1667-1815 1896-1935







Abyssinia
1815-1896



The partition of Abyssinia into the rivalling principalities of TIGRE, AMHARA and SHOA continued. Outlying regions of Abyssinia were under control of the OROMO, most of whom meanwhile had turned to Islam.
In 1853-1855, Kassa Hailu, prince of Tigre, defeated the Oromo. He submitted Amhara and Shoa, thus reuniting Abyssinia, and was crowned Emperor TEWODROS II. in 1855. In the 1860es a conflict with Britain arose; Tewodros ordered the Britons in Ethiopia to be taken hostage. When British Indian forces stormed his capital, he committed suicide (1868). The kingdom, again partitioned under Tewosros' sons, faced an Egyptian invasion in 1875, which was defeated. In the 1880es, a new threat emerged in the form of the Italians, which established themselves in Eritrea (1882-1890) and in the Mahdists, who began invading Ethiopia in 1887. France, seeking to gain influence in Ethiopia, founded the city of Djibouti in 1888, planned as the end of a railway line connecting it with Addis Abeba, and eventually with Dakar (a plan which was never realized). The French offered the Ethiopians to supply them with weapons, an offer to which the latter willingly responded. Britain, to match French influence at the court in Gondar, encouraged the Ethiopians to claim HARAR and the OGADEN.
In 1896 the Italians, interpreting a treaty obtained from Ethiopia giving them sovereignty over the country, invaded. They were defeated by the Ethiopians (and their French weapons) in the BATTLE OF ADUA. Ethiopian independence was secured for another 4 decades.
It should be noted that Ethiopia was one of only two African countries, which managed to avoid being taken by a colonial power during the Scramble for Africa.

For a list of Ethiopian Kings of the Solomonic dynasty, from Iyassu's Homepage, click here






HISTORIC MAPS Map of Africa 1892, from Gardiner's Atlas of English History, 1892, Abyssinia here indicated as an Italian protectorate


EXTERNAL
FILES 		Library of Congress, Country Studies Ethiopia
Imperial Ethiopia Home Page, Dynasty in Exile website
The Solomonic Kings of Ethiopia, from Iyassu's Homepage
Ethiopia Transformed, from African Cultures
The Battle of Adwa as a Historic Event, by Donald N. Levine; Ethiopia's Decisive Victory ad Adowa, by Greg Blake, from thehistorynet
Ethiopia's Money, from Elgin Coin Club Newsletter, featuring coins issued by Negus Menelik II, 1894-95
DOCUMENTS On an Egyptian Campaign against Abyssinia 1875 : A Confederate Soldier in Egypt
Coin Ethiopia 1 Birr 1892, from Edward Beech Collection Highlights
From British Military Medals : Abyssinian War Medal, 1867
REFERENCES Article : Abyssinia and Shoa, in : Statesman's Year Book 1895 pp.715-716 (on events of 1894) [G]
Article : Africa, in : The American Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events 1862 pp.1-4, 1863 pp.1-2, 1864 pp.1-2 [G]
Article : Abyssinia, in : Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events 1886 p.1, 1894 pp.1-3 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on September 6th 2007

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