But he could not fight the aristocracy with his own hands, so he always promoted into his circle, as representatives of the people, bright young men from the lowest orders, chosen from the lowest ranks of the plebeians, picked often on little more than a hunch from the mobs that surrounded his majesty whenever he went among the people. His Supreme Majesty, a partisan of a strong state and centralised power, had to lead a cunning and skilful fight against the aristocratic faction, which wanted to rule in the provinces and have a weak, pliable Emperor.
The faction of ‘personal people’ was a peculiarity of our regime, created by the Emperor himself. The most eloquent description of that extreme is probably in Kapuscinski’s semi-documentary description of the court of Haile Sellasie: On one end of the spectrum are people who wholly belong to the monarch and depend on his whims for their position. Yet, the status that these supporting actors have can vary wildly. Even the most unmitigated autocrat needs people to undertake administrative roles, sit as judges, command armies, and support the pomp and splendour with which rulers surround themselves.
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