Video Lesson

Learning Competencies: After learning this lesson, you will be able to;

• identify the different motives of the foreigners and the Ethiopian regional lords;
• describe the meanings of traveler, explorer, and missionary;
• recall the agreements and treaties signed between Ethiopian rulers and the foreigners;

Brainstorming Questions

• What springs into your mind when you hear the concept of colonization?
• What do you think was the real motive of the foreigners that came to Ethiopia in
  the 19th century?

Key terms and concepts

Beginning in the early 1800s, regional rulers made independent foreign contacts and treaties. The main reason for this was that they sought to get firearms to strengthen their power.
During the 19th century, the agents of these external relations were travelers, explorers,
and missionaries. When they came to Ethiopia, they had different motives. Some came for
adventure. Others came for religious zeal as missionaries. Still others came for scientific research and to cultivate friendly relations as well as to expand trade on behalf of their home
government. However, the main reason was that they were preparing the ground for later
European colonial conquest.

One of the earliest travelers of the time was Henry Salt. In 1805, he reached the court of Ras Wolde Sellassie of Tigray. Under the cover of scientific study, he sought to establish contact between Britain and Ethiopia so as to control developments that were going on in Egypt and the Sudan. In the 1830s, several European travelers such as Samuel Gobat, Christian Kugler, C.W. Isenburg, and De Jacobis entered Ethiopia. In 1846, travelers from Germany named Cardinal Massaja and Eduard Ruppell arrived in Ethiopia. Arnauld and Antoine de Abbadie (the Abbadie brothers) represented France. In 1838, Captain W.C. Harris made an official British mission to Nigus Sahle Selassie of Shewa. In the 1840s, the British John Bell and Walter Plowden came to the northern parts of Ethiopia where they later became loyal servants of Emperor Tewodros II. Some of the travellers even went to the extent of concluding agreements and treaties. This was the case with the British captain W. Harris and the French Rochet de Harricout. In 1841, a treaty of commerce and friendship was signed between Harris and Nigus Sahle Sellassie of Shewa. In 1843, a similar treaty was signed between Harricourt and Nigus Sahlesellassie. In addition to this, in 1849, a treaty of friendship was signed between Walter Plowden and Ras Ali II.