War Strategies
V.S
Peace Strategies
War Strategies
War WIth Adal
The War of Adal was a war that took place from 1529-1543 between the Ethiopian Empire and the Adal Sultanate. This war was located at modern day Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti. In the start, the military troops of the Adal Sultanate had the upper hand due to their victory during the Battle of Shimbra Kure against a larger group of troops from the Ethiopian Empire. On October 28,1531, when the second battle was held, the troops of the Adal Sultanate defeated the military of the Ethiopian Empire and stole objects from the imperial regalia or religious treasury that represented royalty. The troops of the Adal Sultanate invaded and looted the empire's territory, destroying many christian churches and monuments. When Diwait II, the emperor of the Ethiopian Empire at the time, died, forces of General Imam Ahmad of Adal seized the heir and they surrounded the empress of the Ethiopian Empire with armed forces. Although, when General Imam Ahmad died, his army became unstable, forcing them to retreat from the empire for good.
Battle of Dogali
The Battle of Dogali was a small battle that was a part of a major conflict between the Ethiopian Empire and the Italians. It took place on January 26, 1887 and was a remarkable victory for the Ethiopians. This is due to the fact that this was a large peaking point for the empire, as they were well prepared. They had the right equipment and in fact, they were the most well equipped standing army in the African Continent at the time. The Italians, although they had a great fighting spirit, did not have enough manpower, equipment, intelligence, or experience.
Battle of Adwa
The Battle of Adwa was between the Ethiopian army of Emperor Menelik II and the Italian forces. Located in Adwa, in north-central Ethiopia, it was a victory of great importance for the Ethiopians during the time of the colonial era. This was due to the fact that it was the first overpowering defeat of Europeans by African troops at the time. Although the Ethiopians were armed with modern weaponry, Menelik devalued his troops, as the Italians were thriving in this campaign of battles against the Ethiopian military in the beginning. He began to leak false reports and spread rumors about his forces. General Oreste Baratieri, Italian governor and leader of Eritrea, spootted the Ethiopian troops on February 7,1896, but decided not to jump into war due to the condition of the Italian troops at the time. The Italians were running low on supplies such as food, water, clothing, proper weapons, and reliable maps- similar to the problems that the Ethiopians were facing as well. The two armies layed low until February 29, when Oreste sent 14,500 troops with a lack of proper supplies and organization out to a battle against 100,000 Ethiopian troops. Eventually, on March 1st, the Italians retreated in defeat due to the death of over 6,000 Italian troops, as well as approximately another 4,000 troops taken prisoner by the Ethiopians.
Peace Strategies
Peace Treaties
In October 1896, the Treaty of Addis Ababa was signed and determined the peace between Italians and the Ethiopians. The idea formed by the Italians to rule the Ethiopian Empire was deserted and the border of Eritrea, an Italian colony, was finally decided, reducing the land to 200,000 square kilometers (80,000 square miles). In this manner, the peace treaty solved all disputes between the two enemies. Menilek's victory in the war against the Italians gave him great integrity with the European powers and it gave the Ethiopian Empire a chance to thrive during this time of peace. Leading up to 1908, Ethiopia exapanded boarders and formed peace treaties with other European powers such as Italy, France, and Great Britain.