Battle Of Adwa Facts: Here's How The Italian Army Was Defeated In The War

The Battle of Adwa was a rebuke of European attitudes about Africans during the Age of Imperialism.

The town of Adwa is situated in northern Tigray, near Eritrea's southern border.  When questioned about Italy's connections with Ethiopia, the average individual is more likely to recall Italy's conquest of the African country in the 30s, during which the Europeans triumphed.

This is ironic since the Italians remained in Ethiopia for about four years before being pushed out, and Ethiopia has been a sovereign since then. Moreover, the Addis Ababa Treaty was the product of an agreement between the two countries.

There is so much to know about the Battle of Adwa and the people involved in it, and you can read all about it right here. If you love reading about the history of the world and other fun facts, then do not forget to check out our Battle of Antietam factsandBattle of Amiens facts.

Battle Of Adwa History: Date, Location, Place

The War of Adwa, often spelled Adowa or Italian Adua, was fought on March 1, 1896, in Adwa, Ethiopia, between Italian forces and Ethiopian troops of Emperor Menilek II.

The success of the Ethiopian army thwarted Italy's attempt to establish an empire in Africa. The victory was also significant since it was the first time an African force had defeated a European power during the colonial period.

The Italians were positioned behind a formidable fort at Mekelle for the second confrontation. The Ethiopians encircled the Italians over two weeks and choked off the fort's supply of water on the instructions of Empress Tayitu.

Finally, General Oreste Baratieri, the Italian commander, decided to concede if they were permitted to keep their weapons. Menelik agreed to let them leave the garrison alone.

On February 29, Baraterie had a meeting with senior officers, in which brigadiers Matteo Albertone, Giuseppe Ellena, Giuseppe Arimondi, and Vittorio Dabormida were involved. The Italian forces had roughly 18,000 soldiers and 56 artillery guns.

However, thousands of Italian troops were assigned to supply missions, leaving the remainder of the army with many untrained troops and some Eritreans led by Italian officers, insufficient weapons, and demoralization. Menelik's forces were thought to have numbered hundreds of thousands, with the preponderance being riflemen and a substantial number of lance-wielding cavalry.

The Italian battle plan called for three columns to offer fire support to one another, but they became split overnight and were detached by many miles in rough terrain. The battle was a bloodbath, with the Italians putting up a brave fight despite being outnumbered.

Brigadier Dabormida then made a terrible mistake by retreating into a narrow valley, and Ethiopian lancers slaughtered them.

By mid-day, the remainder of the invading army had been decimated, and the conflict was done. Over 7,000 Italians were killed, with the Ethiopians sustaining a comparable number of fatalities. The Italians held captive were well cared for, but Ethiopian troops (about 800) who had battled the Italians were tortured, having their left feet and right hands amputated.

Battle Of Adwa Significance

The War of Adwa ended up in fighting over two days between forces led by Emperor Menelik II and infiltrating Italian forces.

It was the deciding fight in the First Italo-Ethiopian battle and a defining moment in contemporary African history. Finally, a European colonial power was beaten, and European powers recognized Ethiopia as a sovereign country.

The engagement was confirmed to be a crushing defeat, and the Ethiopians retaliated by pushing the withdrawing Italians towards Eritrea and out of the region altogether.

Finally, on October 26, 1896, the Treaty of Addis Ababa ended the conflict, and the Italians acknowledged Ethiopian independence. However, the Italians didn't give up on the dream of an Africa Kingdom.

In the 30s, under Benito Mussolini, they attempted again to succeed in establishing authority before being pushed out. Following the defeat, Ethiopians liberated Eritrea and restored it to the Ethiopian administration.

Did Ethiopia defeat Italy at the Battle of Adwa?

The story of an African victory made its way throughout the world. Ethiopia became the only African country never to be colonized as a result of this struggle.

The kingdom of Russia had supplied several artillery pieces to Ethiopian forces and congratulated them enthusiastically on the Ethiopian success. As the race for Africa drew to a close, Italy was given Ethiopia, which is needed to gain control of.

Ethiopia was mainly unfamiliar to Europeans; however, the central highlands resisted European intervention. The fight of Adwa took place in 1896 due to Italian incursions south of their Red Sea province of Eritrea.

Despite being obliged by the Treaty of Wichale (1889) to friendship, the Ethiopians and Italians had differing views on what that relationship should include. Hence, the famous 'mistranslation' occurred, in which the Italian contract said that Ethiopia would be an Italian dominion, but Emperor Menelik II claimed that such language did not appear in his copy.

As a result, the treaty had two versions, one in Italian and the other in Amharic, that had to be signed.

In opposition to the Amharic version, the Italian version practically made Ethiopia a protectorate of Italy. Italian prime minister Francesco Crispi construed the Treaty of Wichale to suggest that Ethiopia must use the Italian government, signifying the formation of an Italian protectorate over Ethiopia.

The Italians believed they had duped Menelik II into signing a contract pledging his allegiance to Rome. Empress Taytu was a key influence in the country's refusal to hand over sovereignty.

What if Italy won the Battle of Adwa?

If Italy could rapidly subjugate Ethiopia with an attack on Adis Abbaba, Russia would supply Menelik's troops with munitions.

Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II had overhauled old-fashioned recruiting procedures that had previously led to a loss against British forces with considerably superior organization and supplies. This army was also comprised of men raised by provincial rulers, including the prospective father of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Ethiopian strategies and techniques were based on their history and topography, which the Italians were unfamiliar with; therefore, the Italians projected a force one-third the strength of Menelik's Army based on British expertise.

Italian Ethiopia, sometimes referred to as the Italian Dominion of Ethiopia, was the Ethiopian Empire's area that Italy occupied for about five years. Ethiopia and Liberia are commonly regarded as the only two African nations never to have been colonized. Ethiopia and Liberia were able to resist colonization due to their economic viability, geographic location, and unity.

For one reason, Menelik and several of his European aides ran a successful public relations effort in the European press to gain support for his cause. The Battle of Adwa did a great job of highlighting the people who had a role in such a turning point in history.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly factsfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked Battle of Adwa facts, then why not take a look at our articles on animals in the Arctic Ocean or 17 Viking women facts.

Main image by Zena gebrehiwot hagos.