238:
218:
204:
193:
459:
119:
29:
402:. Whilst Ethiopia's history mirrored that of Egypt in many respects, with both having ancient, continuous civilizations home to both Muslims and Orthodox Christians, the rapid modernization of Egypt under Muhammad Ali, and Isma'il's own enormous modernizing projects, convinced the Khedive that war with Ethiopia would result in certain Egyptian victory. Amongst Egypt's army were many European and American officers, whose training and experience further strengthened Isma'il's confidence. Meanwhile, King
429:
they were also taken completely by surprise as they were marching through a narrow mountain pass. The mass of
Ethiopian warriors sallied forth from their hiding places up the slope and swiftly charged down upon the shocked Egyptian columns, nullifying the latter's advantage in firepower and causing many of the unenthusiastic fellahin soldiers to rout. This encounter ended in the complete annihilation of the Egyptian expeditionary force led by Colonel Arrendrup and in the death of its commander.
181:
162:
151:
140:
106:
231:
656:
Conversely, Ethiopia maintained its independence, and, hardened by war, was well prepared for its own defense during the imminent
Scramble for Africa. The collapse of Egypt's African empire was seized upon by European empires, of whom Italy replaced Egypt in Eritrea, setting the stage for an eventual
652:
The result of the war had a defining impact on the trajectories of both
African states. Prior to the conflict, Egypt had been in regional and, relative, international ascendancy, with aspirations of achieving geopolitical parity with the Great Powers of Europe. The defeat shattered these aspirations,
428:
The
Egyptians under Arakil Bey and Danish Colonel Adolph Arendrup invaded from their coastal possessions in Massawa, in what is now Eritrea. Following some skirmishes, the armies of Yohannes and Isma'il met at Gundet on the morning of 16 November 1875. Not only were the Egyptians vastly outnumbered,
443:
could not leave the matter there, it was absolutely essential to regain the lost prestige. At all costs, his
European creditors had to be impressed, and he set out on mobilizing a larger force for a second expedition that would make amends for the devastating and humiliating loss he had suffered at
432:
Arendrup's expedition was hopelessly inadequate for the tasks he set out to do. It amounted to scarcely more than some 4,000 troops and had no cavalry. Its leaders were, apart from the already mentioned Danish artilleryman and Major
Dennison, an American, Major Durholtz, a Swiss, later of the Papal
483:
remained as observers. The
Ethiopians, now with a force of some 50,000 (of whom only about 15,000 could fight at one time due to battlefield layout), engaged them on the 7 March 1875, and Ratib Pasha ordered just over 5,000 out of 7,500 men stationed at Fort Gura to leave the fort and engage the
470:
on 14 December 1875. By March, they had reached the plain of Gura and set up two forts, one in the Plains of Gura and the other at the Khaya Khor mountain pass a few kilometers away. Yohannes had once again mobilized, this time presenting the issue as a struggle between
Christianity and Islam,
373:
in 1875, he turned his attention to
Ethiopia. It was Isma'il's intention that Egypt forge a contiguous African empire that would both rival the empires of Europe, and allow Egypt to escape the territorial ambitions of those same European great powers. In addition to expanding into modern-day
653:
and, combined with a disastrous economic situation in Egypt itself, contributed to the eventual deposition of Isma'il and subjugation of Egypt by the Great Powers, thereby leading to the very outcome which Isma'il's hopes for a pan-Nile Valley empire were meant to avoid.
648:
against the monarchy. The initial success of the revolt was met with alarm in Europe, and led ultimately to the United
Kingdom dispatching its forces to occupy Egypt in support of Tewfik, thereby beginning the United Kingdom's occupation of Egypt.
