Ethiopian painting of the Battle of Adwa, 1896By the late 1890’s Ethiopia was one of the last
Ethiopian painting of the Battle of Adwa, 1896By the late 1890’s Ethiopia was one of the last nations in Africa that remained fully sovereign and free of European colonial rule. This all changed when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1895. While the Italians had a force of 18,000 men, the Ethiopians were able to build a grand army consisting of 120,000 men. Furthermore they were armed with modern rifles supplied by their Russian and French allies. The two armies met on March 1st, 1896 near town of Adwa, where the Italians attempted an ill fated surprise attack in the early morning, thinking that the Ethiopians would be asleep. Unbeknownst to the Italians, the Ethiopians had risen early for special religious services. The Ethiopians counterattacked with overwhelming force, forcing the Italian Army to abandon the campaign and retreat to their colony in Eritrea. -- source link
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