Tewodros II

Tewodros II (born c. 1818—died April 13, 1868, Magdela, Ethiopia) was the emperor of Ethiopia (1855–68) who has been called Ethiopia’s first modern ruler. Not only did he reunify the various Ethiopian kingdoms into one empire, but he also attempted to focus loyalty around the government rather than the Ethiopian church, which he sought to bring under royal control. He worked to abolish the feudal system and create a new nobility of merit, dependent on the ruler alone. Although he failed in these aims, his example was ultimately followed by his successors.

Not of noble birth, Tewodros came to the throne through warfare against the feudal chiefs. One of his first acts as emperor was to break up the provinces into smaller districts with personally appointed governors, a move that angered many provincial nobles who saw their status diminished. He also wanted to reorganize and modernize the army. To get the necessary weapons, he demanded first that European missionaries and adventurers then living in Ethiopia build him a cannon (successful after much trial and error), and then he brought in artisans, especially arms makers, from England. Contemporary European accounts portray him as an Ethiopian Peter the Great, both for his hot temper and cruelty and for his courage, ambition, military genius, and interest in technology.

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His modernization program, however, failed. Several incidents in the 1860s, including a letter to Queen Victoria that remained unanswered, led Tewodros to feel insulted by England. When he imprisoned several British missionaries and envoys, accusing them of plotting against him, Great Britain sent the Napier expedition (1867–68) to rescue the prisoners. Aided by rebellious nobles along the way, the British force attacked Tewodros’s forces at Magdela on April 10, 1868. The emperor, realizing the hopelessness of his position, committed suicide three days later.