Kassa Hailu had been born in the Zemene Mesafint (the Era of the Princes) which divided the Ethiopian Empire as countless nobles were continuing the seemingly endless cycle of placing a puppet Emperor in power at Gondar before he was overthrown by another noble. The young man successfully mobilized a large force of followers loyal to him, conquering not only the Qwara fiefdom but controlled Dembiya as well. Kassa gained popular support from the masses through governing as a benevolent ruler who distributed grain and money to those under his rule as he received attention from Ras Ali II of Yejju - the Regent of Gondar. Empress Menen Liben Amede arranged a marriage between her daughter, Tewabech Ali and Kassa who came into control of Ye Meru Qemas as a result. However, Kassa began receiving the disdain of Empress Menen as he rebelled against Ras Ali that was followed by victories won at Gur Amba, Takusa, Ayshal and Jebelli. The young commander captured Menen at Ayshal as Ras Ali fled and Kassa announced his intention to depose Emperor Yohannes III. Kassa’s forces marched against Dejazmach Wube Haile Mariam of Semien, defeating him in 1855 as Yohannes III acknowledged Kassa’s might in Gondar and abdicated. Kassa Hailu was crowned Emperor Tewodros II by Abuna Salama III at Derasge Mariam on Feb. 11 as apart of an old prophecy that an Emperor named Tewodros would restore the Ethiopian Empire to her glory after ruling for 40 years.
As Emperor, Tewodros successfully reincorporated Gojjam province and the Kingdom of Shoa into the Ethiopian Empire after which he brought Begemder and Semien under his rule. Multiple rebellious nobles in Tigray and Wollo were crushed in the process, allowing for an Imperial government at the new capital of Magdala to govern directly. Magdala also became home for aristocratic prisoners and rivals that attempted to dethrone him or had rebelled against the Imperial government. One particularly important prisoner that Tewodros admired was Prince Menelik II of Shoa who married his daughter, Alitash Tewodros before being installed on the Shoan throne as King. However, Alitash Tewodros and Menelik II became the primary calming influences for Tewodros when Empress Tewabech Ali died in 1858 but he was unconsolable at times and prone to giving into his more violent tendencies. Despite these troubles, the Emperor focused on reform and modernization of Ethiopia to prevent her from falling into division once more or even worse - to a foreign invader. He wrote letters to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, requesting that she send a team of skilled advisors to assist their process of modernization. Captain Charles Duncan Cameron, the British Consul to Ethiopia, was asked to send these letters to Victoria but the Foreign Office informed him to send the letter to London instead of personally delivering it himself and Charles was then sent to Sudan to ask about the slave trade. Upon his returning to Ethiopia, Tewodros was outraged that Charles hadn’t taken the letter to Queen Victoria and that he had also ventured through Ethiopian enemy territories under the control of the Egyptians and Ottomans. The letter didn’t arrive in London but was rather placed under Pending before being sent to India where Ethiopia had been placed under the remit of the Raj. Tired and angered after years of waiting, Emperor Tewodros arrested Charles and countless other Europeans in Ethiopia so as to secure the attention of Queen Victoria but this only caused Ethiopia to come into conflict with Britain.
Hormuzd Assam was sent as apart of a British mission replying to Tewodros’ letter but the Emperor was once more angered by the fact he hadn’t brought the skilled workers that Tewodros asked for. He imprisoned the British mission which led to London sending the British Expedition to Abyssinia, an Anglo-Indian force under the command of General Napier. The British force was dispatched from India and was given the task of rescuing the European prisoners at Amba Mariam but found stiff resistance in the form of Ethiopian guerrillas who launched near-constant attacks upon the British. Tewodros remained popular among the Ethiopian people with the assistance of Menelik who dispatched a contingent of well-trained Shoan troops to bolster Tewodros’ forces at Magdala. Lij Kasa Mercha had recently become a vassal of the Emperor who installed him as the King of Tigray, utilizing hit-and-run tactics against the British forces marching at Magdala despite receiving heavy casualties. Tewodros recognized the importance of maintaining defensive positions at Arogye plateau, ordering his men to remain there and sent a contingent of cannons that included the famous Sebastopol mortar. When the British shelled Ethiopian positions, the Ethiopians bombarded British positions and inflicted a few hundred casualties amongst Anglo-Indian troops alike. Napier knew that charging the well-prepared Ethiopian positions would be suicidal, remaining unwilling to advance whilst Tewodros recognized the same thing. A stalemate emerged amongst both sides before Napier sent an emissary to Magdala, requesting a truce between the two as a means of attempting to find a peaceful solution to this conflict. Tewodros accepted as the Anglo-Indian forces were withdrawn and a group of British diplomats arrived at Debre Tabor to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The Treaty of Debre Tabor was signed to end the short Anglo-Ethiopian War of 1868 as the British negotiated the safe return of prisoners under Tewodros’ tutelage and managed to not only secure an economic concession at Gondar but favorable treatment of their citizens over other Europeans. Fortunately, Lij Kasa prevented further British encroachments upon Ethiopian sovereignty while also securing the shipment of thousands of Snider-Enfield rifles and a small group of British military advisors. Emperor Tewodros II had been convinced by the treaty that Ethiopian reform and modernization needed to happen as soon as possible to prevent Ethiopia from being potentially losing her independence to European encroachment as he turned towards figuring out means of modernizing Ethiopia.
