The Battle of Adwa on 1 March 1896, When Ethiopia Destroyed an Italian Army and Kept Its Independence
On 1 March 1896 Emperor Menelik II's army of some 100,000 annihilated an Italian invasion force in the mountains of Adwa, killing thousands and capturing thousands more. Italy recognised Ethiopian independence within the year. Adwa remains the decisive victory of an African state over a European colonial army — and made Ethiopia a symbol across the Black world.
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