Mercha Wolde Kidan

Shum Tembien Mercha Wolde Kidan (Tigrinya: ምርጫ ወልደ ኪዳን, Mərcha Wäldä Kidan; 1820s – 1864/65) was the ruler of Tembien, a province of Tigray, and father of Kasa Mercha (later atse Yohannes IV). Mercha had his seat at Melfa in the mountainous Degwa Tembien. Due to his connections to the leading families of Tigray, he was regarded as one of the first nobles of the region. He himself, however, never acquired a central position within the Ethiopian power structure, but transmitted his own claims for rulership to his descendants.