Kassa Hailu's victory over Birru Goshu at Amba Jebelli removed a major regional rival and advanced his path to becoming Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 1854
- Region
- Gojjam, Ethiopia
- Victor
- Kassa Hailu (later Tewodros II)
- Defeated commander
- Birru Goshu of Gojjam
- Birru Goshu's imprisonment
- 14 years in chains after capture
- Fortress surrendered
- Jebelli, on the Chamwaga River
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Birru Goshu sought to avenge the death of his father, Goshu Zewde, who had been killed by Kassa Hailu at the Battle of Gur Amba two years earlier. Confident of victory, he left his fortress at Jebelli to confront Kassa's forces.
In March 1854, Kassa Hailu engaged Birru Goshu's army in Gojjam and defeated it. When Birru attempted the tactics he had previously used against Ras Ali, his Gojjamite soldiers — unwilling to fight a celebrated Amhara leader who had overthrown the Yejju dynasty — disintegrated and were taken prisoner.
Birru Goshu was captured and imprisoned on an amba west of Chelga for fourteen years. His wife surrendered the fortress of Jebelli along with its arsenal. The victory consolidated Kassa Hailu's dominance in the region, propelling him toward his coronation as Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Kassa Hailu.
Side B
1 belligerent
Birru Goshu.