 93, 119, 151 _Khawárij_, 80 Khazars, Mansúr’s relations with the, 138 Kházim, Mansúr’s general, 142 Khorásán, 109, 115, 118, 142, 179, 184 Khujastání, 196 Koran, 21-59; rationale of its revelation, 22; literary form, 25; abrogated readings, 27; contents, 28; histories of prophets and saints in, 29; style and artistic effect, 32, 35; Medina and Mecca súras, 39; three periods of, 40-46; initial letters, 47; redaction of Zaid, 49; Othmán’s edition, 50; codex of Obay, 53; reading styles, 55; commentators on, 56; translations, 58

Ledj, Abyssinian title, 262 Lúlú, his share in suppressing the Zenj, 172, 173

Maan, son of Záida, Omayyad general, 120 Madínat es-Salám, official name of Bagdad, 129 Mahdí, son of Mansúr, 123, 132 Mahmúd of Ghazni, 206 Makdala (Magdala), 272, 281 _Mamlúk_, 188 Mansúr, 107-145 Maphrián, Jacobite dignitary, 244 Márá, Syrian saint, 229-232 Marcus. _See_ Yavalláhá Maron, pillar-saint, 228 Maronites, 220 Maslama, the false prophet 49 Mecca, pilgrimage to, 66; plundered, 81; sherífs of, 100 Medina, 122, 124, 128 _Meisir_, 69 Menen, Abyssinian princess, 264 Menilek of Shoa, 263, 277 Merwán II., 112 Moáwiya, 79, 81 Mohammed, son of Abdalláh, the Alid, 120 Mohammed, the Kurd, 162, 197 Mohammed, the Táhirid, 180, 183 Mohammed, son of Wásil, 182, 189 Mohammed Ali of Egypt, 103 Mokhtár, revolutionary leader, 149 Mokhtára, town of, 156, 167 Mongols, 99, 238, 242 Morocco, sultans of, 101 Moslem calendar, 70 Motadid, Caliph, 164, 199 Motamid, Caliph, 158, 170, 191 Mowaffak, brother of Motamid, 158, 160, 174, 195 Munzinger, Werner, 281 Músá, the Turk, 161 _Muslim_, 62 Mutazila, 91

Negusié of Tigré, 272 Neháwend, battle of, 75 Nestorians, 219, 244, 249 Níshábúr 184, 199, 200 Nosairians, 89

Obaidalláh, founder of Fatimid dynasty, 89 Obay, codex of, 53 Obolla, 157 Okba of Yemen, 143 Omar, Caliph, 74 Omar II., 82 Omayyads, 78, 81, 120, 143 Othmán, Caliph, 77 Othmán’s edition of the Koran, 50 Ottoman Turks, 99

Párs, 179; conquest of, 189 Paul, Syrian hermit, 229 Persia, in conflict with Islam, 74; invaded by Mongols, 99; Shíite States in, 101; conquered by Arabs, 109; Eastern, or Irán, 176 Philology, Arabian, 17 Plowden, consul, 275

Quara, 260

Ráfi, his conflict with Amr, 199 Ráfika, founded by Mansúr, 131 Ras Ali of Abyssinia, 258 Rassam, 280 Ráwendí, the, 119 Riyáh, governor of Medina, 122 Rustem, Persian general, 75

Saffáh (Abul-Abbás), Caliph, 113-115 Saffár. _See_ Yakúb the Coppersmith St. Barsaumá, monastery of 236 Saints, Moslem, 97, 102; histories of, 29; Syrian, 207 _et seq._ _Salat_, 65 Sámánids in Transoxania, 201 Sámarrá, 158 Sampádh, revolt against Mansúr, 118 Sefid empire of Persia, 101 Selím I., 99 Seljuk Turks, 98 Semites, characteristics of, 1-20; religion, 5; asceticism, 9; political life, 11; military talent, 14; intellectual ability, 15; poetry of, 18; art of, 19 Sergius, disciple of Simeon of Amid, 227-229 Servile war in the East, 146-175 Shammar, kingdom of the, 104 _Shía_, 79 Shíites, 79, 88, 101 Shíráz, captured by Yakúb, 180 Shoa, 259 Simeon the physician, 243, 247 Simeon of Amid, 226 Simeon Stylites, 210-225 Sístán, 176 Súfis, mysticism of, 96 Sulaimán, Zenj general, 147, 172 _Sunna_, 61, 89 Sunnites, 89, 101 Susiana, 158, 161, 192 Syrians, poetry of, 18 Syrian saints, 207-235

Tabarí, 57, 175 Tagrít, Barhebræus at, 249 Táhir, grandson of Amr, 205 Táhirids, governors of Khorásán, 177, 178, 187 Tauk, defeat of, by Yakúb, 180 Telnishé, 212; church at, 223 Tewabetch, daughter of Ras Ali, 264, 276 Theodora, Empress, and Márá, 230 Theodore of Abyssinia, 257-284 Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus, 214, 224 Theophilus and Mary, 233-235 Tigré, 258 Tradition, weight of, in Islam, 93 _Transoxania_, 201 Turks, acceptance of Islam by the, 98

Ubié, Abyssinian ruler, 268

Von Kremer, 133

Wahhabites, 5, 103 Walíd II., Omayyad caliph, 108 Wásit, 114, 162 Wollos (Gallas), 258, 270

Yakúb the Coppersmith, 162, 167, 206 Yakúb’s dynasty, 205 Yavalláhá, Nestorian Patriarch, 250 Yezíd, governor of Kairawán, 143 Yezíd, son of Moáwiya, 82

Zaid, his redaction of the Koran, 49 Zamakhsharí, his commentary on the Koran, 57 Zaranka, 176 Zenj, revolt of the, 149-174 Zereng, 176

MORRISON AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.

TRANSCRIBER NOTES

Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. Where multiple spellings occur, majority use has been employed.

Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious printer errors occur.

A cover was created for this eBook and is placed in the public domain.

[The end of _Sketches from Eastern History_, by Theodor Nöldeke.]

End of Project Gutenberg's Sketches from Eastern History, by Theodor Nöldeke