HiLCoE

School of computer science and technology

History
Assignment 1
Group members:
1. Meskerem Bassazin NO7171
2. Nahom XU0160
3. Naomi Getachew XJ7321
4. Nathnael Tadu KU5772
5. Saron Yitbarek QA3539
6. Usra
7. Yordanos Girmay GA7275
1. Explain the nature and significance of historical study

The nature of history

 
1. History is an unending dialogue between the
present and the past. History without a problem
to solve or a fresh idea to display is a bare chronicle,
a sort of catalogue of events lacking in soul and
spirit. What gives history real life is the mental
activity of the historian who poses a series of
questions and gets and answer. Since the past is an
unexplored region waiting to be discovered, the
only tool with which a historian can reconstruct the
past is his reflective ability which forms an image of
his mind through close discussion or dialogue with
the subject.

2. History neither repeats itself, nor is it totally free

from the basic unity of all its facts. Change
appears to be the basic character of history
indicating that history doesn’t rpeat itself. A
philosophical concept “no changelessness is
permanent” is very true in history, and this proves
that historical phenomena conform to
repetitive process. History does not repeat itself in t
he sense that historical facts are not identical. It
repeats itself in the sense that similar facts do
occur.
3. History is an interpretation of the past with the
intention of predicting the future. It has becomes a
prophecy in reverse, demonstrating the past as a
meaningful preparation for the future. Since historical
occurrences take place in time and space, the nature
which being one of causal connection and as its motiva
ting force is the same human nature, itshould be
possible to make a fair guess of what is in the womb of
history.

Significance of history

1. Improve the future

When we study about the wars or atrocities

committed in past, we study about it causes, effects ,
losses, or gains etc…these events helps to improve
future mistakes and misdeeds of similar kinds.

2. To understand working of the society

To really understand the working of human society

and formation of the intricate bonds of relationships
and dependence, we need to learn the actual
development of human society. This cannot be
possible without learning the history of human society
and cultures. When we learn how settlements grew
into villages and then towns and finally cities, we also
learn the sources of important believes and roots of
some social evils.

3. Inventions & Discoveries

Imagine what would have happened with the

invention of bulb was lost in the pages of history!
There are many important inventions, formulas,
medicines and discoveries which belonged to our
ancestors and were lost in time. In the course of
historical research and reviews, these were discovered
and then used. Ancient books and inscriptions have
always been enchantingly detailed and possess far
superior sense of understanding of life and sciences
than the present times.

4. Understanding One’s Existence

Everyone wonders why their environments and

situations are like what they are right now. All this can
be explained by the study of history which can tell you
the story of your species, race, country, state,
forefathers and your culture. When you put all these
 together, you will understand why things are the way
they are and clear your doubts.

5. To Govern Efficiently

To plan an efficient government we need the

understanding of governing procedures that have
been followed throughout history. We will also get an
understanding of the policies, which were successful
and also the ones that were not. This kind of analysis
will increase our understanding of people and the
ways to deal with them.

2. Describe the emergence and development of states

in Ethiopia and the horn to the 13th century

The Ethiopian Empire (Abyssinia) was first founded by

Ethiopian people in the Ethiopian Highlands. Due to
migration and imperial expansion, it grew to include
many other primarily Afro-Asiatic-speaking
communities, including Amhara, Oromos, Somalis,
Tigray, Afars, Sidama, Gurage, Agaw and Harari,
among others.[citation needed]
One of the early kingdoms to rise to power in the
territory was the kingdom of D'mt in the 10th century
BC, which established its capital at Yeha. In the first
century AD the Aksumite Kingdom rose to power in
 the Tigray Region with its capital at Aksum and grew
into a major power on the Red Sea, subjugating Yemen
and Meroe. In the early fourth century, during the
reign of Ezana, Christianity was declared the state
religion. Ezana's reign is also when the Aksumites first
identified themselves as "Ethiopians", and not long
after, Philostorgius became the first foreign author to
call the Aksumites Ethiopians.[1] The Aksumite empire
fell into decline with the rise of Islam in the Arabian
peninsula, which slowly shifted trade away from the
Christian Aksum.[citation needed] It eventually
became isolated, its economy slumped and Aksum's
commercial domination of the region ended.[2] The
Aksumites gave way to the Zagwe Dynasty, who
established a new capital at Lalibela before giving way
to the Solomonic Dynasty in the 13th century. During
the early Solomonic period, Ethiopia went through
military reforms and imperial expansion that made it
dominate the Horn of Africa. Portuguese missionaries
arrived at this time.

