I’ve just launched a kickstarter campaign to raise funds to produce my graphic book “ADWA: Empress Taytu And Emperor Menelik In Love and War.” The book is about the March 1, 1896 Ethiopian victory over an invading Italian army of 17,000 commanded by five generals.
Ce jour-là : le 1er mars 1896, la victoire de l empereur Ménélik II sur les Italiens – Jeune Afrique jeuneafrique.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jeuneafrique.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Alternative Titles: Battle of Adowa, Battle of Adua
Battle of Adwa, Adwa also spelled
Adowa or Italian
Adua, (March 1, 1896), military clash at Adwa, in north-central Ethiopia, between the Ethiopian army of Emperor Menilek II and Italian forces. The Ethiopian army’s victory checked Italy’s attempt to build an empire in Africa. The victory had further significance for being the first crushing defeat of a European power by African forces during the colonial era.
Prelude
From the mid-19th century, Ethiopia was an aggregate of semi-independent kingdoms, which were presided over by the Ethiopian emperor. The 1889 death of Emperor Yohannes IV was followed by great disorder as his potential successors fought for ascendancy. The Italians had supported Sahle Miriam of Shewa (Shoa) in the years prior to this, supplying him with modern weaponry, ammunition, and funds that helped him acquire military strength. He used that strength to incorporate smaller Ethi