Ethiopian victory
132-628: The Egyptian–Ethiopian War was a war between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt , an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, from 1874 to 1876. The conflict resulted in an unequivocal Ethiopian victory that guaranteed continued independence of Ethiopia in the years immediately preceding the Scramble for Africa . Conversely, for Egypt the war was a costly failure, severely blunting
264-500: A miraculous light that in the sky. Believing this was a sign from God showing his approval for his persecution of pagans, the emperor ordered a church built on the site, and later constructed an extensive palace nearby, and a second church, dedicated to Saint Cyriacus . Zara Yaqob was succeeded by Baeda Maryam I . Emperor Baeda Maryam would give the title of the Queen Mother to Eleni of Ethiopia , one of his father's wives. She
396-584: A 12-hour battle. Only three men escaped alive. Several ex- Confederate officers and Union officers who had both previously fought in the American Civil War participated in the conflict. The Egyptian Khedive was introduced to the idea of hiring American officers to reorganize his army when he met Thaddeus P. Mott , an ex-Union artillery officer and adventurer, in the sultan’s court in Constantinople in 1868. Mott regaled Ismail with testimonies about
528-609: A complete rookie in both disciplines) was assigned to the clearing of the harbour. He succeeded only in the simple task of salvaging an ex-Italian tugboat. The same month, United States Navy Commander Edward Ellsberg and his handful of crew arrived to take over. The wrecks were salvaged in short order and the port was returned to service, as part of what had now become the British protectorate of Eritrea. The port's floating drydocks were of significant importance in maintaining and repairing Royal Navy ships and British civilian transports from
660-534: A definite invasion of the empire, burning churches, forcibly converting Christians and massacring the inhabitants. According to the chroniclers everywhere he went his men "slew every adult Christian they found, and carried off the youths and the maidens and sold them as slaves." By the mid 1530s most of Ethiopia was under Adalite occupation and Lebna Dengel fled from mountain fortress to mountain fortress until he finally died of natural causes in Debre Damo . The Emperor
792-517: A federation with Ethiopia, previously landlocked Ethiopia briefly enjoyed the use of Massawa as the headquarters of the Ethiopian Navy . Ultimately, Ethiopia terminated the federation and forcibly incorporated Eritrea. This led to the Eritrean War of Independence (1961–1991). Massawa was fought over by both sides during the struggle for Eritrean independence. In February 1990, Massawa was captured by
924-542: A force of some 50,000 (of whom only about 15,000 could fight at one time due to battlefield layout), engaged them on the 7 March 1875, and Ratib Pasha ordered just over 5,000 out of 7,500 men stationed at Fort Gura to leave the fort and engage the Ethiopians. This force was quickly surrounded by the Ethiopian advance guard, probably commanded by Ras Alula , and quickly broke. The Ethiopians then fell back, and, on 10 March, mounted
1056-703: A golden age of peace and stability for the Ethiopian Empire. However, the remaining Walashma returned from their exile in 1415 and established the Adal Sultanate centred around the Harar region. The Muslims then began to harass Christian held territories in the east prompting Emperor Yeshaq I to dedicate much of his time to defending his eastern peripheral territories, he seems to have employed several Egyptian Christian advisors to drill his army and teach them how to make Greek fire. These advances were not enough to keep
1188-532: A highly stable, prosperous commercial center. This period saw profound achievements in Ethiopian art , architecture , and innovations such as the construction of the royal complex Fasil Ghebbi , and 44 churches that were established around Lake Tana . In the arts, the Gondarine period saw the creation of diptychs and triptychs , murals and illuminated manuscripts , mostly with religious motifs. The reign of Iyasu
1320-655: A pan-Nile Valley empire were meant to avoid. Conversely, Ethiopia maintained its independence, and, hardened by war, was well prepared for its own defense during the imminent Scramble for Africa. The collapse of Egypt's African empire was seized upon by European empires, of whom Italy replaced Egypt in Eritrea, setting the stage for an eventual confrontation between Italy and Ethiopia in the First Italo-Ethiopian War 1895. Ethiopia's triumph in that war would in turn contribute to Fascist Italy 's desire to conquer Ethiopia in
1452-632: A period known as the Princes Era (in Amharic: Zemene Mesafint ). This was a period of Ethiopian history with numerous conflicts between the various Ras (equivalent to the English dukes ) and the Emperor, who had only limited power and only dominated the area around the contemporary capital of Gondar . Both the development of society and culture stagnated in this period. Religious conflict, both within
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#17328448265661584-513: A prominent port on the Red Sea. These buildings and the old town of Massawa remain to this day, having withstood both earthquakes and wars. In June 1855, Emperor Tewodros II informed the British Consul, Walter Plowden , of his intention to occupy Tigray and make himself master of "the tribes along the coast", he also informed Frederick Bruce that he was determined to seize the port because it
1716-449: A proposed constitution creating a constitutional monarchy was presented to the Emperor, the Derg began a program of dismantling the imperial government to forestall further developments in that direction. The Derg deposed and imprisoned the Emperor on 12 September 1974 and chose Lieutenant General Aman Andom , a popular military leader and a Sandhurst graduate, to be acting head of state. This
1848-607: A result, the quays were widened, the breakwater lengthened to enable the simultaneous discharge of five steamers and the harbour was equipped with two large cranes. During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War , Massawa served as a base for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which caused the town to be flooded with Italian soldiers. An American journalist reported at the height of the invasion, "The streets had obviously sprung up over night. Men slept in completely open barracks - just
1980-521: A rotating seat. Along with Modibo Keïta of Mali, the Ethiopian leader would later help successfully negotiate the Bamako Accords, which brought an end to the border conflict between Morocco and Algeria . In 1964, Haile Selassie would initiate the concept of the United States of Africa , a proposition later taken up by Muammar Gaddafi . Student unrest became a regular feature of Ethiopian life in
2112-547: A secondary attack on Fort Gura, which was repelled. The Ethiopian force dissolved the next day, and the devastated Egyptians soon withdrew. Several European officers served on both sides of the conflict at various capacities; these include a British adventurer John Kirkham on the Ethiopian side, and the Dane Adolph Arendrup as well as Swiss explorer Werner Munzinger on the Egyptian side. Munzinger, former governor of
