Pietro Toselli (22 December 1856 - 7 December 1895) was a major of the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...

. He is mainly known for his participation in the

First Italo-Ethiopian War The First Italo-Ethiopian War, lit. ''Abyssinian War'' was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from 1895 to 1896. It originated from the disputed Treaty of Wuchale, which the Italians claimed turned Ethiopia into an Italian protectorate. Full-sc ...

. He was born in

Peveragno Peveragno (''Poranh'' in Occitan, ''Povragn'' in Piedmontese) is an Italian town of 5,584 inhabitants (1-1-2017) in the province of Cuneo, in Piedmont. It belongs to the Union of Communes of the Maritime Alps and to the Occitan language Occ ...

in 1856, the youngest of three siblings. His father was Giovanni Maria Toselli, and his mother Teresa (Botasso) Toselli. His older brother Enrico Toselli was a noted psychiatrist and university professor. Pietro Toselli joined the army at a young age and was commissioned

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

in 1878. After finishing the tree year curriculum for artillerymen he opted for additional training in military engineering. After finishing his education in 1880 he became a

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. In 1887 he was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He first came to Africa in 1888 to carry out topographical work in the new colony of

Italian Eritrea Italian Eritrea ( it, Colonia Eritrea, "Colony of Eritrea") was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in the territory of present-day Eritrea. The first Italian establishment in the area was the purchase of Assab by the Rubattino Shipping Company in ...

. Returning to Italy he published the book ''Pro Africa italica'' under the pseudonym "Un Eritreo". In 1894 he returned to Italian Eritrea to take command of the 4th Askari Battalion of the Corpo Speciale per L'Africa. He led Italian forces to victory at the Battle of Halai on the 18 December 1894, when his troops defeated the Eritrean forces of Batha Agos, who were besieging the Italian fort at Halai. On the 13 January 1895, he commanded the 4th Askari Battalion at the

Battle of Coatit The Battle of Coatit was fought on 13 January 1895 between Italy and Ethiopian proxies led by Tigrayan warlord Ras Mengesha Yohannes in what is now Eritrea. It was the opening battle of the First Italo–Ethiopian War, and was a significant vi ...

under the command of

Oreste Baratieri Oreste Baratieri (né Oreste Baratter, 13 November 1841 – 7 August 1901) was an Italian general and governor of Italian Eritrea. Early career Born in Condino (County of Tyrol, now Trentino), Baratieri began his career as a volunteer for Giusepp ...

. After the Ethiopian retreat Toselli, and the 4th Askari Battalion formed the Italian vanguard that caught up with the Ethiopian forces at the Battle of Senafe. When the

invaded Tigray, Toselli was sent with 1,450 soldiers, 700 militiamen, and four cannons to occupy and fortify the forward position at

Amba Alagi Imba Alaje is a mountain, or an amba, in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, Imba Alaje dominates the roadway that runs past it from the city of Mek'ele south to Maychew. Because of its strategic location, Emba ...

. On the 7 December 1895 the Battle of Amba Alagi began when the position came under attack by the troops of

Makonnen Wolde Mikael ''Ras'' Makonnen Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot (Amharic: ራስ መኮንን ወልደ ሚካኤል ወልደ መለኮት; 8 May 1852 – 21 March 1906), or simply Ras Makonnen, also known as Abba Qagnew (አባ ቃኘው), was a Shewan royal ...

. Due to a miscommunication with

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Giuseppe Arimondi Giuseppe Edoardo Arimondi, OSML, OMS, OCI (26 April 1846 – 1 March 1896) was an Italian general, mostly known for his role during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. He was one of the few European commanders who gained a victory over the Mahdis ...

. Toselli believed Arimondi was moving south to reenforce him and chose to stand his ground. After several hours of fighting and being almost surrounded he gave the order for a general retreat. He led the retreating column north to Bet Mariam. Toselli was by then exhausted and could not move on with his men, he died from a gunshot wound near Bet-Mariam when the advancing Ethiopians reached his position. His body was returned to Italy two years after his death and he is buried in his hometown of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toselli, Pietro 1856 births 1895 deaths Italian Army officers People from the Province of Cuneo People of former Italian colonies Italian military personnel of the First Italo-Ethiopian War Italian military personnel killed in the First Italo-Ethiopian War