This article covers the
prehistory and
historyof
Ethiopia, from emergence as an empire under the
Aksumites to its current form as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, as well as the history of other areas in what is now Ethiopia such as the
Afar Triangle. The
Ethiopian Empire (Abyssinia) was first founded by
Habesha people in the
Ethiopian Highlands. Due to migration and imperial expansion, it grew to include many other primarily
Afro-Asiatic-speaking communities, including
Oromos,
Amhara,
Somalis,
Tigray,
Afars,
Sidama,
Gurage,
Agaw and
Harari, among others.
One of the earliest kingdoms to rise to power in the territory was the kingdom of
D'mt in the 10th century BC, which established its capital at
Yeha. In the first century AD the
Aksumite Kingdom rose to power in the
Tigray Regionwith its capital at
Aksum and grew into a major power on the
Red Sea, subjugating
Yemen and
Meroe and converting to
Christianity in the early fourth century. The Aksumite empire fell into decline with the rise of
Islam, forcing the Ethiopians to move south into the highlands for refuge. The Aksumites gave way to the
Zagwe Dynasty who established a new capital at
Lalibela, before giving way to the
Solomonic Dynasty in the 13th century. During the early Solomonic period Ethiopia went through military reforms and imperial expansion that made it dominate the
Horn of Africa. Portuguese missionaries arrived at this time.
In 1529, a
conquest of Abyssinia (
Futuh al-Habash) by the
Ottoman-allied Somali Muslim
Adal Sultanate devastated the highlands, and was only deterred by a Portuguese intervention. With both Ethiopia and Adal greatly weakened by the war, the
Oromo people were able to invade into the highlands, conquering the remains of the Adal Sultanate and pushing deep into Ethiopia. The Portuguese presence also increased, while the Ottomans began to push into what is now
Eritrea, creating the
Habesh Eyalet. The Portuguese brought modern weapons and
baroque architecture to Ethiopia, and in 1622 converted the emperor
Susenyos I to Catholicism, sparking a civil war which ended in his abdication and an expulsion of all Catholics from Ethiopia. A new capital was established at
Gondar in 1632, and a period of peace and prosperity ensued until the country was split apart by warlords in the 18th century during the
Zemene Mesafint.
Ethiopia was reunified in 1855 under
Tewodros II, beginning
Ethiopia's modern history. Ethiopia began to go through a slow modernisation process under a leadership of
Yohannes IV, and defended itself from an
Egyptian invasion in 1874. He was killed in action in 1889. Under
Menelik II, Ethiopia expanded to the south and east, through the conquest of the western Oromo (non Shoan Oromo), Sidama, Gurage, Wolayta and other groups, resulting in the borders of modern Ethiopia. Ethiopia defeated an
Italian invasion in 1896 and came to be recognised as a legitimate state by European powers. A more rapid modernisation took place under Menelik II and
Haile Selassie. Italy launched a second invasion
in 1935. From October 1935-May 1940, Ethiopia was under Italian military occupation. A joint force of British and Ethiopian rebels managed to drive the Italians out of the country in 1941, and Haile Selassie was returned to the throne. Ethiopia and Eritrea united in a federation, but when Haile Selassie ended the federation in 1961 and made Eritrea a province of Ethiopia, a
war for Eritrean independence occurred, lasting until 1991.
Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974 and the militaristic
Derg Regime came to power. In 1977
Somalia invaded, trying to
annex the
Ogaden region, but were pushed back by Ethiopian, Soviet, and Cuban forces. In 1977 and 1978 the government tortured or killed hundreds of thousands of suspected enemies in the
Red Terror. Ethiopia experienced
famine in 1984 that killed one million people and
civil war that resulted in the fall of the Derg in 1991. This resulted in the establishment of the Federal Democratic Republic under
Meles Zenawi. Ethiopia remains impoverished, but its economy has become one of the world's fastest growing.
[1]
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg%20height="792px"%20width="645px"%20xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"%20version="1.1"/>)