3. Discuss the main features of Ethiopia history from

1270 to 1527

The main features of 1270 to 1527 were the

Solomonic Dynasty and Relations with Europe and
"Prester John".
1) Early Solomonic period (1270–1529)
Around 1270, a new dynasty was established in the
Abyssinian highlands under Yekuno Amlak, with aid
from neighboring Makhzumi Dynasty deposed the last
of the Zagwe kings and married one of his
daughters. According to legends, the new dynasty was
male-line descendants of Aksumite monarchs, now
recognized as the continuing Solomonic dynasty (the
kingdom being thus restored to the biblical royal
house). This legend was created to legitimize the
Solomonic dynasty and was written down in the 14th
century in the Kebra Negast, an account of the origins
of the Solomonic dynasty.
Under the Solomonic dynasty, the chief provinces
became Tigray (northern), what is
now Amhara (central) and Shewa (southern). The seat
of government, or rather of overlordship, had usually
been in Amhara or Shewa, the ruler of which, calling
himself negusa nagast, exacted tribute, when he
could, from the other provinces. The title of negusa
nagast was to a considerable extent based on their
alleged direct descent from Solomon and the queen of
Sheba; but it is needless to say that in many, if not in
most, cases their success was due more to the force of
their arms than to the purity of their line age. Under
the early Solomonic dynasty Ethiopia engaged in
military reforms and imperial expansion which left it
dominating the Horn of Africa, especially under the
rule of Amda Seyon I. There was also great artistic and
literary advancement at this time, but also a decline in
urbanization as the Solomonic emperors didn't have
any fixed capital, but rather moved around the empire
in mobile camps.
Under the early Solomonic dynasty monasticism grew
strongly. The abbot Abba Ewostatewos created a new
order called the Ewostathians who called for reforms
in the church, including observance of the Sabbath,
but was persecuted for his views and eventually forced
into exile, eventually dying in Armenia. His zealous
followers, also persecuted, formed isolated
communities in Tigray. The movement grew strong
enough that the emperor Dawit I, after first trying to
crush the movement, legalized their observance of the
Sabbath and proselytization of their faith. Finally
under Zara Yaqob a compromise was made between
the new Egyptian bishops and the Ewostathians at the
Council of Mitmaq in 1450, restoring unity to the
Ethiopian church.
2) Relations with Europe and "Prester John"
An interesting side-effect of Ethiopian Christianity was
the way it intersected with a belief that had long
prevailed in Europe of the existence of a Christian
kingdom in the far east, whose monarch was known
as Prester John. Originally thought to have been in the
orient ,eventually the search for Prester John's
mythical kingdom focused on Africa and particularly,
the Christian empire in Ethiopia. This was first noticed
when Zara Yaqob sent delegates to the Council of
Florence in order to establish ties with the papacy and
Western Christianity. They were confused when they
arrived and council prelates insisted on calling their
monarch Prester John, trying to explain that nowhere
in Zara Yaqob's list of regnal names did that title occur.
However, the delegates' admonitions did little to stop
Europeans from referring to the monarch as their
mythical Christian king, Prester John.
Towards the close of the 15th century the Portuguese
missions into Ethiopia began. Among others engaged
in this search was Pêro da Covilhã, who arrived in
Ethiopia in 1490, and, believing that he had at length
reached the far-famed kingdom, presented to the
negusa nagast of the country (Eskender at the time) a
letter from his master the king of Portugal, addressed
to Prester John. Covilhã would establish positive
relations between the two states and go on to remain
there for many years. In 1509, Empress Dowager Eleni,
the underage Emperor's regent, sent an Armenian
named Matthew to the king of Portugal to request his
aid against the Muslims.In 1520, the Portuguese fleet,
with Matthew on board, entered the Red Sea in
compliance with this request, and an embassy from
the fleet visited the Emperor, Lebna Dengel, and
remained in Ethiopia for about six years. One of this
 embassy was Father Francisco Álvares, who wrote one
of the earliest accounts of the country.

