Battle of Adwa

The Battle of Adwa was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War, fought on 1 March 1896 near the town of Adwa between the Ethiopian Empire under Emperor Menelik II and an Italian colonial force led by General Oreste Baratieri. Following a dispute over the interpretation of the Treaty of Wuchale, Italy attempted to force Ethiopia to abide by the Italian version of the treaty and impose a protectorate. Menelik II mobilized a massive army, estimated between 73,000 and over 100,000 men, against a much smaller Italian colonial force hampered by poor reconnaissance. The battle ended in a decisive Ethiopian victory, with over 6,000 Italian and colonial troops killed and around 3,800 captured, forcing Italy to recognize Ethiopia's sovereignty in the Treaty of Addis Ababa. Historians often place Adwa among the most notable military reverses suffered by a European power during the Scramble for Africa, and Ethiopia became the only African country of the era to owe its independence to a military victory.