Menelik II: Did you mean...?

The Solomonic Dynasty ruled Ethiopia from the 1270s to the 1970s, and the 14th-century work, the Kebra Nagast (The Glory of the Kings) famously tells of how the dynasty of Ethiopian kings descended from King Solomon himself. The descent from...

Italy occupied Ethiopia for five years, from 1935 to 1941, following a mass-scale invasion launched by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). However, Ethiopia had been a long-aimed colonial objective of Italy, which had already...

A photograph of the Ethiopian emperor (Negus) Menelik II (reign 1889-1913) wearing his coronation robes and regalia.

Menelik II, emperor of Ethiopia (r. 1889-1913) and his attendants, German postcard, approximately 1905.

Eritrea, located on the Red Sea coast of the Horn of Africa, was the ‘firstborn’ colony of Italy. The potential of a trade centre and naval base at Assab first attracted Italian interests in 1869. The Kingdom of Italy, however, did not officially...

The Kingdom of Abyssinia was founded in the 13th century CE and, transforming itself into the Ethiopian Empire via a series of military conquests, lasted until the 20th century CE. It was established by the kings of the Solomonid dynasty...

The Ark of the Covenant refers to the box-like container that held the tablets of the Law received by Moses on Mount Sinai. Tradition claimed that it contained two stone tablets, carved by God, listing the first ten commandments given to...

The Battle of Adwa (1896), oil on canvas painting by an unknown artist in Ethiopia, 1940s. The British Museum, London. The battle is hugely important in the history of Ethiopia, cementing national pride (at least among Amhara) and the country's...