593:, arrived in Egypt. Loring was appointed by the Khedive as Inspector-General of the Egyptian army, and in 1875 was promoted to chief of staff to the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian military expedition in Ethiopia. Loring would take part in the
341:. Multiple times throughout the early 19th century, Ottoman Egypt attempted to assert their control over the region around the modern Ethiopian-Sudanese border, putting them into conflict with the regional rulers of Ethiopia's western
544:
was given the task of leading an expedition against the Abyssinians. In mid-November during clashes at Gundet, Arendrup, several other officers and about 1,000 privates died during a 12-hour battle. Only three men escaped alive.
305:, an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, from 1874 to 1876. The conflict resulted in an unequivocal Ethiopian victory that guaranteed continued independence of Ethiopia in the years immediately preceding the
488:, and quickly broke. The Ethiopians then fell back, and, on 10 March, mounted a secondary attack on Fort Gura, which was repelled. The Ethiopian force dissolved the next day, and the devastated Egyptians soon withdrew.
623:
The Egyptian defeat in the war had serious ramifications for Egypt. The war's costs added to the nation's massive financial debts, which, in 1879, were the cause of Isma'il's removal as Khedive at the insistence of
635:
At the same time, many Egyptian soldiers who had served in the war became politicized by their experiences, posing a threat to the Egyptian monarchy itself. Among these disgruntled army officers was Colonel
597:
which ended in defeat. The Egyptians blamed the Americans for the disastrous war, and the Loring, Sibley and the other officers had to endure two years of endless frustration and humiliation in Cairo.
466:
Following the botched invasion, the Egyptians again attempted conquest of Ethiopia, this time with an army of about 13,000 men. The forces of Isma'il Pasha, now under Ratib Pasha, arrived at
585:
that he convinced the Khedive to hire American veterans to oversee the modernization of Egypt’s armed forces. In 1870, the first of these military overseers, ex-Confederate officers
309:. Conversely, for Egypt the war was a costly failure, severely blunting the regional aspirations of Egypt as an African empire, and laying the foundations for the beginning of the
433:
army, and Major Rushdi Bey, a Turk. Arakal Bey, the young nephew of Nubar Pasha (the Christian Armenian Premier of the Khedive) joined the expedition and was killed in battle.
354:
1175:
Moslem Egypt and Christian Abyssinia: Or, Military Service Under the Khedive, in His Provinces And, Beyond Their Borders, as Experienced by the American Staff
1042:
Moslem Egypt and Christian Abyssinia: Or, Military Service Under the Khedive, in His Provinces And, Beyond Their Borders, as Experienced by the American Staff
640:, who is said to have been "incensed at the way in which had been mismanaged". Resentment over the defeat contributed to the general dissatisfaction with
1204:
1214:
843:
A recent Egyptian study based on extensive archival work has estimated the total number of Egyptians killed in Gundet and Gura to be 8,500
625:
502:
898:
581:
in 1868. Mott regaled Ismail with testimonies about the advances the Americans had achieved in technology and tactics during the
436:
About 2,000 Egyptians perished with him and his two six gun batteries and six rocket-stands fell into the hands of the enemy.
1234:
1209:
1050:
831:
1199:
314:
1118:
1023:
908:
801:
439:
The Egyptians withdrew to Massawa on the coast and then to Keren, garrisoned since 1872 by some 1,200 Egyptians. But
674:
1254:
825:
662:
554:
996:
694:
605:
Following the war, Ethiopia and Egypt remained in a state of tension, which largely abated after the 1884
1249:
1244:
1239:
815:
689:
558:
501:
Several European officers served on both sides of the conflict at various capacities; these include a
679:
658:
612:
Ras Alula had shown himself to be a reliable general, and was promoted by Yohannes IV to the rank of
538:
506:
411:
484:
Ethiopians. This force was quickly surrounded by the Ethiopian advance guard, probably commanded by
794:
A Confederate Soldier in Egypt: Late Colonel in U.S. Army, Major-General in the Confederate Service
1135:
410:
in battle. He worked on modernizing his army, some of whom were trained by the British adventurer
1229:
1224:
1219:
1152:
760:
1167:
A Confederate Soldier in Egypt: William Loring (Eyewitness account Egyptian General in the War)
629:
334:
1173:
Moslem Egypt and Christian Abyssinia: William Dye (Eyewitness account from another General)
923:
Abir, M. "The Origins of the Ethiopian-Egyptian Border Problem in the Nineteenth Century."