2244-601: A skeleton frame-work of wood with galvanized iron roof." During World War II Massawa was the homeport for the Red Sea Flotilla of the Italian Royal Navy . When the city fell during the East African Campaign , a large number of Italian and German ships were sunk in an attempt to block use of Massawa's harbour . From 15 April 1942, later master diver and salvage specialist RNR Lieutenant Peter Keeble (then
2376-481: A state of tension, which largely abated after the 1884 Hewett Treaty . Ras Alula had shown himself to be a reliable general, and was promoted by Yohannes IV to the rank of Ras , and appointed governor of the Mareb Malash . The Egyptian defeat in the war had serious ramifications for Egypt. The war's costs added to the nation's massive financial debts, which, in 1879, were the cause of Isma'il's removal as Khedive at
2508-422: Is commemorated in a memorial of three tanks in the middle of Massawa. Massawa has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ). The city receives a very low average annual rainfall amount totalling around 185 millimetres (7.28 in) and consistently experiences soaringly high temperatures during both day and night. The annual mean average temperature approaches 30 °C (86 °F), which
2640-508: Is known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War . The war lasted seven months before an Italian victory was declared. The Ethiopian Empire was occupied into the Italian colony of Italian East Africa . The invasion was condemned by the League of Nations , though not much was done to end the hostility. During the conflict, both Ethiopian and Italian troops committed war crimes. Ethiopian troops are known to have made use of Dum-Dum bullets (in violation of
2772-535: Is now western, southern, and eastern Ethiopia, like Kaffa , Welayta , Harar , and other kingdoms. Thus, by 1898 Ethiopia expanded into its modern territorial boundaries. In the northern region, he confronted Italy 's expansion. Through a resounding victory over the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, utilizing modern imported weaponry, Menelik ensured Ethiopia's independence and confined Italy to Eritrea . Later, after
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#17328448265662904-563: Is ṣewa (ጼዋ) while the Amharic term is č̣äwa (ጨዋ). The normal size of a regiment was several thousand men. Each regiment was allocated a fief (Gult), to ensure its upkeep ensured by the land revenue. Massawa Massawa or Mitsiwa ( / m ə ˈ s ɑː w ə / mə-SAH-wə ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea , located on the Red Sea at the northern end of
3036-594: The Battle of Chelenqo . In 1889 Menelik's general Gobana Dacche also defeated the Hadiya leader Hassan Enjamo and annexed Hadiya territory. The 1880s were marked by the Scramble for Africa . Italy, seeking a colonial presence in Africa, was awarded Eritrea by Britain which led to the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887–1889 and the scramble for Eritrea's coastal regions between King Yohannes IV of Tembien and Italy. After
3168-643: The Blue Nile . Whilst Ethiopia's history mirrored that of Egypt in many respects, with both having ancient, continuous civilizations home to both Muslims and Orthodox Christians, the rapid modernization of Egypt under Muhammad Ali, and Isma'il's own enormous modernizing projects, convinced the Khedive that war with Ethiopia would result in certain Egyptian victory. Amongst Egypt's army were many European and American officers, whose training and experience further strengthened Isma'il's confidence. Meanwhile, King Yohannes IV became
3300-572: The Egyptian-Ethiopian War , Emperor Yohannes IV reportedly demanded that the Egyptians should cede both Zula and Arkiko and pay Ethiopia two million pounds in reparations or, failing this sum, grant him the port of Massawa. The Egyptians refused these demands and Yohannes ordered Ras Alula with 30,000 men to advanced on the port. The population was said to have been "much alarmed" at the Ethiopian show of force, however Alula soon returned to
3432-670: The Eritrean People's Liberation Front in a surprise attack from both land and sea during the Second Battle of Massawa . The battle, also known as Operation Fenkil, utilized both infiltrated commandos and speed boats. The success of this attack cut the major supply line to the Second Ethiopian Army in Asmara , which then had to be supplied by air. In response, the then leader of Ethiopia Mengistu Haile Mariam ordered Massawa bombed from
3564-584: The Eritrean War of Independence . The emperor declared Eritrea the fourteenth province of Ethiopia in 1962. In 1963, Haile Selassie presided over the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor of the continent-wide African Union (AU). The new organization would establish its headquarters in Addis Ababa . In May of that year, Haile Selassie was elected as the OAU's first official chairperson,
3696-638: The Ethiopian Orthodox Church and between them and the Muslims were often used as a pretext for mutual strife. The Princes Era ended with the reign of Emperor Tewodros II . In 1868, following the imprisonment of several missionaries and representatives of the British government, the British engaged in the punitive Expedition to Abyssinia against Emperor Tewodros. With the backing of most nobles in Ethiopia,
3828-428: The First Italo-Ethiopian War ; the Italians' disastrous defeat at Adwa ended their hopes of expanding further into the Ethiopian highlands for a decade and brought Menelik II 's newly formed Ethiopian Empire international recognition. The Italian colony suffered repeated earthquakes. Most of the city was completely destroyed by the 1921 earthquake ; it took until 1928 to fully restore the port, hampering initially
3960-727: The Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago . It has been a historically important port for many centuries. Massawa has been ruled or occupied by a succession of polities during its history, including the Kingdom of Punt, Kingdom of Aksum , Medri Bahri kingdom, the Ethiopian Empire , the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy . Massawa was the capital of the Italian Colony of Eritrea until
4092-523: The Hague Conventions ) and mutilated captured soldiers (often with castration). Italian troops used sulfur mustard in chemical warfare , ignoring the Geneva Protocol that it had signed seven years earlier. The Italian military dropped mustard gas in bombs, sprayed it from airplanes and spread it in powdered form on the ground. 150,000 chemical casualties were reported, mostly from mustard gas. In
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4224-666: The Horn of Africa . A no less important work produced during his reign was the Fetha Nagast or "Law of the Kings," which served as the country's legal code. Largely based on biblical principles, it codified the legal and social ideas of the time and remained in use until the early 20th century. The warlike emperor of Amda Seyon I conducted many campaigns in Gojjam , Damot and Eritrea , but his most important campaigns were against his Muslim enemies to
4356-573: The Keren and Massawa regions, led one of the Egyptian attacks against Ethiopia, marching inland from Tadjoura , but his troops were overwhelmed by the army of Muhammad ibn Hanfadhe, Sultan of Aussa , and he was killed in battle. Meanwhile, Arendrup, who was Isma'il's aide-de-camp was given the task of leading an expedition against the Abyssinians. In mid-November during clashes at Gundet, Arendrup, several other officers and about 1,000 privates died during
