While Europe carved up almost all of Africa, one emperor beat an invading European army so badly that his country stayed free.
Menelik II was born a prince of Shewa in 1844, taken captive as a boy by Emperor Tewodros, and escaped to make himself king. He waited patiently for the imperial throne, and meanwhile doubled the empire's size through conquests in the south, some of them brutal, which is why many Ethiopians remember him very differently. Crowned emperor in 1889, he ruled alongside Empress Taytu Betul, who founded Addis Ababa.
That same year he signed the Treaty of Wuchale with Italy, and one word in the Italian version turned "could" into "must". Menelik tore up the treaty, armed his country, and on 1 March 1896 his army crushed the Italians at Adwa. Italy recognised Ethiopia's independence, and Adwa became a symbol for Africans everywhere.
Content note: this episode describes violence during Menelik's conquests in words only; no graphic images are shown.
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How should we remember a leader who's a hero to some and a conqueror to others?
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