In infuriation, and without the back-up of his main army, Galawdewos attacked the rich trading Muslim city of The Muslim-Christian wars were terribly costly. With the increasing competition for control of the valuable trade routes connecting the Ethiopian highlands with the Red Sea, tension was growing.In the 1490s animosities came to a head.
For the empire, the Oromo expansion meant loss of territory and vital tax revenue.
His victories not only ended any Egyptian designs on the territory, but brought much captured weaponry, turning his army into the first well-equipped force in Ethiopian history.But soon another power threatened: the Italians. There was no longer minted money and trade was conducted by barter with pieces of iron, cloth or salt.Culturally, the period was important for the significant output of Geâez literature, including the nationâs epic, the In the early 15th century, the first European embassy arrived in Ethiopia, sent by the famous French aristocrat Duc de Berry. Ras Tafari assumed the throne.On 2 November 1930 Tafari was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie. In 1993 Eritrea became independent. According to the Italian version, Ethiopia was obliged to approach other foreign powers through In the meantime, the Italians continued their expansion in their newly created colony of Despite the Italiansâ attempts to court Tigrayâs local chiefs, the latter chose to assist Menelik. Axum traded with Rome, Arabia and India. In contrast to Tewodros, Yohannes staunchly supported the church and recognised the independence of local lords. Known as the Derg (Committee), they used the media with consummate skill to undermine the authority of the emperor himself. The two-house parliament consisted of a senate, which was nominated by the emperor from among his nobles; and a chamber of deputies, which was elected from the landholders. Ethiopia remained Christian but it was cut off from Europe by the Muslims.In the Middle Ages Ethiopia flourished. Featured
In exchange for granting However, a dispute over a discrepancy in the purportedly identical Amharic and Italian texts â the famous Article 17 â led to disagreement. 1868 - … To the rest of Menelik then set his sights on modernisation. The Discover Series Ministers, nobles and close confidants of the emperor were also arrested by the Derg. Best in Travel The kingdom of Aksum: from the 5th century BC: The story of the Queen of Sheba links her with Ethiopia in a legend which echoes historical reality. Backed by hundreds of planes, cannons and weapons of every type, the Italian armies swept across the country. The famous church of St George was built about 1200.
Using his weaponry gained from the British in exchange for his support of their Maqdala expedition, Kassa Mercha of Tigray rose to the fore. Tewodrosâ response, however, was ruthless and sometimes brutal. Ethiopia also suffered terrible famines during the Communist era.Fortunately the Communist regime in Ethiopia was overthrown in 1991. Failed government resettlement campaigns, communal farms and âvillageisationâ programmes aggravated the disaster in many areas, while Mengistuâs disinclination to help the province of Tigray â the worst affected region and home to the powerful Tigrayan Peopleâs Liberation Front (TPLF) â caused thousands more to die.The various opposition groups eventually united to form the Ethiopian Peopleâs Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which in 1989 began its historic military campaign towards Doubly confronted by the EPRDF in Ethiopia and the Eritrean Peopleâs Liberation Front (EPLF) in In July 1991 a transitional charter was endorsed, which gave the EPRDF-dominated legislature a four-year, interim rule under the executive of the TPLF leader, Meles Zenawi.