The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire

by Raymond Jonas

Overview

In 1896 a massive Ethiopian army routed an invading Italian force and brought Italy’s conquest of Africa to an end. In defending its independence, Ethiopia cast doubt on the assumption that all Africans would fall under the rule of Europeans, and opened a breach that would lead to the continent’s painful struggle for freedom from colonial rule.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674062795
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	929,633
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Raymond Jonas is Giovanni and Amne Costigan Professor of History at the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

Maps and Illustrations ix

Introduction 1

I The Road to Adwa

1 Courtly Ambitions 9

2 Listing toward Adwa 23

3 Italy in Africa 34

4 The Price of Liberty 49

5 Black in Service of White 58

6 Africa in Italy 69

7 "Something Humiliating for My Kingdom" 90

II The Battle

8 Menelik's March 111

9 Amba Alage 120

10 Stalled at Sauria 148

11 Baratieri Chooses 158

12 Armies Meet 173

13 The Center Crumbles 194

III Aftermaths

14 Despair, Panic, Pursuit 211

15 The Harvest 221

16 The Long March 238

17 Sons and Lovers and Accidental Anthropologists 250

18 Menelik Abroad 267

19 Reckonings 285

20 Rescues 302

21 Passings 319

Notes 337

Acknowledgments 399

Index 401

What People are Saying About This

Jonathan Miran

Jonas offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most important events in modern African history. He brilliantly brings to life the story of Ethiopian leaders, Italian military officials, and quirky European advisors and observers. Written in a wonderfully evocative and lively style, this book firmly establishes the Battle of Adwa's place in world history and will appeal to a broad readership.
— Jonathan Miran, author of Red Sea Citizens

Editorial Reviews

On March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa, in Ethiopia, an African army convincingly struck down the colonizing Italian army in a battle that decisively shaped not only the contours of Ethiopia but also its future and that of the continent. As University of Washington historian Jonas so deftly observes in this nimble and artfully crafted work, the events at Adwa cast doubt upon Europeans’ unshakeable certainty that Africans would eventually fall under their rule. Jonas draws vibrant portraits of the personalities at the center of these events, from the shrewd Ethiopian monarch Menelik and his bold, aggressive wife, Taytu Betul, to the unfortunate Italian general Oreste Baratieri, the leader of the defeated Italian forces. As Jonas points out, the African victory at Adwa commenced the crumbling of European dominance of Africa; Ethiopia thus became a source of pride and lineage often indistinguishable from Africa itself, and writers such as W.E.B. DuBois based their own model African states on Ethiopia. Weaving a colorful account from the stories of a dazzling array of characters, Jonas skillfully recreates this now mostly forgotten event that determined the color of Africa. 38 b&w illus., 6 maps. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Jonas’s lucidly woven account masterfully repositions the role of contingency in the unfolding of history and uses the little-known battle to stand for the audacious imperial quest for glory unleashed by Western powers in the ‘scramble for Africa.’ …His remarkable cast of characters and insightful prose will be of interest to scholars of African history and issues related to counterinsurgency.
— Brian Odom Library Journal

On March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa, in Ethiopia, an African army convincingly struck down the colonizing Italian army in a battle that decisively shaped not only the contours of Ethiopia but also its future and that of the continent. As University of Washington historian Jonas so deftly observes in this nimble and artfully crafted work, the events at Adwa cast doubt upon Europeans’ unshakeable certainty that Africans would eventually fall under their rule. Jonas draws vibrant portraits of the personalities at the center of these events, from the shrewd Ethiopian monarch Menelik and his bold, aggressive wife, Taytu Betul, to the unfortunate Italian general Oreste Baratieri, the leader of the defeated Italian forces. As Jonas points out, the African victory at Adwa commenced the crumbling of European dominance of Africa; Ethiopia thus became a source of pride and lineage often indistinguishable from Africa itself, and writers such as W.E.B. Du Bois based their own model African states on Ethiopia. Weaving a colorful account from the stories of a dazzling array of characters, Jonas skillfully recreates this now mostly forgotten event that determined the color of Africa.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Jonas offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most important events in modern African history. He brilliantly brings to life the story of Ethiopian leaders, Italian military officials, and quirky European advisors and observers. Written in a wonderfully evocative and lively style, this book firmly establishes the Battle of Adwa’s place in world history and will appeal to a broad readership.
— Jonathan Miran, author of Red Sea Citizens

From the Publisher

Jonas offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most important events in modern African history. He brilliantly brings to life the story of Ethiopian leaders, Italian military officials, and quirky European advisors and observers. Written in a wonderfully evocative and lively style, this book firmly establishes the Battle of Adwa’s place in world history and will appeal to a broad readership.

Jonathan Miran

According to Jonas (history, Univ. of Washington), the 1896 Ethiopian victory over the invading Italians at Adwa was a momentous event that both ended an Italian war of conquest and called into question the inevitability of a European conquest of Africa. Jonas's lucidly woven account masterfully repositions the role of contingency in the unfolding of history and uses the little-known battle to stand for the audacious imperial quest for glory unleashed by Western powers in the "scramble for Africa." VERDICT While Jonas may overplay the importance of his subject, his remarkable cast of characters and insightful prose will be of interest to scholars of African history and issues related to counterinsurgency.—Brian Odom, Pelham P.L., AL

Library Journal