Editing Haile Selassie (section)

== Reign ==

=== King and Emperor ===
{{see also|Modernization under Haile Selassie}}
[[File:Emperor Haile Selassie I.jpg|thumb|Coronation as Emperor on 2 November 1930]]
Tafari's authority was challenged in 1928 when ''[[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles|Dejazmach]]'' [[Balcha Safo]] went to Addis Ababa with a sizeable armed force. When Tafari consolidated his hold over the provinces, many of Menelik's appointees refused to abide by the new regulations. Balcha Safo, the governor (''Shum'') of coffee-rich [[Sidamo Province]], was particularly troublesome. The revenues he remitted to the central government did not reflect the accrued profits and Tafari recalled him to Addis Ababa. The old man came in high dudgeon and, insultingly, with a large army.{{refn |Balcha Safo brought an army of ten thousand with him from Sidamo.<ref name="Marcus, page 127"/> |group= nb}} The ''Dejazmatch'' paid homage to Empress Zewditu, but snubbed Tafari.<ref name="cambridge">{{Harvnb |Roberts | p = 723}}.</ref>{{Sfn |Marcus | p = 129}} On 18 February, while Balcha Safo and his personal bodyguard{{refn |Balcha Safo's personal bodyguard numbered about five hundred.<ref name="Marcus, page 127" />|group=nb}} were in Addis Ababa, Tafari had ''Ras'' [[Kassa Haile Darge]] buy off Balcha Safo's army, and arranged to have him replaced as ''Shum'' of Sidamo Province{{Sfn |Mockler | p = 8}} by Birru Wolde Gabriel – who himself was replaced by [[Desta Damtew]].<ref name="Marcus, page 127" />

Even so, the gesture of Balcha Safo empowered Empress Zewditu politically and she attempted to have Tafari tried for [[treason]]. He was tried for his benevolent dealings with Italy including a [[Italo–Ethiopian Treaty of 1928|20-year peace accord]] that was signed on 2 August.<ref name="so193" /> In September, a group of palace reactionaries including some courtiers of the Empress made a [[1928 Ethiopian coup d'état|final bid to get rid of Tafari]]. The attempted ''coup d'état'' was tragic in its origins and comic in its end. When confronted by Tafari and a company of his troops, the ringleaders of the coup took refuge on the palace grounds in Menelik's mausoleum. Tafari and his men surrounded them, only to be surrounded themselves by the personal guard of Zewditu. More of Tafari's khaki clad soldiers arrived and decided the outcome in his favor with superiority of arms.{{Sfn |Marcus | pp = 127–128}} Popular support, as well as the support of the police,<ref name="cambridge" /> remained with Tafari. Ultimately, the Empress relented, and, on 7 October 1928, she crowned Tafari as ''[[Negus]]'' ([[Amharic]]: "King").<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Brief Biography of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I |url=https://ethiopiancrown.org/biography-emperor-haile-selassie-i/ |website=[[Crown Council of Ethiopia]]}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Marcus||pp=128}}</ref>

[[File:Haile Selassie I Coronation Portrait.jpg|thumb|260x260px|Official coronation painting by Beatrice Playne c. 1950s]]