4. Explain the main historical phenomena of Ethiopia

history from 1527 to 1632
In 1529, the Adal Sultanate attempted to conquer
Abyssinia and met initial success; the Adal were
supplied by the Ottomans while Abyssinia received
Portuguese reinforcements. Aḥmad drilled his men
in modern Ottoman tactics and led them on a jihad,
or holy war, against Ethiopia, quickly taking areas
on the periphery of Solomonic rule. In 1528
Emperor Lebna Denegel was defeated at the battle
of Shimbra Kure, and the Muslims pushed
northward into the central highlands, destroying
settlements, churches, and monasteries. In 1541
the Portuguese, whose interests in the Red Sea
were imperiled by Muslim power, sent 400
musketeers to train the Ethiopian army in European
tactics. Emperor Galawdewos (reigned 1540–59)
opted for a hit-and-run strategy and on February
21, 1543, caught Aḥmad in the open near Lake Tana
and killed him in action. The Muslim army broke,
leaving the field and north-central Ethiopia to the
Christians. By 1543, Abyssinia had recaptured lost
territory but the war had weakened both sides. The
Portuguese presence also increased, while the
Ottomans began to push into what is now Eritrea,
 creating the Habesh Eyalet. The Portuguese brought
modern weapons and baroque architecture to
Ethiopia, and in 1622 converted the emperor
Susenyos I to Catholicism, sparking a civil war which
ended in his abdication and expulsion of all
Catholics from Ethiopia. A new capital was
established at Gondar in 1632, and a period of
peace and prosperity ensued until the country was
split apart by warlords in the 18th century during
the Zemene Mesafint.

Meanwhile, population pressures had mounted among

the Oromo, a pastoral people who inhabited the upper
basin of the Genalē (Jubba) River in what is now
southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. in the 16th
century they began to undertake long-distance
expeditions, availing themselves of the collapse of the
frontier defenses of both the Christian and Muslim
states. The Oromo people were able to expand into
the highlands, conquering both the Adal Sultanate and
Abyssinia. By 1600 the Oromo had spread so widely in
Ethiopia that Emperor Sarsa Dengel (reigned 1563–97)
limited his government to what are now Eritrea, the
northern regions of Tigray and Gonder, and parts of
Gojam, Shewa, and Welo, areas that included the bulk
of the Christian Semitic-speaking agriculturalists.
Meanwhile, the church had barely revived following
the destruction and mass apostasy of the jihad era,
 when it found itself facing a different kind of threat
from Roman Catholicism.

Following close upon the Portuguese musketeers were

missionaries who, sent by the Jesuit founder St.
Ignatius of Loyola, sought to convert Ethiopia to the
Western church. The most successful of these was the
Jesuit Pedro Páez; his personal authority and eminent
qualities were such that Emperor Susenyos (reigned
1607–32) was persuaded to accept the doctrine of the
dual nature of Christ and to notify the pope of his
submission. This apostasy was joined by many in the
royal court but met with violent resistance from the
provincial nobles, the church, and the people at large.
Susenyos was forced to abdicate in favour of his son
Fasilides (reigned 1632–67).

5. Assess the main features of Ethiopia history from

1840`s to 1900`s
 The shiftaKassadefeats regional lords of
ZemeneMessafint and takes the throne as Tewodros
the second.
 Emperor Tewodoros fought the at the battle of
Dabarki and lost. In this he learnt the importance of a
modern army. Then he tried to replace the regional
armies of the ZemeneMesafint into a national salaried
army. He also tried to manufacture firearms at Gafat
with the help of Europeans, which ended by in a
 disagreement and a diplomatic crisis. Then the British
sent an expeditionary force to fight the emperor. This
led to the suicide of Tewodros at the battle of
Maqdela.

 Menelik (at the time king of Shoa) expands his

territories towards the south to incorporate fertile
lands. Kafa, Beni-Shangul, and Gambellawere
incorporated after the battle of Adwa.
 Modernization attempts were made by different rulers
of the time. During the post Adwa period there was
the establishment of a postal service and
telecommunications, the telephone-telegraph system,
the beginning of construction of railway line from
Djibouti to Addis Ababa, the opening of a bank (the
Bank of Abyssinia) and the introduction of
papermoney.
 The agricultural economy grew and demand for land
increased. The powerful had the system helping them
to seize land and this resulted in the change of
property right or the preexisting landtenure system.
 The disagreement on the Wuchale Treaty finally led to
the big battle between Ethiopia andItalian forces. The
Italians were determined to colonize Ethiopia
whereasEthiopians were ready not to give in. Emperor
Menelik’sproclamation for general mobilization, about
100,000 troops from every part of the
 countrygathered at Wara-Illu (in today’s South Wollo).
The battle resulted in the victory of Ethiopia and this
halted Italy’s colonial ambition over Ethiopia.