4488-516: The Kingdom of Qita'a , the Kingdom of Belgin , and the Sultanate of Dahlak . In the early 15th century, the town then fell under the control of the Ethiopian Empire , Massawa was first mentioned in the war songs of Emperor Yeshaq I . In the mid-15th century Emperor Zara Yaqob consolidated his rule in the region and incorporated Massawa into the Christian province of Mereb Melash . During this time
4620-580: The Massawa International Airport . Buildings in the city include the shrine of Sahaba , as well as the 15th century Sheikh Hanafi Mosque and various houses of coral . Many buildings, for example some unfinished Ottoman buildings , survive. The local bazaar as well. Later buildings include the Imperial Palace, built in 1872 to 1874 for Werner Munzinger ; St. Mary's Cathedral; and the 1920s Banca d'Italia. The Eritrean War of Independence
4752-626: The Queen of Sheba , it replaced the Agaw kingdom of the Zagwe . While initially a rather small and politically unstable entity, the Empire managed to expand significantly under the crusades of Amda Seyon I (1314–1344) and Dawit I (1382–1413), temporarily becoming the dominant force in the Horn of Africa . The Ethiopian Empire would reach its peak during the long reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob (1434–1468). He consolidated
4884-690: The Rasulids in Yemen and the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate . In a letter sent to the Mamluke Sultan Baybars , he would state his intention of friendly cooperation with the Muslims of Arabia, and described himself as being a protector of all Muslims in Abyssinia. A devout Christian, he would order the construction of the church of Genneta Maryam, commemorating his work with an inscription that reads, "By
5016-466: The Second Italo-Ethiopian War , Benito Mussolini's Italian Empire occupied Ethiopia and established Italian East Africa , merging it with neighboring Eritrea and the Italian Somaliland colonies to the south-east. During World War II , the Italians were driven out of Ethiopia with the help of the British army. The Emperor returned from exile and the country became one of the founding members of
5148-569: The Semien Mountains . The Emperor did not hesitate to take the offensive and won a major victory at the Battle of Wayna Daga when the fate of Abyssinia was decided by the death of the Imam and the flight of his army. The invasion force collapsed and all the Abyssinians who had been cowed by the invaders returned to their former allegiance, the reconquest of Christian territories proceeded without encountering any effective opposition. In 1559 Gelawdewos
5280-460: The Sultanate of Ifat , killing the sultan, sacking the capital and ravaging the Muslim territories, taking livestock, killing many inhabitants, destroying towns and mosques, and taking slaves. The Ifat sultan was succeeded by Sabr ad-Din I who rallied the Muslims and waged a rebellion against the Ethiopian occupation. Amda Seyon responded by launching another campaign against his Muslim adversaries to
5412-744: The United Nations . However, the 1973 Wollo famine and domestic discontent led to the fall of the Empire in 1974 and the rise of the Derg . After the fall of the Kingdom of Aksum in the 10th century AD, the Ethiopian Highlands would fall under the rule of the Zagwe Dynasty . The new rulers were Agaws that had come from the Lasta region, later ecclesiastical texts accused this dynasty of not having pure "Solomonic" stock and derided their achievements. Even at
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5544-589: The 1630s Emperor Fasilides founded the new capital of Gondar , marking the start of a new golden age known as the Gondarine period . It saw relative peace, the successful integration of the Oromo and a flourishing of culture. With the deaths of Emperor Iyasu II (1755) and Iyoas I (1769) the realm eventually entered a period of decentralization, known as the Zemene Mesafint where regional warlords fought for power, with
5676-457: The 16th century. These social groups consisted of the monks; the debtera ; lay officials (including judges); men at arms giving personal protection to the wives of dignitaries and to princesses; the shimaglle, who were the lords and hereditary landowners; their farm labourers or serfs; traders; artisans; wandering singers; and the soldiers, who were called chewa. According to modern thinking, some of these categories are not true classes. But at least
5808-466: The 1896 Battle of Adwa , in which Italy was decisively defeated by the numerically superior Ethiopians. As a result, the Treaty of Addis Ababa was signed in October, which strictly delineated the borders of Eritrea and forced Italy to recognize the independence of Ethiopia. Due to the Entoto Reforms, which provided the Ethiopian Military with modern rifles, many Italian Commanders expressed shock when seeing that some Ethiopians had more advanced rifles than
5940-426: The 1930s. Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire , historically known as Abyssinia or simply Ethiopia , was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day territories of Ethiopia and Eritrea . It existed from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak around 1270 until the 1974 coup d'état by the Derg , which ended the reign of the final Emperor, Haile Selassie . In
6072-455: The 1960s and 1970s. Marxism took root in large segments of the Ethiopian intelligentsia, particularly among those who had studied abroad and had thus been exposed to radical and left-wing sentiments that were becoming popular in other parts of the globe. Resistance by conservative elements at the Imperial Court and Parliament, and by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, made Haile Selassie's land reform proposals difficult to implement, and also damaged
6204-424: The 1973 Wollo famine, the growing discontent of urban interest groups, and high fuel prices due to the 1973 oil crisis led to a revolt in February 1974 by the army and civilian populace. In June, a group of military officers formed the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army also known as the Derg to maintain law and order due to the powerlessness of the civilian government following
6336-436: The Egyptian army, and in 1875 was promoted to chief of staff to the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian military expedition in Ethiopia. Loring would take part in the Battle of Gura which ended in defeat. The Egyptians blamed the Americans for the disastrous war, and the Loring, Sibley and the other officers had to endure two years of endless frustration and humiliation in Cairo. Following the war, Ethiopia and Egypt remained in
6468-401: The Egyptian governor, Werner Munzinger , was determined to improve the conditions of the port and began a programme of reconstruction. Work began in March 1872 when a new government building and customs house was constructed, and by June a school and a hospital was also established by the Egyptians. Egyptian control of Massawa was threatened following the defeat at the Battle of Gura . After
6600-497: The Empire, and the country embarked on a development scheme and plans for modernization, tempered by Ethiopian traditions, and within the framework of the ancient monarchical structure of the state. Haile Selassie compromised when practical with the traditionalists in the nobility and church. He also tried to improve relations between the state and ethnic groups, and granted autonomy to Afar lands that were difficult to control. Still, his reforms to end feudalism were slow and weakened by
