Hullo everyone,
I have a question for y'all.
Even during the early middle ages, the Kingdom of Priest John, a Christian king reigning behind muslim lands fascinated Europe.
We then discovered there was such a Kingdom: Ethiopia, which would remain uncolonised until well into the XXth century while all other kingdoms, states and whatnot became subdued to European powers.
Even more, while Japan sent a shockwave by beating Russia in 1905, the first non-European power to beat a Russian state, the Ethiopian actually defeated a 17.000 strong force of Italian in 1896
Why didn't it become a modern state?
Japan did it with the Meiji era, why couldn't Ethiopia? It has a sense of nationhood, a strong state, resources...
Your challenge, with a POD after 1850 make Ethiopia a strong state by European standards with industrial production and an organised army.