Amhara occupied the northwestern part of the Ethiopian highlands and formed one of the three principal political divisions of the empire. Its population was largely Christian and spoke Amharic, the most widespread of Ethiopia’s Semitic languages, although Muslims formed a significant minority. The region’s political importance rested on the province of Bagemder and its control of Gondar, the imperial capital.

Because Amhara lay far from the coast, its rulers depended on firearms brought from the Red Sea through the Sudan or through Tigré. Tigré’s rulers, however, were often reluctant to permit these imports, making access to weapons a persistent strategic problem. Control of Gondar gave Amhara symbolic importance, but did not eliminate the autonomy of powerful regional lords.

At the beginning of the century Amhara was ruled by Aligaz Gwangui, a Yajju Oromo Muslim who had adopted Christianity for political reasons. He was succeeded by his nephew Gugsa Mersa, who established his capital at Dabra Tabor, extended his domains into eastern Gojam, and attempted to weaken the nobility by declaring the nationalization of their land. The subsequent rulers Ras Yeman and Ali Alula reflected the continuing interaction of Christian and Muslim political networks.