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Britain at the court of Atse Tewodros.
1/7) The skirmish at the Ethio-Sudan border has its root from the period of Atse Tewodros in the mid-19th century. As soon as he subdues regional chiefs, he was threatened by the Turks, Egypt and Arabs from Sudan and Red sea directions.
1/7) The skirmish at the Ethio-Sudan border has its root from the period of Atse Tewodros in the mid-19th century. As soon as he subdues regional chiefs, he was threatened by the Turks, Egypt and Arabs from Sudan and Red sea directions.
2/7) Walter Plowden, a British, was at Tewodros court to form a friendship across the Red sea routes. He was suddenly murdered by local tribesman which Tewodros retaliated against the culprits by punishing locals. The incident upended the court, and so does Tewodros’s fate.
3/7) In 1862, Charles D Cameron replaced Plowden at the court of Tewodros. Subsequently, he sent a letter to Queen Victoria to establish a formal relationship but no response. Moreover, when Tewodros heard that Cameron surreptitiously visited Sudan, he ordered arrest up on return
4/7) The British sent Hormuzd Rassam with belated letter from the Queen for securing Cameron's release. Tewodros received Rassam well but arrested him out of mistrust. Detrimental to his fate, Tewodros noted a rebellion in Tigre which British exploited when sending Robert Napier.
5/7) In discussion with Rassam, Tewodros claimed that the Turks who then ruled Sudan took Sennar from Ethiopia and he was preparing to take it back. While the AU adoption of colonial border, it is a testament to the closeness of the two people.
6/7) Unable to secure Cameron and others, the British sent an expedition in 1868 led by Let. Gen. Robert Napier. The British army had 32 ,000 men of which 13,000 soldiers, 280 ships, 55,000 animals. They ordered print of 500,000 Maria Theresa, billions in today's dollar.
7/7) Atse. Tewodros, deserted by his own people and Napier army abated by her own citizen, marched all the way to his fort at Magdala with no shots fired. In the end, Tewodros took his own life, leaving a legacy.
Reference: The Blue Nile by Alan Moorehead, First Edition, 1962
Reference: The Blue Nile by Alan Moorehead, First Edition, 1962
