Battle of Azule
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The Battle of Azule was fought on 6 September 1886, between the forces of ''Ras''
Darge Sahle Selassie Darge Sahle Selassie (circa 1825-1830 – 23 March 1900) Horse name Abba Gersa was a 19th-century Ethiopian nobleman , provincial governor, general and a trusted councillor of his nephew Emperor Menelik II. Ancestry A male line descendant ...
of
Shewa Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian language, Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous monarchy, kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The ...
and a force of Arsi Oromo. It was part of a broader series of expansion campaigns done under
Menelik II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
, ''Negus'' of
Shewa Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian language, Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous monarchy, kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The ...
, referred to by some historians as the Agar Maqnat. The battle of Azule was important as it represents the crushing of a large Arsi army by one under Menelik; it also demonstrates the dynamic of gun-wielding Shewans fighting Spear-wielding Arsi that many historians like to stress when discussing Menelik's expansions; it also retains symbolic and historic importance in the politics and identities of many.


Background

''Ras''
Darge Sahle Selassie Darge Sahle Selassie (circa 1825-1830 – 23 March 1900) Horse name Abba Gersa was a 19th-century Ethiopian nobleman , provincial governor, general and a trusted councillor of his nephew Emperor Menelik II. Ancestry A male line descendant ...
arrived in Arsi-country with the ''Negus''
Menelik II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
's army. Though
Menelik II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
eventually left Arsi-country, Darghe stayed and established a ''Katama'' (roughly: garrison / camp) at Azule. The ''Katama'' had 3 layers, each fortified by a wall.


Battle

''Ras''
Darge Sahle Selassie Darge Sahle Selassie (circa 1825-1830 – 23 March 1900) Horse name Abba Gersa was a 19th-century Ethiopian nobleman , provincial governor, general and a trusted councillor of his nephew Emperor Menelik II. Ancestry A male line descendant ...
, through the use of informants, knew of the Arsi plan to attack his ''Katama'' on September 6, 1886. Therefore, he organized his gunmen along the second wall of his ''Katama''. Darghe planned for his gunmen to hold fire until the Arsi had successfully entered the first layer of his ''Katama''. This way, they would be trapped when the order was given to start gunfire. When the Arsi Oromo attacked, Darghe's gunmen, either scared or trigger happy, opened fire before Darghe's order. The result was still an overwhelming
Shewan Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Add ...
success, but many sources record Darghe punishing his commanders, some of whom were his sons. In the months following this victory, Darge subdued Arsi but did not move to annex the southern
Bale province Bale (Amharic: ባሌ), also known as Bali, is the name of two former polities located in the southeastern part of modern Ethiopia. History of Bale Bale was a Muslim kingdom part of the Zaila confederate states under Sultanate of Showa however ...
.


Citations


References

* * 1886 in Ethiopia Battles involving Ethiopia Conflicts in 1886 Menelik's Expansion Campaigns {{Battle-stub