1. Video Lesson

2. Competencies

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• analyze Adwa’s victory and its national and international implications;
• explain how the battle of Adwa united the Ethiopian peoples’ irrespective of ethnic and religious differences;
• appreciate the heroic deeds of Ethiopian patriots during the battle of Adwa
• discuss the process that led to the birth of Eritrea as an Italian Colony.

3. Brainstorming Questions

• Why do we give strong emphasis to the boundary delimitation agreements signed between Ethiopia and the neighboring colonial powers?
• Had Ethiopia no boundary before 1897?

4. Key Terminology and Concepts

5. Lesson Presentation

A. Cause and Course of the Battle of Adwa

Menilek’s interactions with the Italians began in 1876 when the Italian Geographical Society, led by Marquis Orazio Antinori, arrived in Shewa. In 1883, Count Pietro Antonelli negotiated a treaty with Menilek that established consular exchanges and guaranteed freedom of trade and religion. By 1887, the two parties had also agreed on a neutrality convention concerning the conflict between Emperor Yohannis IV and the Italians. The relationship culminated in the signing of the contentious Treaty of Wuchale on May 2, 1889. Notably, Article 3 of the Wuchale Treaty provided a legal foundation for Italian colonization in Eritrea, while the Italian version of Article 17 contributed to the outbreak of the Battle of Adwa.Article 17 of the Wuchale Treaty was interpreted differently in its Italian and Amharic versions. The Amharic version stated that “Menilek could, if he wished, seek the assistance of the Italian government in his interactions with foreign nations.” In contrast, the Italian version mandated that “Menilek must handle all foreign relations through the Italian government,” effectively reducing Ethiopia to the status of an Italian protectorate. This paved the way for the battle of Adawa.

Adwa, in fact, is a collective name given to a campaign that began in 1895 and ended with the main battle of March 1, 1896. The Adwa campaign had three phases: the battle of Ambalage (7 December 1895), the siege of Mekelle (7–21 January) and the final battle of Adwa (1 March 1896). Emperor Menelik II and his wife, Etege Tayitu, actively took part in the campaign, with numerous prominent Ethiopian military leaders, including those previously allied with the Italians like Ras Mengesha Yohannes and Ras Alula Engda, as well as regional rulers such as King Abba Jifar II, Kawo Tona, Dejach Jote Tulu, and Dejach Gebre Egziabher, Ras Mekonnen, Fitawrari Gebeyehu, Ras Mikael, Negus Teklehaimanot, Ras Wolle Bitul, Ras Mengesha Atikem and Dejach Balcha the like, all mobilizing their forces and joining the Adwa campaign before receiving orders from Menelik to return and defend Ethiopia’s borders.

In February 1896, the defection of Tigrian allies Ras Sibhat Aregawi and Dajach Hagos Teferi from the Italian side provided the Ethiopians with crucial intelligence, while misleading the Italians about Ethiopian forces. The Ethiopian army, approximately 100,000 strong and predominantly equipped with modern rifles, achieved a decisive victory at the Battle of Adwa on March 1, 1896, inflicting severe losses on the Italians—about 7,000 dead, 2,500 wounded, and 3,500 captured. Following this defeat, Italian General Baratieri ordered a retreat; two of the three Italian generals leading the brigades were killed, and the third was captured. The defeat ended Italy’s ambitions to colonize Ethiopia, leaving Italy in control only of Eritrea. Consequently, Italy signed the Treaty of Addis Ababa on October 26, 1896, nullifying the Treaty of Wuchale and formally recognizing Ethiopia’s independence, while also acknowledging Eritrea as an Italian colony.

B. The Significance of the Victory of Adwa

• Led to the resignation of the Italian Prime Minister, Crispi.
• Restored black dignity and pride in places as far away as South Africa and the United States.
• Taught Africans and people of African descent a vital lesson: black people are not inferior to white people.
• Contributed to the birth and development of black movements like Pan-Africanism, Ethiopianism, Rastafarianism.
• Gave a powerful impetus to the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle of peoples who were under the yoke of colonialism.
• Guaranteed the political independence of Ethiopia, although Eritrea remained under Italian control until 1941.
• The Ethiopian victory at Adwa also enabled Ethiopia to have an internationally recognized boundary. Accordingly, Emperor Menilek II signed several boundary treaties with the neighboring colonial powers. Ethiopia signed boundary delimitation agreements in March 1897 with French Somaliland (now Djibouti), with the Italian colony of Eritrea in July 1900, 1902 and 1908, with the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in May 1902 with British East Africa or Kenya in December 1907, and with Italian Somaliland in May 1908. In fact, these treaties were not followed by boundary demarcation, and they are still sources of conflict.