Battle of Embabo
Embabo, near the Guder River, Ethiopia
What happened
King Menelik of Shewa, with Ras Gobana Dacche, fought King Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam and his deputy Ras Darasu. Two Ethiopian kings, both under Emperor Yohannes IV, were rivals for the rich lands south of the Blue Nile. Their armies met at Embabo, and after a long day of fighting the Gojjam army's centre gave way. Tekle Haymanot was wounded and captured.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a contest for control of the fertile Gibe region and its gold. Historian Donald Donham counts it, with Adwa, among the battles that made Shewa the leading power in Ethiopia.
What came next
Menelik later became emperor, and Tekle Haymanot fought at his side at Adwa in 1896.
Did you know?
Before the battle, Tekle Haymanot had boasted that Ras Gobana would carry his baking tray back to Gojjam; after his capture, Gobana greeted him with, 'Gojjame, bring me the plate!'
Timeline
- 20 January 1881Yohannes IV makes Tekle Haymanot King of Gojjam.
- 6 June 1882Menelik's army wins at Embabo.
- 1889Yohannes IV dies; Tekle Haymanot pledges loyalty to Menelik II.
- 1896Tekle Haymanot fights for Menelik at Adwa.
- 10 January 1901Tekle Haymanot dies.