The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-24
fHB EMPRESS OF ABYSSINlA
TAITU FHR POwER REMIND
FHE Throne.

the Decesaiom-Ih0 meiP AppArena
Usssl oaacaal conArrnaaios % the death
Of tho Emperor Msnellk has been received
q change has taken place In the position
Of the Empress Taitu a. 10 implied by
rscsnt kilograms. Less than . month
ago the authority Of Tait0 was para
mount not only in the AbyssiniAn capital
but In Tigre. where her arms had gained
the fsld.
Yea to-day. IL would seem. by means
Of q successful coup d'etat. inspired by the
BhoAn ohisfs-who hsshartO have been her
principal suppoFters-andc carried through
by the coroRsnts Of the Empress. that the
consOrt Of tho late Emperor has been
dspoasd and the steps taken which in
eject viii prevent her further participa-
ton in State affairs
For many years the Empress has been
associated with Menelik in the administra-
ton Of the SeEts. and though she vas
conmidered 20 be more intent on advancing
her own interests than those OF the coun-
try. says the Pail Mall Gasstts. the EN-
peror constantly turned 20 her for advice.
Born In Isss. a daughter Of the King OF
GondAr and hereditary Princess Of sie-
men, abe was married 90 Menelik In 1883.
by which date she had already expert
enced' four husbands. It Ia perhaps
due 70 this early acquaintance with mar
rage that her union with the Negus
NeGust has been such q conspicuous sue
csss. The Emperor was devoted to his
clover wife. and a. the slave Of those
charms which before had stood the lady
in such good stead denied her nothing
In the arut instance Taitu was married
10 one Of the leading Generals in the army
Of the powerful Theodore. whose notice
she soon attracted. When her husband
had been removed and King Theodore
was dead abe was married. by way Of
puniahment and a. the outcome OF plot.
20 a soldier Of low degree. from whom
abe was divorced. Her third husband
was tho Governor Of an important prov
ince, and &C his death Taitu retired to a
convent, where il was announced she
intended TO remain.
Marriage still had its possibilities. how
ever. and emerging from her seclusion
abe took m her fourth husband the chief
Zekargateho. who in turn gave room TO
Mcnclik. To Menelik Taitu has been mar
red for twenty-seven years. and though
the marriage has had a son and two daugh-
tiers as issue her position In complicated
by the fact that her son has not survived.
In the present day appearance OF the
Empress there is little indication OF the
charm which distinguished her IN youth
Yet TSitu at one time vas renovned for
her baauty and the whiteness Of her skin
Unfortunately middle age has overtAken
her figure, and with advancing years
thero has been q corresponding increase
in weight. To-day she must strike all who
- her ~ q very Tat and wrinkled woman.
Who, in spite Of ths ravARcs 81 time
never lost her influence over her husband
Ambitious. q little Whimsical. clever and
unacrlpulous. even In the days when thers
was no succession question, Taitu always
looked 90 q future which offered at least
the possibility OF The throne passing Va
her house " not to herself.
~ far az her interests have heen CON
cerned the succession question has never
b~en scttled to her satisfaction since the
death % the SIN which she hare Menelik.
Al first Menelik favored his nephew. Ras
Nakonnen, who died some ave years ago
since then the Emperor Indicated az rs
choice the fourteen year-Old son 81 his
dauRhtar and the Ras Michael. This little
Prince wa~ called Iidj EyaAsu. and u 10
he whom the Council % Regents nov
have proclaimed az Menelik'- Successor
II was against the selection II Lidi
EyaHsu that the Empress pitted all her
influence Enuallv with her husband a
child 81 the South. while Eyassu was. oti
his fathers side. % Northern origin.
Iaitu appealed "a the racial instincts II
the SouSIeTn chiefs in ~upJrort ~ her
claims TO the throne Prom IN" outset
the appeal was destined G. FAIL for th..
Ob iectlonss IL the AbyS-lnlanS & - wOuuAn'-
rule made n certlin that TaitI was pa ying
a losing game None the less she played
boldly and. though the Southern chiefs
I'D - hA he
develop. SCORED n few Successes
~ long Rs Menehk rem1ined in god
health the Empress TRitu WINS abb - hold
her own against thOse who from time q
time urged the ~"ttlemen' ~ TIE question
~ the succession To all such reprcsen-
tations the Empress pleaded her own
interests or those of her nephew. and
the question might not even now have
been settled had not Menelik suffered
the stroke - paralysis hv which for the
last eighteen months he had been inca
Jactt tied
such a condition Ia the health 81 the
ruler was naturally fTaught with peril
for the interests ~ the Stite AZ the
iOEtiRati1n Il the trusted Ministers Meme
hk agreed to the formation 20 a Council
q Regents Though the Empress herself
was appointed % the council. she was
unable % prevent her two coregents from
dealing with the problems ~ the -ucc@S-
sioL and early IN the summer ~ lp's
Nfle NMN eaelftel ana tne tGta Nfltn NslffagtE
the regents In question. desixnat d. In
acrordhnse with the commands nr the
Neglgs. Prince Eyassu rs the heir pre-
sumptivp o. the throne while Ras les
sauna ~ came guardian - the little Prince
FROM this date the attitude 81 the Empress
was one Il iurplacable hO~tiltv
Taking advantage ~ the huctuatinR
state Of Menelik's health. Tanu pro-
ceeded to make her own influence SUI
preme. To give effect TO- her plans she
Isolated the Emperor from affairs and
surrounded him with a clique Of officials
who were devoted To her interests and
with few exceptions were her own rrla-
tives. AZ the same time. while the
Court was being filled up by officials oT
her own selection. she pushed forward
the subsection Of the north by dis
possessing its Princes 81 their lands and
Oifices in favor Of her own supporters.
But for the few interests that she
placaeed by these means a growing null
titude Of disaati sfied officials grow TN
less incensed at their own sufeFtnEa
than alarmed nv the inaccaaaibilitV 81
the Emperor. who was wholly invisible
behind the Gordon which Taitu had now
set up in the palace. Under these cir
cumstances the Inevitable swing IL the
pendulum occurred. bring ing a revulsion
OF feeling against Taitu. under stress or
which the interests OF the heir pre-
sumptive have como TO the front Tes-
sauna has acted. and u TO those who have
been watching the situat ION the change
was not unexpected the absence 81
- a..