Tewodros II

Tewodros II (1818-1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868, credited with ending the fragmented period known as the Age of Princes by reuniting much of the country under central imperial rule. He pursued ambitious plans to modernize Ethiopia's army and administration and reduce the independent power of regional nobles and the church, though many of these reforms met strong internal resistance. His reign ended in crisis after he imprisoned a group of British missionaries and a diplomatic envoy over a perceived slight from the British government, prompting a large British military expedition to Ethiopia in 1868. Facing certain defeat as British forces stormed his mountain fortress at Magdala, Tewodros died by suicide rather than be captured.