Ethiopia's Virtual Loss of Independence Experience – StMU Research Scholars (2023)

1871 was the year for Italy. After so many ups and downs, Italy had finally managed to unite its independent states and succeeded in founding the Kingdom of Italy. It was also the same year that Italy had feltthe pain and fear of not participating in colonialismBattle for Africa. The Battle for Africa, which peaked from 1881 to 1914, was the division and colonization of African lands by European powers and was mainly dominated by Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Portugal, all of which successfully occupied vast territories in Africa and were able to spread to the different regions of the continent. Italy also shared the same dreams and passion for expansion and prosperity from colonial imperialism, but knew it had to be done with extreme caution.

In the struggle for Africa, two countries had managed to retain their sovereignty, Ethiopia and Liberia. Liberia had a strong connection and history with the United States. The United States had founded the country earlier in the century as a place where freed slaves were sent back to Africa. Italy, of course, was uninterested in starting a war with the US over possession of Liberia, so in the end it was left with only one option for conquest: Ethiopia. In 1869, before the unification of Italy, Britain offered Italy the colony of Eritrea. Eritrea was a British protectorate conquered by the Egyptian garrisons and later offered to the Italians as the first colony in Africa. That changed everything. A rich fishing region, Eritrea was also an outlet to one of the most profitable trading ports, not to mention it was also a close neighbor to Ethiopia, making it a great place to start.¹

While Italy was busy preparing to pursue Ethiopia as a colony, Ethiopia grappled with an external rebellion from Mahdist Sudan, and to make matters worse, its internal stability was at its lowest. The ruler, King Yohannes, had rebellions by regional nobles demanding autonomous rule, like that of Menelik, King of Shewa. Menelik and Yohannes were not on the best of terms.² In 1888, Yohannes became suspicious of Menelik's intentions to plot against him, so he marched to Shewa to fight Menelik, but Menelik had heard of Yohannes' intentions and sent a messenger disguised as a monk to meet Yohannes before he reached Shewa. The messenger told Yohannes about his dream of not attacking Menelik and instead led him to fight the Mahdists in Matamma. Yohannes was a religious man and he believed what the messenger said, which worked well for Menelik. Italy was confident at the time that the chaos had occupied Yohannes, and so it came to their first confrontation between the nations at the Battle of Dogalie on January 26, 1887, which ended in Ethiopian victory.³ Italy were frustrated by this defeat but hadn't given up hope yet and were patiently waiting for the right moment to come back. And that opportunity came triumphantly on March 10, 1889. News reached the Italians that King Yohannes had died.

After the king's death, rumors of his succession began to grow. Who would take the throne? Who would it be? Would it be Yohannes' illegitimate son, Mengesha, or the descendant of the wise Solomon, Sahle Maryam, who would later be known as Menelik II? Menelik had the support of the Italians from the start.⁴He had already signed the neutrality treaty with the Italians in 1887, which undertook not to take part in the Battle of Dogalie. He had constantly plotted exchanges of firearms with the Italians to strengthen his claim to the throneonceYohannes was gone. And so it was. Menelik's coronation was a success for both Menelik and the Italians, who knew that taking over Ethiopia would be much easier if their candidate came to power.⁵Things seemed to be working out well for both the Italians and Menelik II, and they later agreed that this relationship should also be put on paper in a formal treaty, just in case. This is how the Treaty of Wuchale, or Ucchali in Italian, came about.

The Treaty of Wuchale was signed by Emperor Menelik of Ethiopia and Count Pietro Antonelli of Italy in the small town of Wuchale in Ethiopia; Written by the Italians in two different versions: an Italian version and an Amharic version, it guaranteed the abolition of slavery, an increase in trade and commerce, and peace and stability between the two countries.⁶ In the 19th century, treaties between independent European and African states were a rarity. This treaty between Italy and Ethiopia was a sign of the prestige Ethiopia had gained with Europeans.