6732-414: The Empire. A contemporary account was recorded by the monk Abba Bahrey , from the Gamo region. Subsequently, the empire organization changed progressively, with faraway provinces taking more independence. A remote province such as Bale is last recorded paying tribute to the imperial throne during Yaqob reign (1590–1607). In 1636, Emperor Fasilides founded Gondar as a permanent capital, which became
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#17328448265666864-411: The Engineers, the Imperial Bodyguard and the Air Force , the Derg removed General Aman from power and executed him on 23 November 1974, along with some of his supporters and 60 officials of the previous Imperial government. Brigadier General Tafari Benti became the new chairman of the Derg and the head of state. The monarchy was formally abolished in March 1975, and Marxism-Leninism was proclaimed
6996-427: The Ethiopian frontier at the Battle of Webi River . The Ottomans were checked by Emperor Sarsa Dengel's victory and sacking of Arqiqo in 1589, thus containing them on a narrow coastline strip. The Afar Sultanate maintained the remaining Ethiopian port on the Red Sea, at Baylul . Oromo migrations through the same period, occurred with the movement of a large pastoral population from the southeastern provinces of
7128-485: The Ethiopian frontier provinces capturing much loot and slaves, this resulted in Emperor Dawit I declaring all the Muslims of the surrounding region to be "enemies of the Lord" and invading the Ifat Sultanate , After a battle between Sa'ad ad-Din and the Emperor, in which the Ifat army was defeated and "no less than 400 elders, each of whom carried an iron bar as his insignia of office" were killed, Sa'ad ad-Din with his remaining supporters were chased to as far as Zeila on
7260-430: The Great (1682-1706) was a major period of consolidation. It also saw the dispatching of embassies to Louis XIV's France and to Dutch India . The Early Modern period was one of intense cultural and artistic creation. Notable philosophers from that area are Zera Yacob and Walda Heywat . After the death of Iyasu I the empire fell into a period of political turmoil. From 1769 to 1855, the Ethiopian empire passed through
7392-425: The Great Powers selected as Isma'il's successor, provoking the Orabi Revolt against the monarchy. The initial success of the revolt was met with alarm in Europe, and led ultimately to the United Kingdom dispatching its forces to occupy Egypt in support of Tewfik, thereby beginning the United Kingdom's occupation of Egypt. The result of the war had a defining impact on the trajectories of both African states. Prior to
7524-410: The Italian colonial ambitions. Massawa became the largest and safest port on the east coast of Africa, and the largest deep-water port on the Red Sea. Between 1887 and 1932, they expanded the Eritrean Railway , connecting Massawa with Asmara and then Bishia near the Sudan border, and completed the Asmara-Massawa Cableway . At 75 kilometres (47 mi) long, it was the longest ropeway conveyor in
7656-409: The King of kings of Ethiopia in 1872 after defeating Tekle Giyorgis II in battle. He worked on modernizing his army, some of whom were trained by the British adventurer John Kirkham . The Egyptians under Arakil Bey and Danish Colonel Adolph Arendrup invaded from their coastal possessions in Massawa, in what is now Eritrea. Following some skirmishes, the armies of Yohannes and Isma'il met at Gundet on
7788-413: The Mediterranean, which would otherwise have to travel to South Africa to reach suitable shipyards and docks. In 1945, following the end of World War II , the port of Massawa suffered damage as the occupying British either dismantled or destroyed much of the facilities. These actions were protested by Sylvia Pankhurst in her book Eritrea on the Eve . From 1952 to 1990, when Eritrea had entered into
7920-441: The Muslims at bay and Emperor Yeshaq was soon killed fighting the Adalites in 1429. Yeshaq's death was followed by several years of dynastic confusion during which 5 emperors succeeded each other in 5 years. However in 1434, Zara Yaqob of Ethiopia would establish himself on the throne. During his first years on the throne, Zara Yaqob launched a strong campaign against survivals of pagan worship and "un-Christian practices" within
8052-399: The Ottomans did not conquer the rest of Eritrea. The Ottoman authorities then tried to place the city and its immediate hinterlands under the control of one of the aristocrats of the Bellou people, whom they wanted to appoint " Naib of Massawa" and almost made answerable to the Ottoman governor at Suakin . The Ottomans nevertheless built parts of the old town of Massawa on Massawa Island into
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#17328448265668184-464: The Papal army, and Major Rushdi Bey, a Turk. Arakal Bey, the young nephew of Nubar Pasha (the Christian Armenian Premier of the Khedive) joined the expedition and was killed in battle. About 2,000 Egyptians perished with him and his two six gun batteries and six rocket-stands fell into the hands of the enemy. The Egyptians withdrew to Massawa on the coast and then to Keren, garrisoned since 1872 by some 1,200 Egyptians. But Isma'il Pasha could not leave
8316-432: The United States, containing 15,000 tonnes of relief food, which docked at the port late in 2001, was the first significant shipment handled by the port since the war began. Massawa is home to a naval base and large dhow docks . It also has a station on the railway line to Asmara. Ferries sail to the Dahlak Islands and the nearby Sheikh Saeed Island. In addition, the city's air transportation needs are served by
8448-401: The advances the Americans had achieved in technology and tactics during the US Civil War that he convinced the Khedive to hire American veterans to oversee the modernization of Egypt’s armed forces. In 1870, the first of these military overseers, ex-Confederate officers Henry Hopkins Sibley and William Wing Loring , arrived in Egypt. Loring was appointed by the Khedive as Inspector-General of
8580-508: The aftermath of the war Italy annexed Ethiopia, uniting it with Italy's other colonies in eastern Africa to form the new colony of Italian East Africa, and Victor Emmanuel III of Italy adopted the title "Emperor of Abyssinia ". On 10 June 1940, Italy declared war on the United Kingdom and France, as France was in the process of being conquered by Nazi Germany at the time and Benito Mussolini wished to expand Italy's colonial holdings. The Italian conquest of British Somaliland in August 1940
8712-463: The air, resulting in considerable damage. With Eritrea's de facto independence (complete military liberation) in 1991, Ethiopia reverted to being landlocked and its Navy was dismantled (partially taken over by the nascent national navy of Eritrea). During the Eritrean–Ethiopian War the port was inactive, primarily due to the closing of the Eritrean-Ethiopian border which cut off Massawa from its traditional hinterlands. A large grain vessel donated by
