The Italian advance
Italian forces advance from Eritrea and occupy forward positions. Their command hopes to force a decision before Ethiopian mobilisation is complete.
- Home
- Industrial Age
- First Italo-Ethiopian War
War
First Italo-Ethiopian War
1895 — 1896
A colonial power discovers that numbers and firepower are no substitute for cohesion
Military history
The strategic problem
The First Italo-Ethiopian War pits a European state attempting to turn its foothold in Eritrea into a continental empire against an Ethiopian power able to mobilise substantial political and military strength. Italy possesses modern weapons, but its columns advance separately, know the terrain poorly, and underestimate Menelik II’s ability to concentrate his forces.
Menelik’s mobilisation
The Ethiopian Empire assembles very large contingents, organises their routes, and keeps the Italian army under pressure without offering it a single easy target.
Adwa and the negotiation
The Italian columns advance separately through compartmented high ground. Adwa destroys their cohesion and compels recognition of Ethiopian independence.
Explore
1 published battles, in chronological order
Military history
Sources
Contemporary sourcesRapports de Baratieri et dépêches italiennes de 1895–1896
Orders, strengths, brigade movements, and the Italian perception of the campaign.
Historical monographRaymond Jonas, The Battle of Adwa
Ethiopian mobilisation, Menelik’s policy, and the sequence of events on 1 March.
General historyBahru Zewde, A History of Modern Ethiopia
Imperial context, diplomacy, and the consequences of victory.