Menelik II: Adwa, Conquest, and the Making of Modern Ethiopia

In 1896, Menelik II's army defeated an invading Italian force at Adwa and secured Ethiopia's independence. The coalition that won the battle had been assembled through alliances, weapons purchases, tribute and conquest. Its commanders and the communities supporting them did not share the same interests or the same freedom. This biography follows Menelik from captivity under Tewodros II to the throne of Shewa and the struggle over the Treaty of Wuchale. Empress Taytu, provincial rulers, merchants and conquered communities shape the choices available to him. The campaigns in Arsi, Harar, Wolaita and Kaffa reveal what expansion demanded from people brought into his state. Adwa changes the balance abroad without settling the empire's internal conflicts. Peace treaties, land claims, a railway and a bank create obligations that survive the emperor. His final incapacity leaves ministers and relatives invoking an authority that can no longer resolve their disputes. This substantially revised edition distinguishes court praise, contemporary reports, retrospective accounts and disputed claims. It includes a guide to the sources actually consulted and the limits of reconstruction. Approximately 21,500 words.