The crowning of Tafari as King was controversial. He occupied the same territory as the Empress rather than going off to a regional kingdom of the empire. Two monarchs, even with one being the vassal and the other the emperor (in this case empress), had never ruled from a single location simultaneously in [[Ethiopian history]]. Conservatives agitated to redress this perceived insult to the crown's dignity, leading to the [[Gugsa Wale's rebellion|''Ras'' Gugsa Welle's rebellion]]. [[Gugsa Welle]] was the husband of the Empress and the ''Shum'' of [[Begemder]] Province. In early 1930, he raised an army and marched it from his governorate at [[Gondar]] towards [[Addis Ababa]]. On 31 March 1930, Gugsa Welle was met by forces loyal to ''Negus'' Tafari and was defeated at the [[Battle of Anchem]]. Gugsa Welle was [[killed in action]].{{Sfn |Roberts | p = 724}} News of Gugsa Welle's defeat and death had hardly spread through Addis Ababa when the Empress died suddenly on 2 April 1930. Although it was long rumored that the Empress was poisoned upon her husband's defeat,<ref>Sorenson, John (2001). ''Ghosts and Shadows: Construction of Identity and Community in an African Diaspora''. University of Toronto Press. {{ISBN|0-8020-8331-5}} p. 34.</ref> or alternately that she died from shock upon hearing of the death of her estranged yet beloved husband,<ref>Brockman, Norbert C. (1994), ''An African Biographical Dictionary''. ABC-CLIO. {{ISBN|0-87436-748-4}}, p. 381.</ref> it has since been documented that Zewditu succumbed to [[paratyphoid fever]] and complications from [[diabetes]] after the Orthodox clergy imposed strict rules concerning her diet during Lent, against her physicians' orders.<ref>Henze, Paul B. (2000), ''Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia''. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. {{ISBN|1-85065-393-3}}, p. 205.</ref><ref name="The Negus">{{cite book|last1=Del Boca|first1=Angelo|title=The Negus: The Life and Death of the Last King of Kings|date=2015|publisher=Arada Books|location=Addis Ababa|isbn=978-99944-823-9-9|page=107}}</ref>

Upon Zewditu's death, Tafari himself rose to emperor and was proclaimed ''Neguse Negest ze-'Ityopp'ya'', "King of Kings of Ethiopia". He was [[Coronations in Africa#Ethiopia|crowned]] on 2 November 1930, at [[St. George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa|Addis Ababa's Cathedral of St. George]]. The coronation was by all accounts "a most splendid affair",<ref name= m12>{{Harvnb |Mockler | p = 12}}.</ref> and it was attended by royals and dignitaries from all over the world. Among those in attendance were the [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Duke of Gloucester]] (King George V's son), [[Marshal of France|Marshal]] [[Louis Franchet d'Espèrey]] of France, and the [[Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (1884–1963)|Prince of Udine]] representing King [[Victor Emmanuel III]] of Italy. Special [[Ambassador]] [[Herman Murray Jacoby]] attended the coronation as the personal representative of U.S. president [[Herbert Hoover]].<ref>{{cite journal|date=September 1930|title=Items|url=http://www.afsa.org/sites/default/files/fsj-1930-09-september_0.pdf|journal=The American Foreign Service Journal|volume=VII|issue=9|pages=327|access-date=28 February 2023|archive-date=28 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228172524/http://www.afsa.org/sites/default/files/fsj-1930-09-september_0.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/35185/2nd-november-ises-requesting-for-a-femail-singer-to-sing-th.html|title=2nd November ises, Requesting for a femail singer to sing the Queenof England for the Coronation.|access-date=16 March 2023|archive-date=14 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314180347/https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/35185/2nd-november-ises-requesting-for-a-femail-singer-to-sing-th.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://en.sewasew.com/p/united-states-of-america-relations-with|title=Sewasew &#124; United States of America, relations with|access-date=28 February 2023|archive-date=28 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228170953/https://en.sewasew.com/p/united-states-of-america-relations-with|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1930/10/24/archives/abyssinian-ruler-honors-americans-special-envoy-for-coronation-pays.html?sq=selassie&scp=2&st=p Abyssinian ruler honors Americans] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722190722/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/10/24/archives/abyssinian-ruler-honors-americans-special-envoy-for-coronation-pays.html?sq=selassie&scp=2&st=p |date=22 July 2018 }}. ''The New York Times''. 24 October 1930.</ref> Emissaries from Egypt, Turkey, Sweden, Belgium, and Japan were there.<ref name=m12 /> British author [[Evelyn Waugh]] was also present, penning a contemporary report on the event, and American travel lecturer [[Burton Holmes]] made the only known film footage of the event.<ref>Wallace, Irving (1965). "Everybody's Rover Boy", p. 113 in ''The Sunday Gentleman''. New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Coronation of Ras Tafari – 1930 {{!}} Movietone Moments {{!}} 2 Feb 18|date=2 February 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CJsZjXsuHg|language=en|access-date=30 January 2022|archive-date=6 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706033434/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CJsZjXsuHg|url-status=live}}</ref> One American newspaper report suggested that the celebration had incurred a cost in excess of $3,000,000.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1930/11/03/archives/emperor-is-crowned-in-regal-splendor-at-african-capital-coptic.html?sq=selassie&scp=4&st=p "Emperor is Crowned in Regal Splendor at African Capital"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722185322/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/11/03/archives/emperor-is-crowned-in-regal-splendor-at-african-capital-coptic.html?sq=selassie&scp=4&st=p |date=22 July 2018 }}. ''The New York Times''. 3 November 1930.</ref> Many of those in attendance received lavish gifts;<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1930/11/12/archives/abyssinias-guests-receive-costly-gifts-each-american-delegate-gets.html?sq=selassie&scp=19&st=p Abyssinia's Guests Receive Costly Gifts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722184856/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/11/12/archives/abyssinias-guests-receive-costly-gifts-each-american-delegate-gets.html?sq=selassie&scp=19&st=p |date=22 July 2018 }}. ''The New York Times''. 12 November 1930.</ref> in one instance the Emperor, a Christian, even sent a gold-encased Bible to an American bishop who had not attended the coronation, but who had dedicated a prayer for the Emperor on the day of the coronation.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1931/01/27/archives/emperor-of-ethiopia-honors-bishop-freeman-sends-goldencased-bible.html?sq=selassie&scp=14&st=p "Emperor of Ethiopia Honors Bishop Freeman; Sends Gold-Encased Bible and Cross for Prayer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722041252/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/01/27/archives/emperor-of-ethiopia-honors-bishop-freeman-sends-goldencased-bible.html?sq=selassie&scp=14&st=p |date=22 July 2018 }}. ''The New York Times''. 27 January 1931.</ref>

