Background
He was the son of Tekle Giyorgis.
He was the son of Tekle Giyorgis.
He was largely a figurehead, with real power in the hands of the Enderase or Regent, Ras Ali II a princeling of the Yejju Dynasty. Budge portrays Yohannes as a contemptible character, "only tolerated because he belonged to the Solomonic line. His ultimate fate is unclear—as well as many of the details of his reign.
He is said to have been ruling as Emperor 18 June 1847 when Empress Mennen was defeated in combat near the northern shores of Lake Tana by Kassa of Qwara (the future Tewodros II), who captured Yohannes and Mennen and traded them to Ras Ali for the title of Dejazmach and the territories of the deceased Ras Kinfu in Gojjam.
Another source states that when Kassa finally usurped the Imperial throne, Yohannes agreed to step down from the throne on the condition that the new Emperor guarantee that he would not ever be made to reunite with his much hated wife, Empress Mennen. After this, Yohannes lived as a commoner.
In 1856, the Catholics in Ethiopia tried to interest him in returning to the throne, but he was far more interested in undertaking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Two years later he joined the court of Emperor Tewodros and returned to the Ethiopian Church.
He was still part of Tewodros" court in April 1866, when Hormuzd Rassam mentions meeting "the puppet Emperor, Hatse Yuhannes, who was sick and could come to the assembly".
One of his letters survives, written 11 June 1869, in which he asks Napoleon III for financial relief.