COMMANDER // 1844–1913
Menelik II
Emperor of EthiopiaEthiopia2 battles1 war
Lifespan
1844 – 1913
Active service 1896 — 2 battles across 1 war; first command at age 52.
Profile
Menelik II, baptised as Sahle Maryam, was king of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913. A member of the Solomonic dynasty, Menelik expanded the Ethiopian Empire to its greatest historical extent and defeated Italian colonial forces at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern Ethiopian state.
Battles (2)
1896
Battle of AdwaFirst Italo-Ethiopian War · Ethiopian Empire
1896
Battle of Mek'eleFirst Italo-Ethiopian War · Ethiopia