19th century – 19th century
Ethiopia and the southern Red Sea region
The Egyptian-Ethiopian War of 1875–1876 was a failed Egyptian attempt to expand from its Red Sea and Gulf of Aden possessions into northern Ethiopia. Ethiopian forces under Yohannes IV defeated successive Egyptian armies at Gundat and Gura. The defeats ended Egypt’s expansionist ambitions, weakened the Khedive Isma'il’s regime, and enhanced Yohannes’s military power, although the campaigns also devastated parts of Hamasén and other Ethiopian territories.
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The Story
Egypt’s campaign followed the occupation of Berbera and Zeila and the seizure of Harar in the mid-1870s. Seeking to annex northern Ethiopia as far as the Mareb River, Egypt sent an expedition equipped with modern rifles and field guns. Yohannes IV mobilized a large Christian army and presented the conflict as resistance to the encroachment of Islam.
The first Egyptian force was almost destroyed at Gundat on 15 November 1875. Egypt responded with a much larger army in February 1876, but this force was defeated at Gura between 7 and 9 March. The Ethiopians captured or received substantial quantities of artillery, rifles, ammunition, and other supplies abandoned by the invaders.
The military disasters destroyed Egyptian dreams of empire and contributed to the political and economic crisis of Isma'il, who went bankrupt and was deposed in June 1879. Ethiopia also suffered heavily: Hamasén was described as depopulated, Asmara as nearly deserted, and later devastation turned parts of the plateau into a wilderness of ruined houses.
19th century – 19th century
Ethiopia and the southern Red Sea region
The Egyptian-Ethiopian War of 1875–1876 was a failed Egyptian attempt to expand from its Red Sea and Gulf of Aden possessions into northern Ethiopia. Ethiopian forces under Yohannes IV defeated successive Egyptian armies at Gundat and Gura. The defeats ended Egypt’s expansionist ambitions, weakened the Khedive Isma'il’s regime, and enhanced Yohannes’s military power, although the campaigns also devastated parts of Hamasén and other Ethiopian territories.
Continue exploring
The Story
Egypt’s campaign followed the occupation of Berbera and Zeila and the seizure of Harar in the mid-1870s. Seeking to annex northern Ethiopia as far as the Mareb River, Egypt sent an expedition equipped with modern rifles and field guns. Yohannes IV mobilized a large Christian army and presented the conflict as resistance to the encroachment of Islam.
The first Egyptian force was almost destroyed at Gundat on 15 November 1875. Egypt responded with a much larger army in February 1876, but this force was defeated at Gura between 7 and 9 March. The Ethiopians captured or received substantial quantities of artillery, rifles, ammunition, and other supplies abandoned by the invaders.
The military disasters destroyed Egyptian dreams of empire and contributed to the political and economic crisis of Isma'il, who went bankrupt and was deposed in June 1879. Ethiopia also suffered heavily: Hamasén was described as depopulated, Asmara as nearly deserted, and later devastation turned parts of the plateau into a wilderness of ruined houses.
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