586:
350:
222:
458:
8:
1092:
1015:
943:
875:
768:
590:
306:
185:
155:
369:
in 1863, and sought to expand this burgeoning empire further southwards. After annexing
879:
772:
562:
510:
302:
242:
110:
1114:
1046:
1019:
904:
821:
797:
407:
358:
346:
28:
871:
764:
574:
570:
518:
440:
423:
362:
298:
249:
237:
217:
203:
192:
170:
166:
144:
124:
63:
230:
1174:
1168:
1040:
534:
529:
regions, led one of the Egyptian attacks against Ethiopia, marching inland from
699:
684:
594:
578:
522:
453:
326:
310:
34:
1193:
606:
85:
1071:
967:
337:
seizure of power in 1805, eventually establishing an empire to its south in
645:
641:
582:
541:
208:
59:
637:
617:
577:, an ex-Union artillery officer and adventurer, in the sultan’s court in
514:
403:
197:
1093:"Ethiopian Treasures - Emperor Yohannes IV, Battle of Metema - Ethiopia"
944:"Ethiopian Treasures - Emperor Yohannes IV, Battle of Metema - Ethiopia"
533:, but his troops were overwhelmed by the army of Muhammad ibn Hanfadhe,
644:, whom the Great Powers selected as Isma'il's successor, provoking the
476:
1179:
883:
859:
776:
928:
485:
399:
719:
717:
715:
530:
383:
342:
1113:, second edition (London: Oxford University Press, 1965), p. 90.
751:
Jesman, Czeslaw (January 1959). "Egyptian Invasion of Ethiopia".
661:
1895. Ethiopia's triumph in that war would in turn contribute to
566:
526:
467:
387:
379:
366:
68:
16:
1874–1876 war between the Ethiopian Empire and Khedivate of Egypt
712:
853:
851:
472:
391:
370:
480:
406:
became the King of kings of Ethiopia in 1872 after defeating
338:
330:
848:
537:, and he was killed in battle. Meanwhile, Arendrup, who was
394:, he wished to absorb within his empire the entirety of the
395:
375:
1012:
The Nile: Historical, Legal and Developmental Perspectives
890:
569:
was introduced to the idea of hiring American officers to
471:
thousands of men answered with soldiers coming as far as
50:(1 year, 2 months, 1 week and 4 days)
521:
on the Egyptian side. Munzinger, former governor of the
817:
The Cross and the River: Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Nile
1111:
The Ethiopians: An Introduction to Country and People
1009:
1149:Secret History of the English Occupation of Egypt
333:had acted as a virtually independent state since
1191:
657:confrontation between Italy and Ethiopia in the
750:
561:officers who had both previously fought in the
796:, (Library of Alexandria: Dodd, Mead, 1884).
665:'s desire to conquer Ethiopia in the 1930s.
565:participated in the conflict. The Egyptian
1103:
896:
115:
1045:. Negro Universities Press. p. 519.
1205:Military history of the Ethiopian Empire
1087:
1085:
1066:
1064:
1062:
991:
989:
987:
820:. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 70.
788:
786:
457:
398:, including Ethiopia, the source of the
938:
936:
444:the hands of the Ethiopians at Gundet.
417:
325:Whilst nominally a vassal state of the
1192:
997:"01. The Reign of Emperor Yohannes IV"
857:
813:
746:
744:
742:
740:
738:
736:
734:
1082:
1059:
984:
783:
447:
317:over Egypt less than a decade later.
