Battle of Adwa, Ethiopian victory over Italian colonial army

On this day in 1896 the battle of Adwa was started by Italian colonial force led by Oreste Baratieri against Ethiopian Empire under Emperor Menelik II. Following a dispute over the interpretation of the Treaty of Wuchale, Italy attempted to force Ethiopia to abide by the Italian version of the treaty and impose a protectorate over Ethiopia. The Ethiopian forces were armed with rifles and greatly outnumbered the Italian colonial force. The battle ended in a decisive Ethiopian victory, with over 6,000 Italian and colonial troops killed, and around 3,800 captured. The defeat forced Italy to recognize Ethiopia’s sovereignty in the Treaty of Addis Ababa, making Ethiopia one of the few independent states during the Scramble for Africa and ended the First Italo-Ethiopian War. Ethiopia remained independent until 1936 when it was occupied by Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini.