Sleep With History - Battle of Adwa: Ethiopian victory over Italy (1896)

Episode Date: September 24, 2024

This episode showcases a mighty spirit refusing to buckle under colonial pressure and a historic, monumental victory ensuring a nation's freedom. Journey into an awe-inspiring historical event on the latest episode of Sleep with History: The Battle of Adwa. Immerse yourself in the chronicles of Ethiopia, as it defiantly stood against the wave of European Imperialism lapping at its borders in the 19th century. Learn how the Ethiopian forces led by Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taytu Betul masterfully rebuffed Italy's lustful ambition for colonial expansion, successfully protecting their nation's sovereignty. Echoes of this struggle reverberated far beyond Ethiopia, igniting a spark of resistance against colonial imperialism worldwide. Listen now and engulf yourself in the gripping story of The Battle of Adwa.

Welcome to Sleep with History, the podcast that unravels the threads of time, casting light on enduring tales of human endeavor, resolve, and shared heritage. I'm Ben New Mayor. Before we begin, I wish to let you know that you can find our full range of relaxing shows covering topics such as mythology, psychology, science, classic books, meditations, and much more at our website www.wisper.fm. New episodes of this show are released weekly, but with Whisper Premium, you don't have to wait.

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of ancient Africa, beneath the cold gaze of the moon and the silent watch of countless ancestors. We journey into the heart of the historic land steeped in mystery and lore that is Ethiopia. Nestled within its timeless bounds, the echo of a significant event reverberates, a tale as grand as the Nile and as enduring as the pyramids, the Battle of Adwa in 1896. We are drawn to the crossroads of diverse civilizations, seismic events in the African heartland, a veritable David versus Goliath moment, the Battle of Ottawa. This clash was more than a military engagement.

It was a refusal to surrender and a powerful surge of spirit that quelled colonial ambitions. How did Ethiopia, a lone star on the canvas of the African continent, retain its freedom while the dark shadow of colonialism stretched across the land. We find our stage amongst the flux of colonial expansion and the intrigue of international diplomacy. It was a period that saw the land known today as Europe undertaking a rabid frenzy of colonial expansion. Swept with a mad desire for dominance, these nations were carving up the African continent, like a coveted vineyard ripe for the picking. During this time, power lay not with the meek, but with those who grasped steel and gunpowder with ruthless prowess and determination.

In this moment, Ethiopia carved its own emblem of resistance, illuminated by the glow of self-determination. Picture a world in flux, where old powers were trying to cement their control over distant lands, even as upstart nations sought to grab a share of the pie in their pursuit of prestige, power, and riches. This era, the age of new imperialism, saw fast-rising juggernauts of power in Europe greedily extend their reach into Africa, Asia and the Americas, using both the carrot and the stick, commerce and canon, persuasion, and pressure to bind distant lands and peoples into the world. their burgeoning empires. Amidst this worldwide whirlwind of power pursuits, one region attracted

nearly all European powers like bees to honey, like moths to flame. Africa. A treasure trove of untapped wealth and opportunities, it was referred to at one time, as a magnificent cake, to be sliced, divided, and consumed at the whim of all those who held knives. This frantic scramble for Africa, as it was later called, saw even relatively weak and late-arriving powers in Europe, like Italy, grasped for a piece of this tempting confection, searching for places to plant their flags and assert their claim over a piece of African soil. One of these powers, Italy, was a relatively new nation-state with ambitions far exceeding its political and military might, craving prestige on the global stage and the spoils of empire. Italy looked to Africa to construct its imperial network.

Their eyes fell upon Ethiopia, a land of people who had been fashioning their distinct civilization for millennia. Yet beneath the unyielding gaze of its towering mountains and wreathed in the mystery of its ancient civilizations, Ethiopia had matured into a nation in its own right. independent, proud, fiercely resistant to outside control. The Italian forces underestimated the deeply entrenched sense of identity among its diverse peoples, its rich time-honored social, political, and economic systems, and, most crucially, the guile, courage, and pragmatism of its leaders.