933:
876:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a094619
769:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a094619
509:on the Ethiopian side, and the Dane
1215:Wars involving the Ethiopian Empire
1038:
731:
13:
1161:
929:http://www.jstor.org/stable/179830
491:
14:
1266:
725:Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia
616:, and appointed governor of the
548:
236:
229:
216:
202:
191:
179:
160:
149:
138:
117:
104:
27:
1141:
1124:
1032:
1003:
860:"Egyptian Invasion of Ethiopia"
834:from the original on 2023-04-05
675:British Expedition to Abyssinia
1180:'Egypt's Invasion of Ethiopia'
1169:A Confederate Soldier in Egypt
1039:Dye, William McEntyre (1969).
960:
925:The Journal of African History
917:
807:
1:
705:
320:
48:December 1874 – 9 March 1876
1210:Wars involving Ottoman Egypt
1097:www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk
1010:Gebre Tsadik Degefu (2003).
948:www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk
927:8, no. 3 (1967): p. 443-61,
897:Clodfelter, Micheal (2017).
695:Military history of Ethiopia
600:
7:
900:Warfare and Armed Conflicts
668:
361:. Muhammad Ali's grandson,
10:
1271:
903:. McFarland. p. 200.
690:Second Italo-Ethiopian War
451:
421:
1200:Military history of Egypt
680:First Italo-Ethiopian War
659:First Italo-Ethiopian War
496:
272:
259:
131:
97:
40:
26:
21:
1235:Egypt–Ethiopia relations
858:Jesman, Czeslaw (1959).
814:Erlikh, Haggai (2002).
761:Oxford University Press
462:The battlefield of Gura
1186:(1959), Czeslow Jesman
1147:Wilfrid Scawen Blunt,
463:
297:was a war between the
295:Egyptian–Ethiopian War
132:Commanders and leaders
22:Egyptian–Ethiopian War
1255:Invasions of Ethiopia
792:William Wing Loring,
461:
345:province, such as at
315:'veiled protectorate'
273:Casualties and losses
1151:(A.A. Knopf, 1922),
1076:ethiopianhistory.com
972:ethiopianhistory.com
587:Henry Hopkins Sibley
418:The Battle of Gundet
1109:Edward Ullendorff,
1016:Trafford Publishing
591:William Wing Loring
571:reorganize his army
307:Scramble for Africa
186:William Wing Loring
156:Hassan Ismail Pasha
563:American Civil War
464:
448:The Battle of Gura
303:Khedivate of Egypt
81:Ethiopian victory
1250:Conflicts in 1876
1245:Conflicts in 1875
1240:Conflicts in 1874
1052:978-0-8371-2432-2
408:Tekle Giyorgis II
291:
290:
93:
92:
33:Depiction of the
1262:
1155:
1145:
1139:
1128:
1122:
1107:
1101:
1100:
1089:
1080:
1079:
1068:
1057:
1056:
1036:
1030:
1029:
1007:
1001:
1000:
993:
982:
981:
979:
978:
964:
958:
957:
955:
954:
940:
931:
921:
915:
914:
894:
888:
887:
855:
846:
845:
840:
839:
811:
805:
790:
781:
780:
748:
729:
728:
721:
575:Thaddeus P. Mott
519:Werner Munzinger
424:Battle of Gundet
299:Ethiopian Empire
254:
241:
240:
233:
221:
220:
207:
206:
196:
195:
184:
183:
182:
175:
167:Werner Munzinger
165:
164:
163:
154:
153:
152:
143:
142:
141:
127:
123:
121:
120:
109:
108:
107:
64:Ethiopian Empire
42:
41:
31:
19:
18:
1270:
1269:
1265:
1264:
1263:
1261:
1260:
1259:
1190:
1189:
1184:African Affairs
1164:
1162:Further reading
1159:
1158:
1146:
1142:
1129:
1125:
1108:
1104:
1091:
1090:
1083:
1070:
1069:
1060:
1053:
1037:
1033:
1026:
1008:
1004:
995:
994:
985:
976:
974:
966:
965:
961:
952:
950:
942:
941:
934:
922:
918:
911:
895:
891:
864:African Affairs
856:
849:
837:
835:
828:
812:
808:
791:
784:
753:African Affairs
749:
732:
723:
722:
713:
708:
671:
603:
551:
535:Sultan of Aussa
511:Adolph Arendrup
499:
494:
492:Foreign service
479:’s soldiers in
456:
450:
426:
420:
323:
286:
281:
279:
250:
235:
234:
215:
214:
201:
200:
190:
180:
178:
177:
171:
161:
159:
158:
150:
148:
147:
139:
137:
118:
116:
105:
103:
72:
66:
49:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1268:
1258:
1257:
1252:
1247:
1242:
1237:
1232:
1230:1876 in Africa
1227:
1225:1875 in Africa
1222:
1220:1874 in Africa
1217:
1212:
1207:
1202:
1188:
1187:
1177:
1171:
1163:
1160:
1157:
1156:
1140:
1132:Secret History
1123:
1102:
1081:
1058:
1051:
1031:
1024:
1018:. p. 47.
