Rise to power
The imperial ambitions of Behaile Selassie are consolidated towards the end of the reign of Tewodros II; as early as 1867, he presented himself, during a correspondence with the British, as ruler of Ethiopia. During the same year, a diplomatic dispute between Tewodros and the British government led the expedition to Abyssinia in order to free the European captives imprisoned there by Tewodros. From February 1868, Yohannes came into contact with British officers, including the commander of the expedition, Sir Robert Napier, who sends Major James Augustus Grant, a British explorer, to meet the ruler of Tigray. Yohannes is then perceived by James as a “weak and easily manipulated man, aspiring to become a great leader of Ethiopia." After three hearings, Yohannes officially agrees to help Napier. This then facilitates the provisioning of the troops by installing markets near the main camp sites. Yohannes assures the British that he will help them “with all [his] power."
Yohannes undertakes to protect the supply routes from the coast to Magdala and to repress those who disturb the telegraph. In return, Yohannes asked Napier during a meeting on February 28, 1868, for the participation of British forces in his fight against Wagshum Gobeze. Napier refused but maintained the possibility, after the campaign, of military assistance which Yohannes and his 10,000 men greatly needed. On April 10, 1868, the expeditionary force arrived at the foot of Magdala and, three days later, after refusing to surrender to the British, the Nəgusä nägäst Tewodros II committed suicide. Napier's victory and the ease with which the expedition reached Magdala was made possible by Yohannes. The British officers themselves admit that they were "lucky" to have obtained the cooperation of the leader of Tigray. A report written by one of the British officers stating that: “The British army could not have reached Magdala during this season, without having received the help of the chiefs and the people of the country”.
In return for the help that Yohannes provided the British, he received military equipment, estimated at 500,000 Pounds sterling, including: six mortars, six howitzers, approximately 900 muskets and rifles, ammunition, powder and 585,480 primers percussion. This armament is added to the already important arsenal of Yohannes. After the Magdala expedition, the British disengaged completely and Yohannes' offers of cooperation were rejected or ignored. Even after his seizure of imperial power, he failed to arouse the interest of the British. Nevertheless, the Napier expedition had an impact on the struggle for power; in addition to military equipment, a British instructor, John C. Kirkham, agrees to stay in Ethiopia to train the troops of Yohannes. He is responsible for training the troops of Yohannes and preparing them for the use of modern weapons received from the British. According to the Historian Bahru Zewde, the combination of new weapons and the training provided by John Kirkham determined the fight against Tekle Giyorgis.
Following the death of Tewodros, Gobeze Gebre Medhin, had himself crowned as nəgusä nägäst Tekle Giyorgis II. He successfully suppressed rebellions of ras Wolde Maryam of Begemender and Fares Ali of Yejju. Yohannes however, refused to acknowledge the new metropolitan abunä Atnatewos II sent from Alexandria in June 1869, and kept him in his dominion. However, Tekle Giyorgis is not fooled and he quickly understands Yohannes' intentions. Although having a much larger army in numbers, Tekle Giyorgis does not have the modern weapons which Yohannes have. In addition to that, his troops include many soldiers from Tigray and he fears their change of camp in favor of Yohannes. Thus, Tekle Giyorgis seeks the collaboration of Menelik in order to consolidate a purely numerical advantage. However, the Negus of Shewa refuses to join in the fight, preferring to see the two great Warlords confront each other and tire each other. Finally, on 11 July 1871, Tekle Giyorgis confronted Kaśa in the Battle of Adwa, but was defeated and confined to Enda Abba Selma, Tembien, where he would die two years later.