However, this treaty had its shortcomings. Article XVII of the Wuchale Treaty appears to have been a method used by the Italians to stir up trouble in order to facilitate their next imperialist move. Article XVII claimed to allow Ethiopia to use Italy as an intermediary in dealings with other European powers. However, the Italian version of Article XVII of the treaty actually made Ethiopia an Italian protectorate, in contrast to that in Amharic, which Menelik retained. When Menelik found out he had been tricked, he rejected the deal, and the result was an inevitable war. Menelik was a wise ruler. He recalled how the British army, using modern equipment, crushed the Ethiopian army within minutes of the battle beginning, and he would not allow the same to happen again.⁷

After the Treaty of Wuchale, things were never the same again. The environment was tense. In the Ethiopian Empire, the era “no peace, no war” prevailed. Menelik was a coward and a myth in the eyes of Italians. Nothing was said or done. It was a quiet game played well, but they didn't know what Menelik had in store for them. Menelik spent six years recruiting soldiers. He knew that Ethiopia had no national army, but he knew when people were obliged to serve their country in times of need. Menelik courted the Muslim dervishes, sent gifts of horses and coffee, put aside religious differences, and set their common background with the slogan “I am black and you are black; let us unite to hunt down our common enemy.” And in September 1895 Menelik had officially ordered all Italians to be released from Ethiopian territory immediately.⁸

The calls to arms began with the beating of drums that interrupted all work and conversation. Then came the proclamation. Within minutes, men were riding away in all directions to bring the news. Shields, spears, guns, and provisions for ten days were the soldiers' needs; Women began to prepare thick bread pies, horns filled the air, rifles were stuffed, swords were strapped to the hips in Ethiopian custom, and they went to established meeting places on the appointed day. All able-bodied men answered the call to arms.⁹

Fathers, sons, husbands and brothers waved goodbye to their loved ones, some knowing this would be the last time they would see each other, others expecting to see each other again. The march began. Men kept pushing. They marched surrounded by the noise of drums, horns and song, and finally reached the place where the battle of the century was to take place: Adwa.¹⁰Adwa is a small town in northern Ethiopia and is a turnoff on the road north to Asmara in Eritrea.

March 1st could not come soon enough for the Ethiopians and by the day of the battle the Italians had received word that Menelik and his wife were going to church to commemorate Saint George's Day and that they could not advance early. and so the Italians took advantage of this incident. Upon hearing of the Italians' early advance, Menelik turned and told his informants, "Only when the service is finished will the Ethiopian army be ready for war."¹¹After the service ended, the entire Ethiopian army was ready for battle, and at dawn they marched to the battlefield at Adwa 1, carrying altar-pieces of St. Mary's and St. George's, whose feast day happens to fall on March. They believed that God was on their side was. The Italians thought this would be an easy battle to win as the Ethiopians had no national army and modern firearms. But the Ethiopians surprised them with 100,000 troops. Although the Ethiopian army was massive, it had no experienced soldiers, instead being made up of peasants and peasants. Likewise, the Army had no modern firearms or rifles, and it was safe to say the odds were not in their favor.

The fight immediately became explosive and violent.¹²It was also long, lasting from March 1st to 2nd. The Ethiopians lost a third of their army, but Italy lost about two-thirds and conceded victory to the Ethiopians. The loss reached Rome days later. Italian citizens, like most Europeans, were simply shocked. They couldn't understand what had happened. Citizens in Italy even marched in the streets with the slogan "VIVA DE MENELIK, VIVA DE ETHIOPIA", which means "Long live Menelik, long live Ethiopia".

What made the defeat even harder for the Italians to understand was that during a visit to Rome ahead of the decisive battle, Baratieri, who was also governor of Italian Eritrea, asked Parliament to authorize more funds so that he could "annihilate" the Ethiopians . and he boasted that he would return in a cage with Emperor Menelik.¹³

Menelik's victory over the Italians was a remarkable feat. It reinforced integrity and respect for Ethiopia among European powers, and also strengthened its domestic mandate. Additionally, after the victory of Adwa, a new treaty was offered, the Treaty of Addis Ababa, signed in October 1896. He rescinded the Treaty of Wuchale and restored peace. The Italian claim to a protectorate over all of Ethiopia was thereafter abandoned, and the Italian colony of Eritrea, eventually delimited by a peace treaty, was reduced to a territory of about 200,000 square kilometers (80,000 sq mi). Italy was also forced to pay several million lira in compensation before releasing prisoners of war and then bringing the Ethiopian kingdom a period of peace. The battle also served as an inspiration for the other African countries to fight against colonialism and gain their independence, and it was one of the greatest victories against colonialism and white supremacy.¹⁴