Tewodros II and the fall of Magdala
An outsider seizes the throne, ends the Era of the Princes and tries to modernise Ethiopia, but dies by his own hand as a British army storms his fortress.
- A History of Modern Ethiopia, 1855–1991 — Bahru Zewde, James Currey (2001)
- A History of Ethiopia — Harold G. Marcus, University of California Press (2002)
- The Ethiopians: A History — Richard Pankhurst, Blackwell (2001)
Kassa Hailu, born around 1818 in Qwara near the Sudanese border, was a soldier of modest background who defeated the regional lords one by one and was crowned in 1855 as Tewodros II. The name was chosen deliberately: a prophecy spoke of a King Tewodros who would restore Ethiopia’s glory. He set out to unify the country, create a salaried standing army, curb the church’s landholdings and the power of nobles, and acquire modern technology, even having European missionaries cast cannon for him.
- A History of Modern Ethiopia, 1855–1991 — Bahru Zewde, James Currey (2001)
- A History of Ethiopia — Harold G. Marcus, University of California Press (2002)
His reforms provoked rebellion, and his rule grew harsh. When a letter he sent to Queen Victoria seeking support went unanswered, he imprisoned the British consul and other Europeans. In 1868 Britain sent an expedition of some 13,000 troops under Sir Robert Napier from India. After his army was defeated, Tewodros released the captives, and as British soldiers stormed his mountain fortress of Magdala on 13 April 1868, he shot himself, reportedly with a pistol that had been a gift from Victoria.
- A History of Modern Ethiopia, 1855–1991 — Bahru Zewde, James Currey (2001)
- The Ethiopians: A History — Richard Pankhurst, Blackwell (2001)
- A History of Ethiopia — Harold G. Marcus, University of California Press (2002)
The British burned Magdala and carried off hundreds of manuscripts and treasures, and took his young son Alemayehu to England, where he died aged 18. They then left. Tewodros’s dream of a united, modern Ethiopia was taken up by his successors, Yohannes IV and Menelik II.
- The Ethiopians: A History — Richard Pankhurst, Blackwell (2001)
- A History of Modern Ethiopia, 1855–1991 — Bahru Zewde, James Currey (2001)
Why it matters today
Tewodros is remembered as the father of modern Ethiopian unity and a man who chose death over surrender, a story told in songs, poems and plays. The looting of Magdala, whose manuscripts, crowns and sacred tabots still sit in British museums and libraries, is one of Ethiopia's best-known restitution campaigns.