1896

In 1896, an Ethiopian army under the command of Emperor Menelik II decisively defeated an Italian army at the Battle of Adwa. The battle, which helped secure Ethiopian independence, marked the first time an African nation had defeated a European colonial power, and contributed to the rise of African nationalism.

In 1889, shortly after Menelik took power and declared himself Emperor of Ethiopia (then called Abyssinia by Europeans), he signed a treaty with Italy, recognizing the Italians’ claim to Eritrea, which bordered Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa. But conflicts soon arose over whether the treaty subjected Ethiopia itself to Italian authority, a position supported by the Italian language version of the treaty but not the Amharic version. In 1893 Menelik repudiated the treaty. The Italians began to push into Ethiopia and skirmishes and border conflicts followed. In the fall of 1895, with the fighting intensifying, Menelik mobilized and gathered a massive army from across Ethiopia. In February 1896 the two armies were camped near the village of Adwa, and the stage was set for the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War.

The Italian commander, General Oreste Baratieri, had about 16,000 men. Menelik’s army numbered at least 75,000 and perhaps well over 100,000. The two armies had stripped the countryside and both were on the verge of running out of food and supplies. Baratieri knew he would soon have to retreat to his base, but feared that to do so in the face of his enemy would be disgraceful. So he decided to attack, unaware that Menelik, having exhausted all the local resources, was already planning to withdraw.

In hindsight the Italian attack seems preposterous. Unnumbered at least 5 to 1, and operating in a hostile, mountainous, rain-soaked terrain, there seems to have been little prospect for the attack to succeed. But Baratieri believed he had superior weaponry, and he greatly underestimated the fighting capability of the Ethiopians. When Menelik learned that the Italians were advancing he threw his army forward to meet them.

While some of the Ethiopians were armed with only spears and traditional weapons, most had Russian-supplied rifles and they were supported by Russian-supplied artillery as well. The technological advantage the Italians had counted on simply did not exist. Although the lead Italian brigade fought bravely, the Ethiopian assaults were determined and relentless. After hours of tenacious combat the Italian lines crumbled under the weight of repeated Ethiopian attacks and a precipitous rout followed. Nearly half of the Italian army was killed, wounded, or captured.

The Ethiopian victory resulted in the Treaty of Addis Ababa, recognizing Ethiopian independence and making Ethiopia of only two African nations to retain independence during the European “Scramble for Africa” (Liberia being the other one). Lingering Italian bitterness over the humiliating defeat contributed to Mussolini’s decision to invade Ethiopia nearly forty years later.

The Ethiopian victory at Adwa was a source of pride and inspiration for the Pan-African Movement of the early 20th century, and was a particularly favorite theme for Marcus Garvey, who organized a parade in Harlem in 1925 to celebrate the anniversary of the battle.

Adwa Victory Day, celebrated on March 2, is a major public holiday in Ethiopia.

The Battle of Adwa occurred 104 years ago.