Walter Plowden
Encyclopedia
Walter Chichele Plowden (1820 - 1860) was the British consul at Massawa
on the Red Sea
coast from 1848 to his death. He played a role in Ethiopian
politics in the mid 19th-century: during his tenure he cultivated the friendship of first Ras Ali
, and later the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II
. J. R. Hooker remarks that "as a political agent, Plowden was valuable; as a writer of travel literature he was engaging and intelligent; but as a consul he was useless, his commercial reports being limited to three in 1852. He was never at his post after 1855."
Plowden was murdered during a journey between Gondar
and the Red Sea
by a follower of Agew Niguse. He is buried in the Royal Enclosure of Gondar, next to Gemjabet Mariyam church.
His writings were published as Travels in Abyssinia and the Galla Country, with an account of a mission to Ras Ali in 1848 by his brother in London in 1868.
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
on the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coast from 1848 to his death. He played a role in Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
politics in the mid 19th-century: during his tenure he cultivated the friendship of first Ras Ali
Ali II of Yejju
Ali II of Yejju was a Ras of Begemder and Enderase of the Emperor of Ethiopia. He was the son of Alula of Yejju, sometime governor of Damot and then of Gojjam, and Menen Liben Amede, later Empress of Ethiopia, and grandson of Gugsa of Yejju, by his fourth wife, Amata Selassie, daughter of Emperor...
, and later the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
. J. R. Hooker remarks that "as a political agent, Plowden was valuable; as a writer of travel literature he was engaging and intelligent; but as a consul he was useless, his commercial reports being limited to three in 1852. He was never at his post after 1855."
Plowden was murdered during a journey between Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
and the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
by a follower of Agew Niguse. He is buried in the Royal Enclosure of Gondar, next to Gemjabet Mariyam church.
His writings were published as Travels in Abyssinia and the Galla Country, with an account of a mission to Ras Ali in 1848 by his brother in London in 1868.
External links
- " Walter Chichele Plowden " (Anglo-Ethiopian Society website)