6. Describe the historical significance of Adwa victory

After the victory over Italy in 1896, Ethiopia acquired
a special importance in the eyes of Africans and black
people all over the world alike, as the only surviving
African State that successfully defeated a European
colonial power in open battle. It ensures Ethiopia’s
independence making it the only African country never
to be colonized. Adwa turned Ethiopia into a symbol of
freedom for black people globally.

It also led to a change of government in Italy. The

Adwa victory led to a change of government in Italy.
Due to public protest and failure of his colonial
policy, Prime Minister Francesco Crispi resigned.

Adwa is significant because it disturbed the colonial

order in the world. Colonial subjects interpreted Adwa
as a call to resist and defeat colonialism and racial
oppressions throughout the world. With Adwa. They
 have a permanent symbol and a constant reminder that
colonialism was wrong and it ought to be defeated.

Adwa, to most historians, is an African history. Adwa

connected black people with Africa’s ancient glory and
future hope.The green, yellow and red Ethiopian flag
was adopted by several African countries after colonial
liberation and a universal national anthem was created
for black people.

This defeat of a colonial power and the ensuing

recognition of African sovereignty became rallying
points for later African nationalists during their
struggle for decolonization, as well as activists and
leaders of the Pan-African movement.

7. Explain the patriotic resistance movement of 1936-41

Following their defeat at Adwa, the Italians were waiting

for an ideal time to take control of Ethiopia. At first, their
approach was in a friendly and diplomatic manner which
secretly had the intention of taking control. Working with
two policies, they strived hard to raise internal
dissatisfaction using their consulates found at different part
of the region like Dessie and also used a reconciliation tactic
to try to persuade the Ethiopian government to have a good
relation with them.
The Walwal incident creating the favorable condition for the
Italians to launch an invasion, they started their aggression
in different areas.With the war starting at the Northern
frontdue to the Italians crossing the Mereb river, a series of
wars like the First and Second Wars of Temben, Qorahe and
others , resulted in a bloodshed for both sides. Even though
the Ethiopians made a strong opposition,their lack of
coordination and the Italian’s modern weapons and
superiority in the air led to their control over Ethiopia which
was described using the phrase “Ethiopia is Italian”.

Even though the Italians had control over Addis Ababa and
the urban centers, they have encountered various strong
patriotic resistance at different part of the regions in the
rural area,making the five years of the
Italianoccupation(1936-41) a hard time.

The first phase of this resistance was the continuation of the

war itself.The three commanders of the Southern front-
Dejazmach GebreMaryam Gari,Ras Desta Damtew and
Dejazmach Beyene Merid waged the resistance of this
phase.Asfawesen and Aberra(the two sons of Ras Kassa
Hailu),Dejazmach Balcha Sefo(veteran of Adwa),Balambaras
Abebe Aregay and others took part in it.The killing of Abune
Petros(Bishop of Wollo) aroused the resistance of the
people (mainly the clergy) ,but the lack of effective means
of transportation and radio communication led to its
failure.
The second phase(1937-41) was a reign of terror waged due
to Abreha Deboch’s and Moges Asgedom’s bombing
attempt at Graziani which resulted in him getting seriously
injured and many others dying.The Black Shirts(Fascist
paramilitary groups) chopped off heads, burned houses with
their inhabitants and resulted in the killing of about 30,000
Ethiopians from different ages, sex and social classes in 3
days.With the main aim of creating the “missing generation”
,this period was marked by the killing of Ethiopian
intellectuals and also targeted EOC.

As the Fascist regime became difficult to bare,patriotic

resistance was replaced by guerilla units which were
characterized by parochialism and jealousy. These units led
by women, constantly harassed the Italians.Not only did the
patriotic resistance lacked coordination and a unified
power, but it also suffered from internal weaknesses(like
the Bandawho) too.

Italians declaring a war on France and Britainon June

1940,then Mussolini joining the war being on Germany’s
side was a good opportunity for Ethiopia.London
recognizing the Emperor as a full ally,on July 1940 Britain
launched an attack on 3 parts:On the Northern side led by
General William Plat, attacked the Italians in Eritrea,another
group led by Colonel Sadford and Major Wingate
accompanied the Emperor from Sudan into Gojjam at the
British head and Gedeon force(Ethiopian troops),and an
attack from Kenya led by General Cunningham.Due to the
demoralization of the Italians caused by the patriots,the
advances were rapid and due to this, on May 5 ,
1994,Emperor HaileSilassie entered Addis Ababa.