[[File:Selassie on Time Magazine cover 1930.jpg|left|thumb|237x237px|Cover of [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] magazine, 3 November 1930]]

Selassie introduced [[1931 Constitution of Ethiopia|Ethiopia's first written constitution]] on 16 July 1931,<ref>Nahum, Fasil (1997), ''Constitution for a Nation of Nations: The Ethiopian Prospect''. Red Sea Press. {{ISBN|1-56902-051-5}}, p. 17.</ref> providing for a [[bicameral legislature]].<ref name= vnahum22>Fasil (1997), ''Constitution for a Nation of Nations'', p. 22.</ref> The constitution kept power in the hands of the nobility, but it did establish democratic standards among the nobility, envisaging a transition to democratic rule: it would prevail "until the people are in a position to elect themselves."<ref name=vnahum22 /> The constitution limited succession to the throne to descendants of Selassie, which had the effect of placing other dynastic princes at the time (including the princes of [[Tigray Province|Tigrai]], and even the Emperor's loyal cousin Ras [[Kassa Haile Darge]]) outside of the line for the throne.<ref name="cs">{{Country study |country=Ethiopia |abbr=et |editor=Thomas P. Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry |date=1991 |section=Haile Selassie: The Prewar Period, 1930–36 |author=John W. Turner}}</ref>

In 1932, the [[Kingdom of Jimma|Sultanate of Jimma]] was formally absorbed into Ethiopia following the death of Sultan [[Abba Jifar II]] of [[Jimma]].<ref name="Marcus-121">Harold G. Marcus, ''The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844–1913'' (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1995), p. 121</ref>