8844-411: The average Italian Infantryman. Beginning in the 1890s, under the reign of the Emperor Menelik II , the empire's forces set off from the central province of Shewa to incorporate through conquest inhabited lands to the west, east and south of its realm. The territories that were annexed included those of the western Oromo (non-Shoan Oromo), Sidama, Gurage, Wolayta, and Dizi. Among the imperial troops
8976-444: The burdens were often passed by the landowners to the peasants. Despite his wishes, the tax burden remained primarily on the peasants. Between 1941 and 1959, Haile Selassie worked to establish the autocephaly of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church . The Ethiopian Orthodox Church had been headed by the abuna , a bishop who answered to the Patriarchate in Egypt. Haile Selassie applied to Egypt's Holy Synod in 1942 and 1945 to establish
9108-432: The campaign was a success for Britain and the Ethiopian Emperor committed suicide rather than surrender. From 1874 to 1876, the Empire expanded into Eritrea , under Yohannes IV King of Tembien , whose forces led by Ras Alula won the Ethiopian-Egyptian War , decisively beating the Egyptian forces at the Battle of Gundet , in Hamasien . In 1887 Menelik king of Shewa invaded the Emirate of Harar after his victory at
9240-463: The child, Menelik I . He and his descendants (which included the Aksumite royal house) ruled Ethiopia until overthrown by the Zagwe usurpers. Yekuno Amlak, as a supposed direct descendant of Menelik I, was therefore claimed to have "restored" the Solomonic line. Throughout Yekuno Amlak 's reign he would enjoy friendly relations with the Muslims. He not only had established close ties with the neighboring Makhzumi dynasty but had also made contact with
9372-458: The chronicler referring to the Muslims in the east and along the coast as "liars, hyenas, dogs, children of evil who deny the son of Christ." Following Amda Seyon's campaigns to the east. Most of the Muslims in the Horn would become tributaries to the Ethiopian Empire, among them being the Ifat Sultanate . Amda Seyon was succeeded by his son Newaya Krestos in 1344. Newaya Krestos would put down several Muslim revolts in Adal and Mora . Towards
9504-561: The church. He also took measures to greatly centralize the administration of the country, bringing regions under much tighter imperial control. After hearing about the demolition of the Egyptian Debre Mitmaq monastery, he ordered a period of national mourning and built a church of the same name in Tegulet . He then sent envoys to Egyptian Sultan, Sayf ad-Din Jaqmaq strongly protesting against
9636-665: The coast of Somaliland . There, the Ethiopian army besieged Zeila, finally capturing the city and killing Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din, ending the Ifat Sultanate . After Sa'ad ad-Din's death "the strength of the Muslims was abated", as Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi states, and then the Amhara settled in the Muslim territories "and from the ravaged mosques and they made churches". The followers of Islam were said to have been harassed for over twenty years. Following this victory, Ethiopian power would reach its zenith and this era would become legendary as
9768-413: The complete annihilation of the Egyptian expeditionary force led by Colonel Arrendrup and in the death of its commander. Arendrup's expedition was hopelessly inadequate for the tasks he set out to do. It amounted to scarcely more than some 4,000 troops and had no cavalry. Its leaders were, apart from the already mentioned Danish artilleryman and Major Dennison, an American, Major Durholtz, a Swiss, later of
9900-451: The compromises he made with the entrenched aristocracy. The Revised Constitution of 1955 has been criticized for reasserting "the indisputable power of the monarch" and maintaining the relative powerlessness of the peasants. On 13 December 1960, while Haile Selassie was on a state visit to Brazil , his Imperial Guard forces staged an unsuccessful coup , briefly proclaiming Haile Selassie's eldest son Asfa Wossen as emperor. The coup d'état
10032-533: The conflict, Egypt had been in regional and, relative, international ascendancy, with aspirations of achieving geopolitical parity with the Great Powers of Europe. The defeat shattered these aspirations, and, combined with a disastrous economic situation in Egypt itself, contributed to the eventual deposition of Isma'il and subjugation of Egypt by the Great Powers, thereby leading to the very outcome which Isma'il's hopes for
10164-500: The conquests of his predecessors, built numerous churches and monasteries, encouraged literature and art, centralized imperial authority by substituting regional warlords with administrative officials, and significantly expanded his hegemony over adjacent Islamic territories. The neighboring Muslim Adal Sultanate began to threaten the empire by repeatedly attempting to invade it, finally succeeding under Imam Mahfuz . Mahfuz's ambush and defeat by Emperor Lebna Dengel brought about
10296-477: The death of Emperor Yohannes IV, Italy signed a treaty with Shewa (an autonomous kingdom within the empire), creating the protectorate of Abyssinia. Due to significant differences between the Italian and Amharic translations of the treaty, Italy believed they had subsumed Ethiopia as a protectorate , while Menelik II of Shewa repudiated the protectorate status in 1893. Insulted, Italy declared war on Ethiopia in 1895. The First Italo-Ethiopian War resulted in
10428-565: The dynasty's authority. By the late 13th century, a young Amhara nobleman named Yekuno Amlak rose to power in Bete Amhara . He was strongly supported by the Orthodox Church as he promised to make the church a semi independent institution, he had also enjoyed support from the neighboring Muslim Makhzumi dynasty . Yekuno Amlak then rebelled against the Zagwe king and defeated him at the Battle of Ansata . Taddesse Tamrat argued that this king
10560-621: The early 16th-century jihad of the Ottoman-supported Adalite Imam Ahmed Gran , who was defeated in 1543 with the help of the Portuguese . Greatly weakened, much of the Empire's southern territory and vassals were lost due to the Oromo migrations . In the north, in what is now Eritrea, Ethiopia managed to repulse Ottoman invasion attempts, although losing its access to the Red Sea to them. Reacting to these challenges, in
10692-495: The early 19th century, Ottoman Egypt attempted to assert their control over the region around the modern Ethiopian-Sudanese border, putting them into conflict with the regional rulers of Ethiopia's western Begemder province, such as at Kalnabu , Wadkaltabu , Gallabat , and Dabarki . Muhammad Ali's grandson, Isma'il Pasha , became Khedive in 1863, and sought to expand this burgeoning empire further southwards. After annexing Darfur in 1875, he turned his attention to Ethiopia. It
10824-504: The east, killing the Sultan and campaigning as far as Adal , Dawaro and Bali in present day eastern Ethiopia. Amda Seyon's conquests significantly expanded the territory of the Ethiopian Empire, more than doubling it by size and establishing complete hegemony over the region. Relations between the Muslims of the Horn and the Ethiopian Empire seems to have broken down completely around this era, with
10956-678: The east, which shifted the balance of power in favour of the Christians for the next two centuries. Around 1320, Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad of the Mamluk Sultanate based in Cairo began persecuting Copts and destroying their churches. Amda Seyon then threatened to divert the flow of the Nile if the sultan did not stop his persecution. Haqq ad-Din I , sultan of Ifat, seized and imprisoned an Ethiopian envoy on his way back from Cairo . Amda Seyon responded by invading
