The Battle of Adwa was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invading force on Sunday 1 March 1896, near the town of Adwa. The decisive victory thwarted the campaign of the Kingdom of Italy to expand its colonial empire in the Horn of Africa. By the end of the 19th century, European powers had carved up almost all of Africa after the Berlin Conference; only Ethiopia and Liberia still maintained their independence. Adwa became a pre-eminent symbol of pan-Africanism and secured Ethiopian sovereignty until the Second Italo-Ethiopian War forty years later.
Menelik II, baptised as Sahle Maryam was King of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913. At the height of his internal power and external prestige, the process of territorial expansion and creation of the modern empire-state was completed by 1898.
Taytu Betul was Empress of Ethiopia from 1889 to 1913 and the third wife of Emperor Menelik II. An influential figure in anti-colonial resistance during the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, she, along with her husband, founded the modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in 1886.
RasMakonnen Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot, or simply Ras Makonnen, also known as Abba Qagnew, was an Ethiopian royal from Shewa, a military leader, the governor of Harar, and the father of future Emperor Haile Selassie. Described by Nikolai Gumilev as “one of the greatest leaders of Abyssinia”, he served in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, playing a key role at the Battle of Adwa.
Tewodros II was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to the decentralized Zemene Mesafint.
Shewa, formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa, is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at its center.
Yohannes IV was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1871 to his death in 1889 at the Battle of Gallabat, and king of Tigray from 1869 to 1871. During his reign he successfully defended Ethiopia against a large scale Egyptian invasion.
Haile Malakot was Negus of Shewa, a historical region of Ethiopia, from 12 October 1847 until his death. He was the oldest son of Negus Sahle Selassie an important Amhara noblemen and his wife Woizero Bezabish Wolde.
Tekle Giyorgis II was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1868 to 1871. After being crowned, he linked himself to the last independent emperors of the Gondar line through his mother and sought support from the Ethiopian Church to strengthen his right to rule. He was wounded when fighting during the 1871 Battle of Adwa, leading to the demoralization of his troops and capture of him and his generals and later on his death in captivity.
Darge Sahle Selassie Horse name Abba Gersa was a 19th-century Ethiopian nobleman, provincial governor, general and a trusted councillor of his nephew Emperor Menelik II.
Onesimos Nesib was a native Oromo scholar who converted to Lutheran Christianity and translated the Christian Bible into Oromo. His parents named him Hika as a baby, meaning "Translator"; he took the name "Onesimus", after the Biblical character, upon converting to Christianity.
Were Ilu is a town in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 10°36′N39°26′E. From the 1870s, Were Ilu had a Thursday market.
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Galla was a Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate established in 1846, and embracing the territory of the Oromo people in the Ethiopian Empire.
Cardinal Messias is a 1939 Italian historical drama film directed by Goffredo Alessandrini and starring Camillo Pilotto, Enrico Glori and Mario Ferrari. The film was awarded the Mussolini Cup at the 1939 Venice film festival. It portrays the life of Guglielmo Massaia, a nineteenth-century Italian known for his missionary work in the Ethiopian Empire.
Wube Haile Maryam of Semien,, also called by his title Dejazmach Wube, Webé; his name is also given in European sources as ‘‘Ubie’’, was one of the major figures of 19th century Ethiopia, during the closing decades of the Zemene Mesafint a period of regional lords vying for power, prestige and territory amid a weakened authority of the emperors.
Bafena Wolde Mikael or beter known as just Bafena (1834-1887) was the second wife of Menelik II then the King of Shewa. She was described as ‘‘attractive, vivacious and ambitious’’ and is remembered for her failed conspiracy against her husband, in a attempted coup plot in 1877.
Gebru Desta also known as Kantiba Gebru and Aleqa Gebru Desta was an Amhara intellectual, and former mayor of Gondar and Addis Abeba. Gebru was one of the few foreign educated Ethiopians during Menelik II’s reign, and served the emperor and his successors in various positions ranging from diplomat and interpreter. He was a political prisoner during Ethiopia's occupation by Fascist Italy.
Garmame and Horse name: Abba Mala was an influential 19th century Ethiopian military commander, provincial governor and royal counsellor serving under Negus Sahle Selassie, Haile Melekot and Emperor Menelik II. He held the title of Dejazmach. Garmame is remembered for his leading role in rescuing Menelik II and other notables from captivity in July 1865, and restoring the Shewan heir back to the throne. In May 1877 he prevented a coup concocted by Bafena, and solidified the position of his Negus. After retirement from military activities, Garmame governed large tracts of fertile land south of Ankober, and is also remembered for his role in providing relief to the people during the disastrous 1890's famine'.
Welde Giyorgis Aboye was one of the most prominent Ethiopian generals who spearheaded Emperor Menelik's southward expansion at the close of the 19th century. His fame soared after leading the conquest on the Kingdom of Kaffa as a Ras, and was subsequently appointed as provincial governor of that fief by the Emperor. Welde Giyorgis later became the governor of Begemder. A few months before his death, he was elevated to Negus, of Gondar by Empress Zewditu in 1917, as recognition for his role in deposing Lij Iyasu.
Welle Betul also known as Wale Betul, Wolie Betul and Wele Bitul, was an Ethiopian military commander under Emperor Menelik II, the ruler of Begemder, and the younger brother of Empress Taytu Betul.