===Conflict with Italy===

{{See also|Abyssinia Crisis|Second Italo-Abyssinian War}}

Ethiopia became the target of renewed Italian imperialist designs in the 1930s. [[Benito Mussolini]]'s [[Fascist]] regime was keen to avenge the military defeats Italy had suffered to Ethiopia in the [[First Italo-Abyssinian War]], and to efface the failed attempt by "liberal" Italy to conquer the country, as epitomised by the defeat at [[Battle of Adwa|Adwa]].{{Sfn |Mockler | p = 61}}<ref name=carlton>Carlton, Eric (1992), ''Occupation: The Policies and Practices of Military Conquerors''. Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0-203-14346-9}}, pp. 88–89.</ref><ref name=vander>Vandervort, Bruce (1998), ''Wars of Imperial Conquest in Africa, 1830–1914''. Indiana University Press. {{ISBN|0-253-21178-6}}, p. 158.</ref> A conquest of Ethiopia could also empower the cause of fascism and embolden its empire's rhetoric.<ref name= vander /> Ethiopia would also provide a bridge between Italy's Eritrean and [[Italian Somaliland]] possessions. Ethiopia's position in the League of Nations did not dissuade the Italians from invading in 1935; the "[[collective security]]" envisaged by the League proved useless, and a scandal erupted when the [[Hoare–Laval Pact]] revealed that Ethiopia's League allies were scheming to appease Italy.<ref>Churchill, Winston (1986). ''The Second World War''. p. 165.</ref>

====Mobilisation====

Following the [[Welwel Incident]] of 5 December 1934, Selassie joined his northern armies and set up headquarters at [[Dessie|Desse]] in [[Wollo]] province. He issued a generalized mobilization order on 3 October 1935. On 19 October 1935, he gave more precise orders for his army to his Commander-in-Chief, Ras [[Kassa Haile Darge|Kassa]], instructing the men to choose hidden positions, to conserve ammunition, and to avoid wearing conspicuous clothing for fear of air attack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jah-rastafari.com/autobiography/show-jah-chapter.asp?word_chapter=35|title=Chapter 35 – We proclaim mobilisation|access-date=24 April 2014|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611043703/http://www.jah-rastafari.com/autobiography/show-jah-chapter.asp?word_chapter=35|archive-date=11 June 2009}} in ''Words of RasTafarI, Selassie I''. Jah-rastafari. Retrieved on 24 April 2014.</ref> Compared to the Ethiopians, the Italians had an advanced, modern military that included a large air force. The Italians also came to employ [[chemical weapons]] throughout the conflict, even targeting [[Red Cross]] field hospitals.<ref>Baudendistel, Rainer (2006), ''Between Bombs And Good Intentions: The Red Cross And the Italo-Ethiopian War''. Berghahn Books. {{ISBN|1-84545-035-3}}, p. 168.</ref>

====Progress of the war====
Starting in early October 1935, the [[De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia|Italians invaded Ethiopia]]. But, by November, the pace of invasion had slowed appreciably, and Selassie's northern armies were able to launch what was known as the "[[Christmas Offensive]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Barker|1971|p=45}}</ref> During this offensive, the Italians were forced back in places and put on the defensive. In early 1936, the [[First Battle of Tembien]] stopped the progress of the Ethiopian offensive and the Italians were ready to continue their offensive. Following the defeat and destruction of the northern Ethiopian armies at the [[Battle of Amba Aradam]], the [[Second Battle of Tembien]], and the [[Battle of Shire (1936)|Battle of Shire]], Selassie took the field with the last Ethiopian army on the northern front. On 31 March 1936, he launched a [[counterattack]] against the Italians himself at the [[Battle of Maychew]] in southern [[Tigray Province|Tigray]]. The Emperor's army was defeated and retreated in disarray. As his army withdrew, the Italians attacked from the air along with rebellious Raya and Azebo tribesmen on the ground, who were armed and paid by the Italians.<ref>{{harvnb|Barker|1968|pp=237–238}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Abbink|De Bruijn|Van Walraven|2003|p=95}}</ref><ref>Young, John (1997), ''Peasant Revolution in Ethiopia''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-02606-7}}, p. 51.</ref> Many of the [[Army of the Ethiopian Empire|Ethiopian military]] were obsolete compared to the invading Italian forces, being mostly untrained and possessing non-modern rifles and weaponry.<ref>{{harvnb|Pankhurst|1968|pp=605–608}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Barker|1971|p=29}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Stapleton|2013|p=203}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Mack Smith|1983|pp=231–232}}</ref>