Into this fray, stepped Emperor Menelik II, whose medal would be tested in the cauldron of conflict with an external power trying to impose its will upon a fiercely independent nation. Instead of becoming a peace on the chessboard of empires, as so many African nations did, being shuffled around at the whims of distant powers, Ethiopia, under astute leadership, took control of its own fate, turning the tables with resistance, fortitude, and fierce independence. Let's turn our attention to a pivotal moment in 1889, when the Treaty of Wuchale was penned by Italy and Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. From Italy's perspective, heavily coated in imperial ethos, the treaty was a grand cloak of deception. They sought as an instrument to envelop Ethiopia in its sovereignty,

reducing Menelik's kingdom to a puppet state. However, the Italians were brash in their approach, letting their imperial ambition cloud their judgment. This error of hubris glossed over the fiercely independent and proud spirit of the Ethiopian people. Menelik II was quick to shrug off this faux garb of subordination. He built his response on the foundation of a critical error on Italy's part. The ambiguity and language of the treaty. He dismissed the presumptuous claim of Italian mastery by asserting that the Amharic version of the treaty, the language of his land, did not stipulate anything about unadulterated submission to Italy's sovereignty.

Italy's maladroit attempt and subsequent insistence on imperial paternalism were met with the hardened resilience of Ethiopia, sparking a chain of events that would culminate on a battlefield in odd-werectuary. Owing to this in the minds of both parties, an inevitable clash was bespoken. A fatal tipping point entered the continuum of diplomatic back and forths. March 1, 1896, marked the day where ambitions and forces would colossally collide. A monumental crucible where Ethiopia's grit would face the test of fire. The Ethiopian forces led by Emperor Menelik II and an Empress Taitu Butul, his strategic equal,

based in opposition technologically superior and numerately more significant, on the surface, it appeared as a mismatch. Italy boasted more advanced artillery, modern rifles, and a robust force bred in the disciplined ethos of Europe's martial tradition. But one cannot overlook the fact that battles are not won by might or machinery alone. They are determined by the marriage of tactical intuition and the courage to execute it, supplemented by the flexible ability to read one's enemy and terrain. And in these non-tangible critical factors,

the Italians were about to discover they were woefully outmatched. Menelik II and his strategic minds invoked an approach that embraced their apparent weaknesses and transformed them into strengths. Ethiopia, though outnumbered by the modernized battalion, relied heavily on their familiarity with the battleground's topography and their knowledge of guerrilla warfare, which served to balance the scales. The Ethiopian forces seized the day through a brilliantly orchestrated Pinser movement. They ensnared the Italian army,

catching them scraping the unexpected rough edges of a rebellion they had grievously underestimated, pinning them between the hammer of their forces and the anvil of the terrain. The Ethiopians were not just defending a piece of land. They were champions of a deeper cause, the protectors of their nation's honor and sovereignty. This consuming sentiment gave them an unmatched morale boost, a flame that wouldn't succumb to any wind of uncertainty. Their weapons and warriors unified under this flag of nationalism

were steled with an indomitable spirit that bore the power to rewrite an expected narrative put forth by the colonizers. This decisive judgment of history, both immediate and long-reaching, sealed the fate of the Battle of Ottawa. It carved a chronicle that traveled way beyond the boundaries of Ethiopia. It sent a fiery signal rippling through the docile waters of imperialism, illuminating an example for countries shackled under the yoke of colonial ambitions, ringing forth the clarion call of freedom and resistance. The resonating echo of this momentous event proves one crucial fact to this day that the spirit of independence, once ignited,

can fend off the greatest threats, even when they arrive in overwhelming force, promising subjugation and exploitation. Appointed the king of Shewa, a province in central Ethiopia. In his youth, Emperor Menelik II set forth on a journey that would witness challenges, victories, alliances, and resistance in equal measure. His journey was not merely one of personal ambition, but one bound irrevocably to the fate of his homeland. Menelik was not born with a blueprint for leadership. It was the trials and tribulations of his formative years, the hours spent in negotiation with temperamental warlords, the intense rivalries for power, and the constant threat of invasion that sculpted the young king into a formidable leader. With the consolidation of his power in the Chewa province, he transformed his rule into a beacon of stability, ringing like a church bell amidst the secular discord of the surrounding regions.

Even as the subjugation was rapidly becoming the norm, he chose the path of modernization. To fortify Ethiopia was his goal, and his method a blend of sagacity to import modern weaponry and the valor to redesign Ethiopia's military tactics. His internal policy, therefore, encapsulated his belief in upholding Ethiopia's traditions while instilling elements conducive to warding off external threats. The Treaty of Wukhali, initially viewed by Ethiopia as a pact of mutual friendship and cooperation, was an alarm disguised as a trumpet. This attempted deception sparked an iron will within Menelik.

His response was swift and unambiguous, lodging a ferocious refusal to bow to Italy's whims and setting into motion chains of events. that would culminate on the battlefield of Adwa. His resolve henceforward was toward one goal, the preservation of Ethiopian sovereignty at any cost. Menelik's fear of influence, however, was not tethered solely within Ethiopia's borders, nor did it pertain only to matters political.

The figure who walked beside him, a figure of equal command and flare and his indispensable counsel was Empress Taitu Butul. She too occupies the same unforgettable pedestal as Menelik in our chronicle. Empress Taitu was Menelik's equal, his consort, his advisor, an astute leader and strategist in her own right, her influence on Menelik and her contributions to Ethiopia's struggle against colonial aggression play a pivotal role in this narrative. Her spirit, comparable to the robust Ethiopian coffee was potent and invigorating. As a woman in a dominantly patriarchal society, Taitu was a glowing ember amongst dormant coals.

Taitu and Menelik's relation was one of deep respect, shared vision, and mutual admiration. It was this team that mobilized Ethiopia against a common foe, that meticulously planned the future of their homeland. and beneath whose leadership, Ethiopia would consolidate its place on the world stage. It is undeniably clear that Italy's leadership during the campaign was riddled with conflicts and strategic errors. Historians have arduously cataloged the internal squabbles that beset the Italians, notably the tactical disagreements between General Baratieri and his officers. They have also detailed the glaring logistical errors such as the designation.

disastrous decision to move significant troops without adequate supplies and during periods of insufficient light, leading to massive fatigue. Many accounts also shed light on the devastating effects of Baratieri's plans. He had aimed at keeping his forces defensible, hoping to lure Menelik's army into a protracted war of attrition. However, lack of food and exhaustion among his troops, forced his hand to engage in an open battle against Ethiopian forces at Adwa. The strategy was ill-conceived from the beginning. The Italian forces found themselves fighting across formidable mountainous terrains against a well-prepared and high-spirited Ethiopian army. The dawning of the brutal reality must have been a chilling spectacle for the missteps of tactical errors, inept leadership and fractured cooperation,

curdling their dreams of victory into a dread-filled premonition of doom. Yet to focus on Italian inadequacy leads one to miss the significant strategic prowess and laudable courage demonstrated by the Ethiopian forces. To imply that the Battle of Ottawa was a straightforward narrative of Italian incompetence, as opposed to Ethiopian strategic brilliance, would diminish the significance of the spirit of resistance and freedom. exhibited an Ethiopia's victory. It undercuts the very fabric of what makes the Battle of Ottawa

not just an Ethiopian victory, but a triumph of the human spirit. An entire nation standing up against the might of colonialism and proving that a real commitment to freedom can spread wings wide enough to cover even the harshest adversities beneath its protective might. Manilik the second organized the largest armed force in Ethiopian history, rallying warriors from various regions, a veritable marshalling of the disparate tribes of an entire nation. He strategically outmaneuvered his opposite numbers on the battlefield, culminating in his well-executed pincer-like maneuver, an element in the battle that carries the signature of a gifted military tactician executing a masterstroke. The unity displayed by the Ethiopian forces in the face of potential colonization

was a resounding assertion of national sovereignty. From this vantage point, we must view the Ethiopian victory, not as a byproduct of Italian incompetence, but as something imbued with a significantly more profound essence. taken in isolation the battle of adwa is a master-class in military strategy and execution an eloquent testimony to ethiopian tenacity worthy of any chronicler's pen but to regard it as such would be to miss the vein of gold glinting subtly amidst the bedrock of the tail the pulse of an enthused sense of national identity fueling the flames of resistance the palpable pursuance of sovereignty echoing with every footfall of Menelik II's Ethiopian warriors, the scent of pride, and the thirst for independence permeating the battlefield air.

The victory was no offshoot of the caprice of Lady Luck. It was rather the fruit of meticulous planning. It was born from the womb of meticulously crafted strategies, of knowledge of the native terrains and the workings of local warfare. The Ethiopians navigated the battlefield and the larger canvas of international diplomacy with dexterity, navigating their nation through the treacherous storms churned by rose-tinted dreams of European empire builders. The seminal battle of Ottawa was not only Ethiopia reciting a tale of its own pride. It illuminated a path of hope for other subjugated nations.

Ethiopia, by rejecting the European narrative of conquest and disregard for sovereignty, resists the tides of colonization. They sent ripples pulsing through other oppressed nations, reflected in the inspired whispers of resistance among their own populace, a spark that would eventually kindle the fires of post-colonial activism worldwide. That wraps up another captivating episode of Sleep with Hes. history. I hope you found tonight's journey through the Battle of Ottawa enlightening and inspiring. Don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast player to make sure you never miss an episode.

Until next time, this is Ben Neumeir, signing off. Goodbye for now.