1002:
983:
959:
932:
916:
909:
889:
870:(230): 75–81.
847:
826:
806:
782:
730:
710:
709:
707:
704:
703:
702:
700:Battle of Gura
697:
692:
687:
685:Battle of Adwa
682:
677:
670:
667:
602:
599:
595:Battle of Gura
579:Constantinople
550:
547:
498:
495:
493:
490:
454:Battle of Gura
452:Main article:
449:
446:
422:Main article:
419:
416:
335:Muhammad Ali's
327:Ottoman Empire
322:
319:
311:British Empire
289:
288:
283:
282:2,300 captured
275:
274:
270:
269:
266:
262:
261:
257:
256:
188:
134:
133:
129:
128:
113:
100:
99:
95:
94:
91:
90:
89:
88:
78:
74:
73:
58:
56:
52:
51:
46:
38:
37:
35:Battle of Gura
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1267:
1256:
1253:
1251:
1248:
1246:
1243:
1241:
1238:
1236:
1233:
1231:
1228:
1226:
1223:
1221:
1218:
1216:
1213:
1211:
1208:
1206:
1203:
1201:
1198:
1197:
1195:
1185:
1181:
1178:
1176:
1172:
1170:
1166:
1165:
1154:
1150:
1144:
1137:
1133:
1127:
1120:
1119:0-19-285061-X
1116:
1112:
1106:
1098:
1094:
1088:
1086:
1077:
1073:
1072:"Yohannes IV"
1067:
1065:
1063:
1054:
1048:
1044:
1043:
1035:
1027:
1025:9781412000567
1021:
1017:
1013:
1006:
998:
992:
990:
988:
973:
969:
968:"Yohannes IV"
963:
949:
945:
939:
937:
930:
926:
920:
912:
910:9780786474707
906:
902:
901:
893:
885:
881:
877:
873:
869:
865:
861:
854:
852:
844:
833:
829:
823:
819:
818:
810:
803:
802:9781465534101
799:
795:
789:
787:
778:
774:
770:
766:
762:
758:
754:
747:
745:
743:
741:
739:
737:
735:
727:. p. 68.
