Yohannes IV

Yohannes IV ዮሓንስ ፬ይ
Emperor of Ethiopia
Reign	11 July 1871 – 10 March 1889
Coronation	12 January 1872
Predecessor	Tekle Giyorgis II
Successor	Menelik II
Born	(1837-07-11)11 July 1837 May Baha, Tembien, Ethiopian Empire
Died	10 March 1889(1889-03-10) (aged 51) Gallabat, Mahdist Sudan
Spouse	Woizero Tibebe Selassie
Issue	Ras Araya Selassie Ras Mengesha
Dynasty	House of Solomon
Father	Dejazmatch Mercha Wolde Kidan, Shum of Tembien
Mother	Woizero Silass Dimtsu of Chelekot, Enderta
Religion	Ethiopian Orthodox

Styles of Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Reference style	Tigrinya: ግርማዊ girmāwī His Imperial Majesty
Spoken style	Amharic: ጃንሆይ djānhoi Your Imperial Majesty (lit. "O [esteemed] royal")
Alternative style	Amharic: ጌቶቹ getochu Our Lord (familiar) (lit. "Our master" (pl.)) yohanes

Yohannes IV (Tigrinya: ዮሓንስ ፬ይ Rabaiy Yōḥānnes; horse name Abba Bezbiz also known as Kahśsai; born Lij Kahssai Mercha; 11 July 1837 – 10 March 1889)^[1] was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1871 to his death in 1889 at the Battle of Gallabat, and king of Tigray from 1869 to 1871. During his reign he successfully defended Ethiopia against a large-scale Egyptian invasion.

In his earlier years, he rebelled against Tewodros II; having risen to power in the 1860s, he maintained the policy of Tewodros, that of continued unification and also implemented a policy of touring entire regions and meetings with governors. He assisted the British in their British expedition to Abyssinia which ended in Tewodros' suicide, from which Yohannes was rewarded in ammunition and artillery. He regarded Islam as a hindrance to the stability of the state and worked to strengthen Christian dominance in Ethiopia. In foreign policy, he had disagreements and military conflicts with both Isma'il Pasha of the Khedivate of Egypt and Muhammad Ahmad during the latter's Mahdist War.