Battle of Adwa

In the late nineteenth century Italy, a latecomer to colonial expansion, sought to build an empire in the Horn of Africa. A disputed interpretation of the 1889 Treaty of Wuchale, which Italy claimed made Ethiopia a protectorate, brought it into conflict with Emperor Menelik II, who rejected any surrender of his country's sovereignty.

On 1 March 1896 the Ethiopian army decisively defeated an invading Italian force at the Battle of Adwa in northern Ethiopia. Well armed and greatly outnumbering the Italians, Menelik's forces inflicted a crushing defeat, killing or capturing thousands of Italian and allied troops.

Adwa was one of the most significant African victories over a European colonial power and brought the Italian invasion to an end. By the Treaty of Addis Ababa, signed on 26 October 1896, Italy recognized the full independence of Ethiopia. The victory preserved Ethiopian sovereignty, made Menelik a symbol of resistance, and became a lasting source of pride across Africa and the wider world.