Tisseme Darge

Who is Tisseme Darge?

Woizero Tesseme Darge was the daughter of Ras Darge Sahle Selassie, Prince of Selale, and granddaughter of Sahle Selassie, King of Shewa. She was a first cousin to Emperor Menelik II.

As part of the agreement by Menelik and Wagshum Gobeze Gebre Medhin, Menelik recognized the Wagshum as Emperor Tekle Giyorgis II, and in return Tesseme Darge was given in marriage to Tekle Giyorgis' half-bother Haile Wolde Kiros of Lasta. Woizero Tesseme and Haile had a son, Ras Kassa Haile Darge, who succeeded Ras Darge as head of the Selale branch of the dynasty, and later became President of the Crown Council under Emperor Haile Selassie. Her second marriage was to Bitwoded Wolde-Tsadik Goshu, First Mayor of Addis Ababa, President of the first Ministers Council as well as Viceroy of Ethiopia during Emperor Haile-Selassie’s exile. By whom she had one son Dejazmatch Teferi Wolde-Tsadik.