726:
720:
718:
716:
711:
701:
698:
696:
693:
691:
688:
686:
683:
681:
678:
676:
673:
672:
666:
664:
663:Fascist Italy
660:
654:
650:
647:
643:
639:
633:
631:
627:
621:
619:
615:
610:
608:
607:Hewett Treaty
598:
596:
592:
588:
584:
580:
576:
572:
568:
564:
560:
557:officers and
556:
549:United States
546:
543:
540:
536:
532:
528:
524:
520:
516:
512:
508:
504:
489:
487:
482:
478:
474:
469:
460:
455:
445:
442:
441:Isma'il Pasha
437:
434:
430:
425:
415:
413:
409:
405:
401:
397:
393:
389:
385:
381:
377:
372:
368:
364:
363:Isma'il Pasha
360:
356:
352:
348:
344:
340:
336:
332:
328:
318:
316:
312:
308:
304:
300:
296:
287:2,000 wounded
284:
280:1,000 wounded
277:
276:
271:
268:50,000–60,000
267:
265:13,000–20,000
264:
263:
258:
255:
253:
247:
245:
239:
232:
227:
225:
219:
213:
211:
205:
199:
194:
189:
187:
176:
174:
168:
157:
146:
136:
135:
130:
126:
114:
112:
102:
101:
96:
87:
86:Hewett Treaty
84:
83:
82:
79:
76:
75:
70:
65:
61:
57:
54:
53:
47:
44:
43:
39:
36:
30:
25:
20:
1183:
1148:
1143:
1131:
1126:
1110:
1105:
1096:
1075:
1041:
1034:
1011:
1005:
975:. Retrieved
971:
962:
951:. Retrieved
947:
924:
919:
899:
892:
867:
863:
842:
836:. Retrieved
816:
809:
793:
756:
752:
724:
655:
651:
646:Orabi Revolt
642:Tewfik Pasha
634:
622:
618:Mareb Malash
613:
611:
604:
583:US Civil War
573:when he met
552:
542:aide-de-camp
507:John Kirkham
500:
465:
438:
435:
431:
427:
412:John Kirkham
324:
294:
292:
285:4,550 killed
278:8,500 killed
251:
243:
223:
209:
172:
98:Belligerents
80:
60:Mereb Melash
638:Ahmed Orabi
555:Confederate
553:Several ex-
513:as well as
505:adventurer
475:, although
404:Yohannes IV
396:Nile Valley
226:Woldemikael
198:Yohannes IV
1194:Categories
977:2021-06-01
953:2021-06-01
838:2023-04-05
827:1555879705
706:References
351:Wadkaltabu
321:Background
763:: 75–81.
601:Aftermath
539:Isma'il's
517:explorer
486:Ras Alula
400:Blue Nile
365:, became
246:Atnatewos
145:Isma'il I
832:Archived
669:See also
531:Tadjoura
384:Djibouti
355:Gallabat
343:Begemder
301:and the
260:Strength
125:Ethiopia
55:Location
1130:Blunt,
759:(230).
626:Britain
567:Khedive
527:Massawa
503:British
477:Menelik
468:Massawa
388:Somalia
380:Eritrea
367:Khedive
359:Dabarki
347:Kalnabu
252:†
173:†
69:Eritrea
1117:
1049:
1022:
907:
884:718057
882:
824:
800:
777:718057
775:
630:France
628:, and
497:Europe
473:Gojjam
392:Uganda
390:, and
371:Darfur
357:, and
248:
228:
169:
122:
77:Result
1136:p.101
880:JSTOR
773:JSTOR
559:Union
523:Keren
515:Swiss
481:Shewa
339:Sudan
331:Egypt
244:Abuna
212:Alula
111:Egypt
67:(now
1153:p.14
1115:ISBN
1047:ISBN
1020:ISBN
905:ISBN
822:ISBN
798:ISBN
589:and
525:and
376:Chad
293:The
45:Date
872:doi
765:doi
614:Ras
313:'s
224:Ras
210:Ras
1196::
1182:,
1134:,
1095:.
1084:^
1074:.
1061:^
1014:.
986:^
970:.
946:.
935:^
878:.
868:58
866:.
862:.
850:^
841:.
830:.
785:^
771:.
757:58
755:.
733:^
714:^
632:.
620:.
609:.
414:.
386:,
382:,
378:,
353:,
349:,
329:,
62:,
1138:.
1121:.
1099:.
1078:.
1055:.
1028:.
999:.
980:.
956:.
913:.
886:.
874::
804:.
779:.
767::
71:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
_-_TIMEA.jpg)
