Battle of Anchem

Battle of Anchem, Gugsa Welle's Rebellion
Part of the legitimate government's suppression of the anti-King Tafari uprising
Date 31 March 1930 Location Debre Zebit in Semien, Ethiopia Result Gugsa Welle defeated and King Tafari Makonnen proclaimed as Emperor Haile Selassie I
Belligerents
Pro-Empress Zewditu faction Galla (arrived late)	Pro-King Tafari Makonnen faction
Commanders and leaders
Gugsa Welle †	King Tafari Empress Zewditu Mulugeta Yeggazu
Strength
Army of Begemder 10,000 (down from a high of 35,000)	Army of the Center and about four provincial armies 20,000 (of a total of 32,000)
Casualties and losses
Entire army disintegrated.	Unknown.

The Battle of Anchem (also Battle of Anchiem or Battle of Anchim) was a battle fought between two factions of the Royal family in the Ethiopian Empire (Mangista Ityop'p'ya). The battle was fought to determine who would rule the empire, Empress ()Zewditu or King ()Tafari Makonnen.

The Battle of Anchem is memorable because the pro-Zewditu forces were not openly supported by Empress Zewditu. The battle is also memorable for the use of both psychological warfare and aerial warfare by the pro-Tafari forces.

On 27 October 1928, thirty-two-years-old Tafari Makonnen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie I, was crowned King. He was crowned by Empress Zewditu. Since 1916, during Tafari's minority, Zewditu had been Regent. As Regent, she exercised the real power in Ethiopia. The crowning of Tafari as King caused him to begin exercising power at the expense of Zewditu. His crowning also caused two factions to develop within the royal court: One faction was pro-Tafari and one faction was pro-Zewditu. The husband of Zewditu, fifty-three-year-old Ras Gugsa Welle, imagined a future where Zewditu remained Empress and he himself would be proclaimed Emperor. He was clearly the leader of the pro-Zewditu faction.

Within a month of Tefari being crowned King, the Raya Oromo revolted in Wollo Province. As King and with the tacit approval of the Empress, Negus Tafari called for the governors of several neighboring provinces to suppress the Oromo revolt. Ras Seyum Mangasha from Axum in western Tigre, Ras Gugsa Araya Selassie from Makalle in eastern Tigre, DejazmachAyalew Birru from Semien, and Ras Gugsa Welle from Begemder were called upon. Gugsa Welle and others were unhappy with the rise of Negus Tafari. As a result, the response to Tafari's call was less than enthusiastic, efforts to suppress the Oromo were dissipated in palace intrigue, and the revolt continued. A trusted cousin of Tafari, Ras Imru Haile Selassie, was made of Wollo in an effort to end the revolt.

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