19th century – 19th century
Assab, Afar coast
The Italian acquisition of Assab began in November 1869, when the Lazarist missionary Giuseppe Sapeto purchased the port for the Italian Ministry of Marine from two Afar sultans. In 1870 Sapeto returned for the Rubattino shipping company and negotiated a new treaty after the sellers disputed the original price. The transactions established an Italian foothold that later supported contacts with Shoa.
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The Story
Italian involvement at Assab began in November 1869, in the same month that the Suez Canal opened. Giuseppe Sapeto, an Italian Lazarist missionary, purchased the port on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Marine from two Afar sultans for 6,000 Maria Theresa dollars. The transaction placed a strategically located Red Sea port within an expanding network of European interests.
When Sapeto returned in March of the following year as representative of the Italian Rubattino shipping company, he found that the vendors were dissatisfied with the price. A new treaty was concluded, adding a third chief to the agreement and providing the original two chiefs with a further 8,100 Maria Theresa dollars.
The second arrangement also concerned a nearby island. Another chief agreed to lease it for ten years at an annual rent of 100 dollars, with an option to purchase for 2,000 rupees, described in the excerpt as approximately 1,000 dollars. These arrangements laid the basis for Italian contacts with Shoa in the late 1870s and early 1880s.
19th century – 19th century
Assab, Afar coast
The Italian acquisition of Assab began in November 1869, when the Lazarist missionary Giuseppe Sapeto purchased the port for the Italian Ministry of Marine from two Afar sultans. In 1870 Sapeto returned for the Rubattino shipping company and negotiated a new treaty after the sellers disputed the original price. The transactions established an Italian foothold that later supported contacts with Shoa.
Continue exploring
The Story
Italian involvement at Assab began in November 1869, in the same month that the Suez Canal opened. Giuseppe Sapeto, an Italian Lazarist missionary, purchased the port on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Marine from two Afar sultans for 6,000 Maria Theresa dollars. The transaction placed a strategically located Red Sea port within an expanding network of European interests.
When Sapeto returned in March of the following year as representative of the Italian Rubattino shipping company, he found that the vendors were dissatisfied with the price. A new treaty was concluded, adding a third chief to the agreement and providing the original two chiefs with a further 8,100 Maria Theresa dollars.
The second arrangement also concerned a nearby island. Another chief agreed to lease it for ten years at an annual rent of 100 dollars, with an option to purchase for 2,000 rupees, described in the excerpt as approximately 1,000 dollars. These arrangements laid the basis for Italian contacts with Shoa in the late 1870s and early 1880s.