Person

Yohannes IV

1837–1889 · 19th century · Also known as Kassa Mercha, Yohannes IV of Ethiopia

Yohannes IV was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 to 1889, a Tigrayan noble born Kassa Mercha who gained power with British arms after the fall of Tewodros II. He defeated Egyptian invasions at Gundet and Gura in 1875 and 1876 and resisted Italian expansion. He was killed fighting the Mahdist army at Gallabat (Metemma) in March 1889.

Yohannes IV
Image: Unknown but obviously dided 70 years ago · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 state histories

TigrayKingdom of GojjamMahdist State

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Yohannes IV. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yohannes-iv
MLA
“Yohannes IV.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yohannes-iv. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Yohannes IV.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yohannes-iv.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Yohannes IV’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yohannes-iv (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