Battle of Debre Tabor The Battle of Debre Tabor was a conflict during the " Zemene Mesafint " in 1842 initiated by " Dejazmach " Wube Haile Maryam to overthrow " Ras " Ali II as Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia and gain control of Ethiopia . This confused battle was won by Ras Ali , but at a steep price , and this victory failed to cement his position as the most powerful warlord of his time . " Dejazmach " Wube ' s strategy against Ras Ali depended on his ability to import more firearms , which would provide him with a tactical superiority that would more than outweigh the vaunted cavalry of " Ras " Ali ' s Oromo kinsmen , and to obtain an " Abuna " for the Ethiopian Church , who would help unite the demoralized Christian population behind him . Wube made several appeals to obtain firearms from European governments , but did not succeed in obtaining any until the middle of 1841 when Theophile Lefebvre returned from France with a small quantity of weapons and a number of artisans who immediately began to repair a cannon Wube had obtained from " Ras " Wolde Selassie and manufacture war materials . About the same time , he learned that a new Abuna was on his way to Ethiopia , Abuna Salama III , who arrived in Ethiopia in the last months of 1841 . With this success , the Dejazmach lost all discretion and he treated the envoys of " Ras " Ali with contempt , and announced that he would defeat Ras Ali , whom he claimed was still a Moslem at heart , and install Tekle Giyorgis , related to the Solomonic dynasty , on the Imperial throne in Gondar . Once " Abuna " Salama arrived in Wube ' s camp the Dejazmach marched into Begemder , where with the help of Birru Goshu he captured Gondar , then the allies continued south against " Ras " Ali ' s army . The two forces met near Debre Tabor 7 February 1842 ; " Ras " Ali had summoned nearly 30 , 000 soldiers to support him , amongst whom were Wube ' s brother " Dejazmach " Merso and Ali ' s uncle Dejazmach Birru Aligaz . Mordechai Abir observes that this " was clearly a battle between the Christian Amhara and Tigrean elements and the Galla [ Oromo ] , fighting desperately to preserve their predominant position in northern Ethiopia . " Although the two forces were equal in numbers , " Dejazmach " Wube ' s superiority in firearms carried the day . " Ras " Ali escaped the battlefield with a number of his followers , and with possession of the battlefield the Dejazmach and his ally Birru Goshu settled down to a feast to celebrate their victory . At that moment they were surprised by a small detachment under Dejazmach Birru Aligaz , who captured " Dejazmach " Wube and chased Birru Goshu across the Abbay River into Gojjam . Released from his imprisonment , " Ras " Ali grudgingly rewarded his uncle with the governorship of Daunt , a district along the border of Amhara and Wello ; " Dejazmach " Merso was given Wube ' s territories in Tigray . Despite this victory , " Ras " Ali was in a worse position than before the battle . His enemies were still operating in Gojjam , Damot , Dembiya , and Lasta ; the clergy was still hostile to him , and his own Christian subjects in Begemder and Amhara were even more disaffected . To secure the Abuna ' s help , he was forced to free Dejazmach Wube and go to war against his ally " Dejazmach " Merso to help Wube recover his territories . His Moslem allies in Welo , alarmed at the Christian Birru Aligaz being invested on their borders , likewise grew disaffected . " Ras " Ali was forced to seek help elsewhere , and sought it from the Egypt ians , who at the moment were consolidating their hold on Sudan . Although in the short term a beneficial move , this only served to further erode his local support , leading to a vicious cycle leading to " Ras " Ali ' s eventual defeat by a competent rival — the future Emperor Tewodros II .