11088-530: The emperor being a mere puppet. Emperor Tewodros II (r. 1855–1868) put an end to the Zemene Mesafint , reunified the Empire and led it into the modern period before dying during the British Expedition to Abyssinia . His successor Yohannes IV engaged primarily in war and successfully fought the Egyptians and Mahdists before dying against the latter in 1889. Emperor Menelik II , now residing in Addis Ababa , subjugated many peoples and kingdoms in what
11220-697: The end of his reign he aggressively helped the Patriarch of Alexandria Mark IV , who had been imprisoned by As-Salih Salih , the Sultan of Egypt . One step Newaya Krestos took was to imprison the Egyptian merchants in his kingdom, the Sultan was forced to back down. In 1382, Dawit I succeeded the son of Newaya Krestos, Newaya Maryam , as Emperor of Ethiopia. The tributary state of the Ifat Sultanate had begun to resist Ethiopian hegemony and assert their independence under Sultan Sa'ad ad-Din II . Sultan Sa'ad as-Din would then raid
11352-636: The fall of Aksum in the 8th century , the area around Massawa and the town itself fell under the occupation of the Umayyad Caliphate from 702 to 750. The Beja people would also come to rule within Massawa during the Beja Kingdoms from the year 740 to the 14th century. At this time, the Sheikh Hanafi Mosque, one of Eritrea 's oldest mosques, was built on Massawa Island. Massawa was situated between
11484-496: The first time questioned the power of the king to rule without the people's consent". Student populations began to empathize with the peasantry and poor, and to advocate on their behalf. The coup spurred Haile Selassie to accelerate reform, which was manifested in the form of land grants to military and police officials. The emperor continued to be a staunch ally of the West, while pursuing a firm policy of decolonization in Africa, which
11616-501: The grace of God, I king Yekuno Amlak, after I had come to the throne by the will of God, built this church." In 1285 Yekuno Amlak was succeeded by his son Yagbe'u Seyon , who wrote a letter the Mamluke Sultan, Qalawun asking him to allow the patriarch of Alexandria to send an abuna or metropolitan for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church , but also protesting the Sultan's treatment of his Christian subjects in Egypt, stating that he
11748-633: The highlands and the Egyptian control of the coastline remained unbroken. The British, feeling that the Egyptians were in no position to hold the port, and being unwilling to occupy it themselves or see it fall into the hands of the French, concurred in its seizure by the Italians in February 1885. In 1885–1897, Massawa (in the Italian spelling: 'Massaua') served as the capital of the region, before Governor Ferdinando Martini moved his administration to Asmara. Ras Alula 's attack on nearby Dogali helped precipitate
11880-467: The highlands as a hero. In 1527 a young imam by the name of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi would rise to power in Adal after years of internal strife. The Adal Sultanate would stockpile on imported firearms, cannons and other advanced weaponry from Arabia and the Ottoman Empire . He invaded Ethiopia in 1529 and inflicted a heavy defeat on Emperor Dawit II , but later withdrew. He returned two years later to begin
12012-593: The independence of Ethiopian bishops, and when his appeals were denied he threatened to sever relations with the See of St. Mark . Finally, in 1959, Pope Kyrillos VI elevated the Abuna to Patriarch-Catholicos. The Ethiopian Church remained affiliated with the Alexandrian Church. In addition to these efforts, Haile Selassie changed the Ethiopian church-state relationship by introducing taxation of church lands, and by restricting
12144-449: The insistence of Britain , and France . At the same time, many Egyptian soldiers who had served in the war became politicized by their experiences, posing a threat to the Egyptian monarchy itself. Among these disgruntled army officers was Colonel Ahmed Orabi , who is said to have been "incensed at the way in which [the war] had been mismanaged". Resentment over the defeat contributed to the general dissatisfaction with Tewfik Pasha , whom
12276-438: The late 19th century, under Emperor Menelik II , the empire expanded significantly to the south, and in 1952, Eritrea was federated under Selassie's rule. Despite being surrounded by hostile forces throughout much of its history, the empire maintained a kingdom centered on its ancient Christian heritage . Founded in 1270 by Yekuno Amlak , who claimed to descend from the last Aksumite king and ultimately King Solomon and
12408-610: The legal basis of slavery throughout the empire and imposed severe penalties, including death, for slave trading. After World War II, Ethiopia became a charter member of the United Nations. In 1948, the Ogaden , a region disputed with Somalia , was granted to Ethiopia. On 2 December 1950, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 390 (V), establishing the federation of Eritrea (the former Italian colony) into Ethiopia. Eritrea
12540-535: The legal privileges of the clergy, who had formerly been tried in their own courts for civil offenses. During the celebrations of his Silver Jubilee in November 1955, Haile Selassie introduced a revised constitution , whereby he retained effective power, while extending political participation to the people by allowing the lower house of parliament to become an elected body. Party politics were not provided for. Modern educational methods were more widely spread throughout
12672-573: The matter there, it was absolutely essential to regain the lost prestige. At all costs, his European creditors had to be impressed, and he set out on mobilizing a larger force for a second expedition that would make amends for the devastating and humiliating loss he had suffered at the hands of the Ethiopians at Gundet. Following the botched invasion, the Egyptians again attempted conquest of Ethiopia, this time with an army of about 13,000 men. The forces of Isma'il Pasha, now under Ratib Pasha, arrived at Massawa on 14 December 1875. By March, they had reached
12804-458: The morning of 16 November 1875. Not only were the Egyptians vastly outnumbered, they were also taken completely by surprise as they were marching through a narrow mountain pass. The mass of Ethiopian warriors sallied forth from their hiding places up the slope and swiftly charged down upon the shocked Egyptian columns, nullifying the latter's advantage in firepower and causing many of the unenthusiastic fellahin soldiers to rout. This encounter ended in
12936-406: The new ideology of the state. Emperor Haile Selassie died under mysterious circumstances on 27 August 1975 while his personal physician was absent. It is commonly believed that Mengistu Haile Mariam killed him, either by ordering it done or by his own hand although the former is more likely. According to Bahrey , there were ten social groups in the feudal Ethiopia of his time, i.e. at the end of
13068-410: The nobility, and only a flat tax was passed; in 1951, he agreed to reduce this as well. Ethiopia was still "semi-feudal", and the emperor's attempts to alter its social and economic form by reforming its modes of taxation met with resistance from the nobility and clergy, which were eager to resume their privileges in the postwar era. Where Haile Selassie actually did succeed in effecting new land taxes,
