Armies of the Adowa Campaign 1896: The Italian Disaster in Ethiopia

By Sean McLachlan

In the late 19th century, the new nation-state of Italy was eager to join her European neighbors in creating an international empire. Italy's eyes turned towards Africa as a source of potential colonies. Most of the continent had already been carved up between the Great Powers but Italy succeeded in securing a foothold in Eritrea on the Red Sea coast, a vassal of the Emperor of Ethiopia. Trade and other links were established with the Ethiopian empire but quarrels regarding the interpretation of a particular clause led to Ethiopian support for uprisings in Eritrea. Italian troops entered northern Ethiopia and captured Adowa, the capital of the Tigray province. Full-scale war broke out and this new Osprey title tracks every development in the battle and the men who fought in it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1849084572
• ISBN13: 9781849084574
• Release Date: September 2011
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.1" x 9.6"