Selassie made a solitary [[pilgrimage]] to the churches at [[Lalibela]], at considerable risk of capture, before returning to his capital.<ref name= moc>{{Harvnb|Mockler|p=123}}.</ref> After a stormy session of the council of state, it was agreed that because [[Addis Ababa]] could not be defended, the government would relocate to the southern town of [[Gore, Ethiopia|Gore]], and that in the interest of preserving the imperial house, Empress Menen Asfaw and the rest of the imperial family should immediately depart for [[French Somaliland]], and from there continue on to [[Jerusalem]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Spencer|first=John H|title=Ethiopia at Bay: A Personal Account of the Haile Selassie Years|publisher=Tsehai Publishers|year=2006|isbn=978-1-59907-000-1|pages=63–64|author-link=John H. Spencer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2 May 1936|title=Ethiopian Capital May Move to Gore; Town 220 Miles Southwest of Addis Ababa Reported Chosen on British Advice. Final Stand is Ordered – Emperor Calls Every Able-Bodied Man to Resist Invaders to North of Principal City.|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/05/02/archives/ethiopian-capital-may-move-to-gore-town-220-miles-southwest-of.html|access-date=23 December 2023|archive-date=23 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223071730/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/05/02/archives/ethiopian-capital-may-move-to-gore-town-220-miles-southwest-of.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Anthony Mockler, ''Haile Selassie's War'' (New York: Olive Branch, 2003), pp. 163–166</ref>

====Exile debate====

[[File:SelassieInJerusalem.jpg|thumb|The Emperor arrives in [[Jerusalem]], May 1936.]]

After further debate as to whether Selassie should go to Gore or accompany his family into exile, it was agreed that he should leave Ethiopia with his family and present the case of Ethiopia to the [[League of Nations]] at [[Geneva]]. The decision was not unanimous and several participants, including the nobleman [[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles|Blatta]] [[Tekle Wolde Hawariat]], strenuously objected to the idea of an Ethiopian monarch fleeing before an invading force.<ref>Spencer, John (2006). ''Ethiopia at Bay: A Personal Account of the Haile Selassie Years''. Tsehai Publishers. {{ISBN|1-59907-000-6}}. p. 62.</ref> Selassie appointed his cousin Ras [[Imru Haile Selassie]] as Prince Regent in his absence, departing with his family for [[French Somaliland]] on 2 May 1936.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mockler||p=136}}</ref>

On 5 May, Marshal [[Pietro Badoglio]] led Italian troops into Addis Ababa, and Mussolini declared Ethiopia an Italian province. [[Victor Emanuel III]] was proclaimed as the new [[Emperor of Ethiopia]]. On the previous day, the Ethiopian exiles had left French Somaliland aboard the British cruiser [[HMS Enterprise (D52)|HMS ''Enterprise'']]. They were bound for [[Jerusalem]] in the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate of Palestine]], where the Ethiopian imperial family maintained a residence. The family disembarked at [[Haifa]] and then went on to Jerusalem. Once there, Selassie and his retinue prepared to make their case at Geneva. The choice of Jerusalem was highly symbolic, since the [[Solomonic Dynasty]] claimed descent from the [[House of David]]. Leaving the [[Holy Land]], Selassie and his entourage sailed aboard the British cruiser [[HMS Capetown (D88)|HMS ''Capetown'']] for [[Gibraltar]], where he stayed at the [[Rock Hotel]]. From Gibraltar, the exiles were transferred to an ordinary liner. By doing this, the United Kingdom government was spared the expense of a state reception.<ref>Barker, A. J. (1936), ''The Rape of Ethiopia'', p. 132</ref>

====Collective security and the League of Nations, 1936====

{{Main|Haile Selassie's speech to the League of Nations (1936)}}

[[File:Emperor Haile Selassie League of Nations speech.png|thumb|At the [[League of Nations]] appealing Italy's invasion in 1936]]

On 12 May 1936, the League of Nations allowed Selassie to address the assembly. In response, Italy withdrew its League delegation.<ref>Spencer, John (2006). ''Ethiopia at Bay: A Personal Account of the Haile Selassie Years''. Tsehai Publishers. {{ISBN|1-59907-000-6}}. p. 72.</ref> Although fluent in French, Selassie chose to deliver his speech in his native [[Amharic]]. He asserted that Italy was employing [[chemical weapons]] on military and civilian targets alike.{{Sfn | Safire | pp = 318|}}

At the beginning of 1936, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named Selassie "Man of the Year" for 1935,<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19360106,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429065839/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19360106,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 April 2007|newspaper=Time|type=magazine|title=Man of the Year|date=6 January 1936}}</ref> and his June 1936 speech made him an icon for anti-fascists around the world. He failed, however, to get the diplomatic and matériel support he needed. The League agreed to only partial sanctions on Italy, and Selassie was left without much-needed military equipment. Only six nations in 1937 did not recognise Italy's occupation: China, New Zealand, the Soviet Union, the Republic of Spain, Mexico and the United States.<ref name="carlton" />

====Exile====

[[File:Fairfield House, Newbridge, Bath.jpg|thumb|[[Fairfield House, Bath]], was Selassie's residence for five years during the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]] and parts of [[World War II]]]]

Selassie spent his exile years (1936–1941) in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], England, in [[Fairfield House, Bath|Fairfield House]], which he bought. The Emperor and [[Kassa Haile Darge]] took morning walks together behind the 14-room Victorian house's high walls. His favorite reading was "diplomatic history". It was during his exile in England that he began writing his 90,000-word autobiography.{{Sfn | ''Time'' | 1937}}

Prior to Fairfield House, he briefly stayed at Warne's Hotel in [[Worthing]]<ref name="Worthing">{{cite book|last=Elleray|first=D. Robert|title=A Millennium Encyclopaedia of Worthing History|page=119|publisher=Optimus Books|location=Worthing|year=1998|isbn=978-0-9533132-0-4}}</ref> and in Parkside, [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=A&reference=publications/articles/2006summer/selassiewimbledon.php|title=Selassie at Wimbledon|date=Summer 2006|publisher=The Anglo-Ethiopian Society|access-date=24 April 2014|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801130138/http://www.anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=A&reference=publications%2Farticles%2F2006summer%2Fselassiewimbledon.php|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[bust of Haile Selassie]] by [[Hilda Seligman]] stood in nearby [[Cannizaro Park]] to commemorate his stay, and was a popular place of pilgrimage for London's Rastafari community, until it was destroyed by protestors on 30 June 2020.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://www.nycaribnews.com/articles/london-statue-of-haile-selassie-destroyed/|title=London statue of Haile Selassie destroyed|work=NY Carib News|date=3 July 2020|access-date=4 July 2020|archive-date=4 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704223345/https://www.nycaribnews.com/articles/london-statue-of-haile-selassie-destroyed/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Selassie stayed at the Abbey Hotel in [[Malvern, Worcestershire|Malvern]] in the 1930s, and his granddaughters and daughters of court officials were educated at [[Clarendon School for Girls]] in [[North Malvern]]. During his time in Malvern, he attended services at Holy Trinity Church, in [[Link Top]]. A [[blue plaque]] commemorating his stay in Malvern was unveiled on Saturday, 25 June 2011. As part of the ceremony, a delegation from the Rastafari movement gave a short address and a drum recital.<ref>{{cite news|date=18 October 2002|url=http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2002/10/18/Worcestershire+Archive/7679876.Exiled_emperor_at_home_in_hotel/|title=Exiled emperor at home in hotel|newspaper=Malvern Gazette|access-date=25 June 2011|archive-date=6 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406212044/http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2002/10/18/Worcestershire+Archive/7679876.Exiled_emperor_at_home_in_hotel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=14 February 2003|url=http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2003/02/14/Worcestershire+Archive/7659680.Emperor_s_life_in_town_is_recalled_in_BBC_film/|title=Emperor's life in town is recalled in BBC film|newspaper=Malvern Gazette|access-date=26 June 2011|archive-date=6 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406212240/http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2003/02/14/Worcestershire+Archive/7659680.Emperor_s_life_in_town_is_recalled_in_BBC_film/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=5 May 2006|url=http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2006/05/05/Worcestershire+Archive/7845378._Princesses_were__my_school_chums_/|title=Princesses were my school chums|newspaper=Malvern Gazette|publisher=Newsquest Media Group|access-date=25 June 2011|archive-date=6 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406212053/http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2006/05/05/Worcestershire+Archive/7845378._Princesses_were__my_school_chums_/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Haile Selassie, Emperor of Abyssinia, with Brigadier Daniel Arthur Sandford (left) and Colonel Wingate (right) in Dambacha Fort, after it had been captured, 15 April 1941. E2462.jpg|thumb|Haile Selassie with Brigadier [[Daniel Sandford (British Army officer)|Daniel Sandford]] (left) and Colonel [[Orde Wingate|Wingate]] (right) in Dambacha Fort, after its capture, 15 April 1941]]