As Emperor, Tewodros successfully reincorporated Gojjam province and the Kingdom of Shoa into the Ethiopian Empire after which he brought Begemder and Semien under his rule. Multiple rebellious nobles in Tigray and Wollo were crushed in the process, allowing for an Imperial government at the new capital of Magdala to govern directly. Magdala also became home for aristocratic prisoners and rivals that attempted to dethrone him or had rebelled against the Imperial government. One particularly important prisoner that Tewodros admired was Prince Menelik II of Shoa who married his daughter, Alitash Tewodros before being installed on the Shoan throne as King. However, Alitash Tewodros and Menelik II became the primary calming influences for Tewodros when Empress Tewabech Ali died in 1858 but he was unconsolable at times and prone to giving into his more violent tendencies. Despite these troubles, the Emperor focused on reform and modernization of Ethiopia to prevent her from falling into division once more or even worse - to a foreign invader. He wrote letters to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, requesting that she send a team of skilled advisors to assist their process of modernization. Captain Charles Duncan Cameron, the British Consul to Ethiopia, was asked to send these letters to Victoria but the Foreign Office informed him to send the letter to London instead of personally delivering it himself and Charles was then sent to Sudan to ask about the slave trade. Upon his returning to Ethiopia, Tewodros was outraged that Charles hadn’t taken the letter to Queen Victoria and that he had also ventured through Ethiopian enemy territories under the control of the Egyptians and Ottomans. The letter didn’t arrive in London but was rather placed under Pending before being sent to India where Ethiopia had been placed under the remit of the Raj. Tired and angered after years of waiting, Emperor Tewodros arrested Charles and countless other Europeans in Ethiopia so as to secure the attention of Queen Victoria but this only caused Ethiopia to come into conflict with Britain.
Hormuzd Assam was sent as apart of a British mission replying to Tewodros’ letter but the Emperor was once more angered by the fact he hadn’t brought the skilled workers that Tewodros asked for. He imprisoned the British mission which led to London sending the British Expedition to Abyssinia, an Anglo-Indian force under the command of General Napier. The British force was dispatched from India and was given the task of rescuing the European prisoners at Amba Mariam but found stiff resistance in the form of Ethiopian guerrillas who launched near-constant attacks upon the British. Tewodros remained popular among the Ethiopian people with the assistance of Menelik who dispatched a contingent of well-trained Shoan troops to bolster Tewodros’ forces at Magdala. Lij Kasa Mercha had recently become a vassal of the Emperor who installed him as the King of Tigray, utilizing hit-and-run tactics against the British forces marching at Magdala despite receiving heavy casualties. Tewodros recognized the importance of maintaining defensive positions at Arogye plateau, ordering his men to remain there and sent a contingent of cannons that included the famous Sebastopol mortar. When the British shelled Ethiopian positions, the Ethiopians bombarded British positions and inflicted a few hundred casualties amongst Anglo-Indian troops alike. Napier knew that charging the well-prepared Ethiopian positions would be suicidal, remaining unwilling to advance whilst Tewodros recognized the same thing. A stalemate emerged amongst both sides before Napier sent an emissary to Magdala, requesting a truce between the two as a means of attempting to find a peaceful solution to this conflict. Tewodros accepted as the Anglo-Indian forces were withdrawn and a group of British diplomats arrived at Debre Tabor to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The Treaty of Debre Tabor was signed to end the short Anglo-Ethiopian War of 1868 as the British negotiated the safe return of prisoners under Tewodros’ tutelage and managed to not only secure an economic concession at Gondar but favorable treatment of their citizens over other Europeans. Fortunately, Lij Kasa prevented further British encroachments upon Ethiopian sovereignty while also securing the shipment of thousands of Snider-Enfield rifles and a small group of British military advisors. Emperor Tewodros II had been convinced by the treaty that Ethiopian reform and modernization needed to happen as soon as possible to prevent Ethiopia from being potentially losing her independence to European encroachment as he turned towards figuring out means of modernizing Ethiopia.