Achievements as ruler of Shewa Sahle Selassie

king sahle selassie sitting in judgment

despite many reverses against political rivals inside shewa , out, considered against other period of history, negus sahle selassie progressive , benevolent ruler. contemporary british visitor, charles johnston, commented the

contemplation of such prince in own land worth trouble , risk of visiting ... character justice , probity has spread far , wide, , supremacy of political excellence without hesitation given negoos [negus] of shoa throughout length , breadth of ancient empire of ethiopia. feared every prince around, , loved every subject @ home, boast of first government of civilized europe, , strangely enough excellence of social condition paralleled in heart of africa, find practically carried out advantageous policy of social community 1 of wisest of sages conceive – of arbitrary power placed in hands of man.

abir provides several examples of sahle selassie s interest in well-being of subjects:

in time of famine opened royal granaries population. when plague carried off of work-animals of farmers, distributed oxen , mules. kept enormous stores of salt people not lack important commodity should roads coast cut.

further examples of sahle selassie s skill in administration reform of laws of domain. courts during reign of predecessors asfa wossen , wossen seged followed both fetha negest, traditional ethiopian legal code, customary practices, abir states extremely cruel. death sentences, severance of limbs , branding hot iron common. negus limited executions extreme cases of treason, sacrilege , murder, , required approval negus. whenever possible, sahle selassie reduced death sentence life imprisonment or forfeiture of property; in case of murder conviction, traditional ethiopian penalty hand murderer on relatives of victim, exact own punishment, negus worked convince relatives accept blood money instead of killing convicted man.

his reforms extended beyond criminal law , included administrative reforms. developed new structure of taxation not fairer subjects, brought in more substantial , reliable revenue; estimated around 1840 revenue in cash alone between 80,000 , 300,000 maria theresa thalers. legends circulated in shewa storehouses of gold, silver, , ivory negus had not in palaces in doqaqit, har ambit , ankober, hidden in mountain caves. in all, concludes abir, showa can considered, in way, archaic example of welfare state.

sahle selassie worked modernize country, , contemporaries goshu of gojjam , wube haile maryam of tigray, made contacts european countries france , great britain in hope of gaining craftsmen, educators, , above firearms. contemporaries, understood value of firearms, , increased number in armories few score when took office 500 in 1840, , doubled number again 1842. signed treaties of friendship both france (16 november 1841) , great britain (7 june 1841). negus encouraged foreigners settle in shewa, , offered considerable incentives them, such revenue large village granted greek mason name of demetrios. result, @ 1 point number of foreigners present in shewa, included number of greeks, @ least 1 armenian, , several traders eastern lands.

despite understanding of value of foreign technology , need craftsmen abroad sahla sellase had no desire foreign missionaries, pankhurst notes, , although arrival of 2 protestant missionaries in 1837 led diplomatic mission britain william cornwallis harris, both men gently firmly expelled in 1842.