Selassie's activity in this period was focused on countering Italian propaganda as to the Ethiopian resistance and the legality of the occupation.{{Sfn|Haile Selassie 1999|loc=vol. 2, pp. 11–12.}} He spoke out against the desecration of houses of worship and historical artifacts, including the theft of a 1,600-year-old imperial obelisk, and condemned the atrocities suffered by the Ethiopian civilian population.{{Sfn|Haile Selassie 1999|loc=vol. 2, pp. 26–27.}} He continued to plead for League intervention and to voice his certainty that "God's judgment will eventually visit the weak and the mighty alike",<ref name="progress25" /> though his attempts to gain support for the struggle against Italy were largely unsuccessful until Italy entered World War II on the German side in June 1940.<ref name="ofcan">Ofcansky, Thomas P. and Berry, Laverle (2004), ''Ethiopia: A Country Study''. Kessinger Publishing. {{ISBN|1-4191-1857-9}}, pp. 60–61.</ref>

Selassie's pleas for international support took root in the United States, particularly among African-American organisations sympathetic to the Ethiopian cause.{{Sfn | Haile Selassie 1999 | loc = vol. 2, p. 27}} In 1937, Haile Selassie was to give a Christmas Day radio address to the American people to thank his supporters when his taxi was involved in a traffic accident, leaving him with a fractured knee.{{Sfn | Haile Selassie 1999 | loc = vol. 2, pp. 40–42}} He delivered the address despite his injury, in which he linked Christianity and goodwill with the [[Covenant of the League of Nations]], and asserted that war can be resolved diplomatically.{{Sfn | Haile Selassie 1999 | loc = vol. 2, pp. 40–42}}

During this period, Selassie suffered several personal tragedies. His two sons-in-law, Ras [[Desta Damtew]] and Dejazmach [[Beyene Merid]], were both executed by the Italians.<ref name="progress25">{{Harvnb | Haile Selassie 1999 | loc = vol. 2, p. 25}}.</ref> The Emperor's daughter, Princess [[Romanework]], wife of Dejazmach Beyene Merid, was taken into captivity with her children, and she died in Italy in 1941.<ref name="him170">{{Harvnb | Haile Selassie 1999 | loc = vol. 2, p. 170}}.</ref> His daughter Tsehai died during childbirth shortly after the restoration in 1942.{{Sfn |Shinn | p = 3}}

After his return to Ethiopia, Selassie donated Fairfield House to the city of Bath as a residence for the aged.<ref>{{Citation|last=Haber|first=Lutz|url=http://anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=O&reference=publications/occasionalpapers/papers/haileselassiebath.php|title=The Emperor Haile Selassie I in Bath 1936–1940|publisher=The Anglo-Ethiopian Society|series=Occasional papers|access-date=16 February 2008|archive-date=30 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130085518/http://anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=O&reference=publications/occasionalpapers/papers/haileselassiebath.php|url-status=live}}.</ref> In 2019, two blue plaques commemorating his residence at Fairfield and his visits to nearby [[Weston-super-Mare]] were unveiled by his grandson.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-49786813|title=Haile Selassie: Blue plaques for emperor unveiled in Somerset|publisher=BBC News|date=22 September 2019|access-date=24 March 2022|archive-date=24 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324212236/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-49786813|url-status=live}}</ref>