Italy probably had the smallest and least productive of all the colonial empires. It was, however, directly responsible for unifying Ethiopia into a nation state, and through the battle of Adowa in 1896 gave the African continent proof that the Europeans were not unbeatable.
This period of conflict starts with General Napier's expedition to "chastise" Emperor Tewodros II and ends with the Battle of Adowa, in which Emperor Menelik II's indigenous Ethiopian army crushed the military might of Italy.
Map of significant battles between Ethiopian Emperors Tewodros II, Yohannes IV, and Menelik II and the forces of Britain, Egypt, and Italy.
On the night of 29 February, 1896, four Italian brigades marched to a line of defensive peaks overlooking the Ethiopian camp at Adowa. Find out why this turned into such a significant defeat for a European power.
A map of this fascinating battle between the forces of General Oreste Baratieri, Italian governor of Eritrea, and Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia.
