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The 'British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia' was a punitive expedition against the Emperor of Ethiopia Emperor Tewodros II, also known as the Emperor Theodore II. Tewodros had written to the British Government requesting their help in his wars with his neighbours. When he received no answer to his letter, he seized the British consul, his staff, and a number German missionaries. These he tied together in pairs and imprisoned in the fortress of Magdala, which he had declared as his capital.
The Queen's written appeal of April 1867 went unanswered. A force from the British and Indian armies was despatched under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier to free the captives. The force consisted of 13,000 British and Indian soldiers, 26,000 camp followers and over 40,000 animals, including 44 elephants. The force set sail from Bombay and landed at Zula on the Red Sea, and then marched 400 miles south to Tewodros' capital at Magdala. Napier proclaimed to the Abyssinians that he was there purely to free the capitives and that he had hostile intentions only towards those who sought to oppose him. He was able to obtain supplies from various Rases, weary of the suspicious Tewodros.
It took Napier's forces 3 months to trek over the mountainous terrain to the foot of the fortress. A battle took place outside this citadel on April 13, 1868, in which the defending forces were routed with few injuries and no deaths on the British side, though many on the defenders'. Over 700 of Theodore's men were killed in just two hours, with 1,200 more wounded. Tewodros himself committed suicide to avoid capture and the prisoners were released.
The British entered the capital, and Sir Robert allowed his troops to loot and burn Magdala, including its churches, as a punitive measure before departing from Ethiopia. (His army departed from Zula 19 April.) They took a large amount of treasure, manuscripts and many religious items such as tabots, which today can be seen in various museums and libraries in Europe, as well as in private collections. The manuscripts ignited an interest in Ethiopic studies in the West.
A few of the items have since been returned to Ethiopia. The most important of these was the crown of Tewodros II, which King George V personally presented to the future Emperor Haile Selassie on his visit to England in 1925.
With the expedition's objectives having been achieved, the British force returned home. Napier was created Baron Napier of Magdala in recognition of his achievement.

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External links

External links

★ A detailed description of the campaign.

★ Catholic Encyclopedia with a brief description of the campaign and the reasons for it.