13200-676: The persecution of Egyptian Copts and threaten to divert the flow of the Nile. The Sultan would then encourage the Adal Sultanate to invade the province of Dawaro to distract the Emperor, however this invasion was repulsed by the Emperor at the Battle of Gomit . The Egyptian sultan then had the Patraich of Alexandria severely beaten and threaten to execute him, Emperor Zara Yaqob decided to back down and did not move in to Adal territory. Zara Yaqob persecuted many idolaters who admitted to worshipping pagan gods, these idolators were decapitated in public. Zara Yaqob later founded Debre Berhan after seeing
13332-551: The plain of Gura and set up two forts, one in the Plains of Gura and the other at the Khaya Khor mountain pass a few kilometers away. Yohannes had once again mobilized, this time presenting the issue as a struggle between Christianity and Islam, thousands of men answered with soldiers coming as far as Gojjam , although Menelik ’s soldiers in Shewa remained as observers. The Ethiopians, now with
13464-589: The port of Massawa was threatened by the Turkish presence. In 1541 the Adalites ambushed the Portuguese at the Battle of Massawa . Massawa rose to prominence when it was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1557. The Ottomans tried to make it the capital of Habesh Eyalet . Under Özdemir Pasha , Ottoman troops then attempted to conquer the rest of Eritrea. Due to resistance as well as sudden and unexpected demands for more,
13596-455: The port was frequented by Armenian and Venetian merchants. In the struggle for domination of the Red Sea the Portuguese succeeded in establishing a foothold in Massawa (Maçua) and Arkiko in 1513 by Diogo Lopes de Albergaria, a port by which they entered the allied territory of Ethiopia in the fight against the Ottomans . King Manuel I first gave orders for the construction of a fortress that
13728-534: The regional aspirations of Egypt as an African empire, and laying the foundations for the beginning of the British Empire 's 'veiled protectorate' over Egypt less than a decade later. Whilst nominally a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire , Egypt had acted as a virtually independent state since Muhammad Ali's seizure of power in 1805, eventually establishing an empire to its south in Sudan . Multiple times throughout
13860-561: The royal kings of Aksum. Through the Aksumite royal lineage, it was also claimed that Yekuno Amlak was a descendant of the biblical king Solomon . The canonical form of the claim was set out in legends recorded in the Kebra Nagast , a 14th century text. According to this, the Queen of Sheba , who supposedly came from Aksum, visited Jerusalem where she conceived a son with King Solomon. On her return to her homeland of Ethiopia, she gave birth to
13992-449: The rule of the Khedive of Egypt with Ottoman consent. The Egyptians originally had a poor opinion of Massawa. Many of the buildings were in a poor state of repair and the Egyptian troops were forced to stay in tents. Sanitary conditions were likewise poor and cholera was endemic. Such considerations caused the Egyptians to contemplate abandonment of the port in favour of nearby Zula . However,
14124-448: The seat of the colonial government was moved to Asmara in 1897. Massawa has an average temperature of nearly 30 °C (86.0 °F), which is one of the highest experienced in the world, and is "one of the hottest marine coastal areas in the world." Massawa was originally a small seaside village, lying in lands coextensive with the Kingdom of Aksum and overshadowed by the nearby port of Adulis about 50 kilometres (31 mi) to
14256-416: The shimaglle, the serfs, the chewa, the artisans and the traders constitute definite classes. Power was vested in the Emperor and those aristocrats he appointed to execute his power, and the power enforcing instrument consisted of a class of soldiers, the chewa. From the reign of Amde Tseyon , Chewa regiments , or legions, formed the backbone of the Empire military forces. The Ge'ez term for these regiments
14388-637: The south. Massawa was known to Arab geographers from an early period. Ya'qubi referred to the Red Sea port in his Kitab al-Buldan as Badi , a corruption of its local Tigre name Base , while al-Masudi spoke of it in 935 as Nase . The city reputedly has the oldest mosque in Africa , the Mosque of the Companions . It was reportedly built by the companions of the Prophet who escaped persecution by Meccans . After
14520-413: The standing of the government, costing Haile Selassie much of the goodwill he had once enjoyed. This bred resentment among the peasant population. Efforts to weaken unions also hurt his image. As these issues began to pile up, Haile Selassie left much of domestic governance to his Prime Minister, Aklilu Habte Wold , and concentrated more on foreign affairs. The government's failure to adequately respond to
14652-416: The success of the Portuguese, Gragn would send a petition to the Ottoman Empire and would receive 2,900 musket armed reinforcements. Together with his Turkish allies Gragn would attack the Portuguese camp at Wofla killing 200 of their rank and file including their commander, Cristóvão da Gama . After the catastrophe at Wofla, the surviving Portuguese were able to meet up with Gelawdewos and his army in
14784-439: The white population. However these laws did not stop relationships between Italian men and Eritrean women in the colonial territories. The result was a growing number of meticci (mulattos). Though the chief port of Italian Eritrea , Emilio De Bono who inspected the harbor in 1932 reported that the port had to be reconditioned as it was "absolutely lacking in wharves and facilities for the rapid landing and discharge of cargoes." As
14916-455: The widespread mutiny . In July, Emperor Haile Selassie gave the Derg key concessions to arrest military and government officials at every level. Soon both former Prime Ministers Tsehafi Taezaz Aklilu Habte-Wold and Endelkachew Makonnen , along with most of their cabinets, most regional governors, many senior military officers and officials of the Imperial court were imprisoned. In August, after
15048-490: The world at the time. In 1928, Massawa had 15,000 inhabitants, of which 2,500 were Italians : the city was improved with an architectural plan similar to the one in Asmara, with a commercial and industrial area. With the rise of Fascism a segregation policy was implemented and with the passing of the "racial laws" soon became a real system of apartheid. Natives were segregated from residential areas, bars and restaurants reserved for
15180-506: The zenith of their power, most Christians would consider them to be usurpers. However, the architecture of the Zagwe shows a connotation of earlier Aksumite traditions, among those can be seen in Lalibela , the building of rock hewn churches first appeared in the late Aksumite era and reached its peak under the Zagwe. The Zagwe were not able to stop squabbling over the throne, diverting men, energy and resources that could have been used to affirm
15312-602: Was Ras Gobena 's Shewan Oromo militia. Many of the lands that they annexed had never been under the empire's rule, with the newly incorporated territories resulting in the modern borders of Ethiopia. Delegations from the United Kingdom and France – European powers whose colonial possessions lay next to Ethiopia – soon arrived in the Ethiopian capital to negotiate their own treaties with this newly-proven power. In 1935 Italian soldiers, commanded by Marshal Emilio De Bono , invaded Ethiopia in what
15444-403: Was Yetbarak , but due to a local form of damnatio memoriae , his name was removed from the official records. A more recent chronicler of Wollo history, Getatchew Mekonnen Hasen, states that the last Zagwe king deposed by Yekuno Amlak was Na'akueto La'ab . Yekuno Amlak would rise to the throne by 1270 AD. He was allegedly a descendant of the last king of Aksum , Dil Na'od , and hence
15576-459: Was Isma'il's intention that Egypt forge a contiguous African empire that would both rival the empires of Europe, and allow Egypt to escape the territorial ambitions of those same European great powers. In addition to expanding into modern-day Chad , Eritrea , Djibouti , Somalia , and Uganda , he wished to absorb within his empire the entirety of the Nile Valley , including Ethiopia, the source of
15708-495: Was a protector of his own Muslim subjects in Ethiopia. Towards the end of his reign, Yagbe'u refused to appoint one of his sons to be his successors and instead decreed that each of them should rule for one year, he was succeeded by his sons in 1294 but this agreement immediately broke down, by 1299 one of his sons Wedem Arad seized the throne. Wedem Arad seems to have been in conflict with the neighbouring Sultanate of Ifat who were trying to expand in eastern Shewa . Wedem Arad
15840-620: Was being used by the Turks as "a deposit for kidnapped Christian children" who were being exported as slaves . Both Bruce and Plowden were sympathetic to the Emperor, but the Foreign Office , who considered the Ottomans to be a useful British ally, refused to support the proposed Ethiopian annexation. In May 1865, Massawa, and later much of the Northeast African coast of the Red Sea , came under
15972-421: Was crushed by the regular army and police forces. The coup attempt lacked broad popular support, was denounced by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church , and was unpopular with the army, air force and police. Nonetheless, the effort to depose the emperor had support among students and the educated classes. The coup attempt has been characterized as a pivotal moment in Ethiopian history, the point at which Ethiopians "for
16104-489: Was killed attempting to invade Adal Sultanate at the Battle of Fatagar , and his severed head was paraded in Adal's capital Harar . The Ottoman Empire occupied parts of Ethiopia, from 1557, establishing Habesh Eyalet , the province of Abyssinia, by conquering Massawa , the Empire's main port and seizing Suakin from the allied Funj Sultanate in what is now Sudan . In 1573 the Adal Sultanate attempted to invade Ethiopia again however Sarsa Dengel successfully defended
16236-530: Was later stipulated on 2 December 1950 in resolution 390 (V). Eritrea would have its own parliament and administration and would be represented in what had been the Ethiopian parliament and would become the federal parliament. However, Haile Selassie would have none of European attempts to draft a separate Constitution under which Eritrea would be governed, and wanted his own 1955 Constitution to apply in both Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 1961, tensions between independence-minded Eritreans and Ethiopian forces culminated in
16368-606: Was never built. However, during Portuguese presence, it was lifted as well as the existing cisterns and wells for the Portuguese Navy watery. It was drawn by D. João de Castro in 1541 in his "Roteiro do Mar Roxo" in their route to attack El Tor and Suez . The captain of the Arkiko was the Portuguese Gonçalo Ferreira, second port on the coast that guaranteed the presence and maintenance of the Portuguese fleets, whenever
16500-418: Was of age, he invaded Adal and sacked its capital, Dakkar but was killed in an ambush returning home. His successor, Emperor Na'od was eventually killed defending Ethiopian territory from Adalite raids. In 1517 Mahfuz invaded the Ethiopian province of Fatager , but was killed and ambushed by Emperor Dawit II (Lebna Dengel). His chronicles state that the Muslim threat was finished and the Emperor return to
16632-498: Was pending the return of Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen from medical treatment in Europe when he would assume the throne as a constitutional monarch. However, General Aman Andom quarrelled with the radical elements in the Derg over the issue of a new military offensive in Eritrea and their proposal to execute the high officials of Selassie's former government. After eliminating units loyal to him:
16764-567: Was proved to be an effective member of the royal family, and Paul B. Henze comments that she "was practically co-monarch" during his reign. After the death of Baeda Maryam in 1478 he was succeeded by his 7 year old son Eskender , to whom Eleni would serve as his regent. She would attempt to establish peace with the Adal Sultan Muhammad , but could not prevent the Emir of Harar , Mahfuz from making raids into Ethiopian territory. When Eskender
16896-415: Was still largely under European colonial rule. The United Nations conducted a lengthy inquiry regarding the status of Eritrea, with the superpowers each vying for a stake in the state's future. Britain, the administrator at the time, suggested the partition of Eritrea between Sudan and Ethiopia, separating Christians and Muslims. A UN plebiscite voted 46 to 10 to have Eritrea be federated with Ethiopia, which
17028-575: Was succeeded by his 18 year old son, Gelawdewos , who faced a desperate situation but rallied his soldiers and people to resist the Muslim invasion. By 1540 Gelawdewos led a small force of around 70 men resisting in the highlands of Shewa . However, in 1541 four hundred well armed Portuguese musketeers had arrived in Massawa where they were reinforced by small contingents of Ethiopian warriors, this modest force made their way across Tigray where they would defeat much larger contingents of Adalite men. Alarmed by
17160-468: Was succeeded by his son, Amda Seyon I , whose reign witnessed the composition of a very detailed and seemingly accurate account of the monarch's various campaigns against his Muslim enemies. This was the first of a series of royal chronicles which were written for the Ethiopian Emperors until modern times. These royal chronicles provided an unbroken chronological record of the entire medieval period in
17292-516: Was successful, but the war turned against Italy afterward. Haile Selassie returned to Ethiopia from England to help rally the resistance. The British began their own invasion in January 1941 with the help of Ethiopian freedom fighters, and the last organized Italian resistance in Italian East Africa surrendered in November 1941, ending Italian rule. On 27 August 1942, Haile Selassie abolished
17424-434: Was to have its own constitution, which would provide for ethnic, linguistic, and cultural balance, while Ethiopia was to manage its finances, defense, and foreign policy. Despite his centralization policies that had been made before World War II, Haile Selassie still found himself unable to push for all the programs he wanted. In 1942, he attempted to institute a progressive tax scheme, but this failed due to opposition from
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