In 1889, the Italian government announced that it was now representing the interests of Abyssinia in the international arena, citing the Treaty of Wuchale signed on May 2, 1889, under which Ethiopia allegedly recognized the Italian protectorate over itself. In fact, the wording, which suggested that Ethiopia was obliged to conduct all foreign affairs through Italian authorities, only existed in the Italian version of the treaty, while the Amharic version only provided the Ethiopian Emperor with an option of communicating with third powers through the Italians.
In October 1890 Negus Menelik II, who ascended the throne, officially protested against the Italian claims. In order to emphasize the independence of Ethiopia, he announced his accession to the heads of all European powers, including the Emperor Alexander III of Russia. In his reply, the Tsar reassured Menelik of his support to the fellow Orthodox Christians and suggested maintaining formal political contacts through Lieutenant Victor Mashkov, who directly reported to the Russian Emperor on his trips to Ethiopia.
The positive stance of Russia towards the Ethiopian Government contributed significantly to Menelik’s confidence in his ability to confront the Italians. On February 24, 1893, Ethiopia denounced the Treaty of Wuchale. In response, Italian troops invaded the Ethiopian territory beyond the agreed borders.
From the first days of the war, St. Petersburg took a firm stand in defense of Ethiopia. This was reasoned by both the desire to help the right and the weaker side, and also by the interest of Russia in restraining colonial ambitions of the Great Britain and Italy in the Horn of Africa. In addition to geopolitical concerns, Ethiopia was perceived in Russia as an Orthodox country of great spiritual significance to the Christian world.
In 1894, the Russian Geographical Society sent an expedition to Ethiopia, which was led by a retired officer Nikolay Leontyev and included archimandrite Efrem of the Russian Orthodox Church, doctor and anthropologist A. Eliseev and artillery officer K. Zvyagin. This mission was well received by Menelik II, who appointed N. Leontyev his close adviser on foreign policy and defense, as well as a focal point for his relations with Russia. At the war council convened at Menelik’s palace in March 1895, N.Leontiev outlined the general tactical scheme of the campaign against Italy, which suggested avoiding direct assaults on the Italian fortifications, and instead luring the enemy troops deeper into the country, weakening them by night raids and using the advantages of terrain against the Italian artillery.
On July 5, 1895, a large Ethiopian diplomatic delegation headed by Menelik’s cousin Ras Damtew arrived in St. Petersburg where it was received “with honors more lavish than those accorded any previous foreign visitors in Russian history”. The mission laid a golden crown on the tomb of the late Emperor Alexander III and delivered a letter from Menelik to Emperor Nicholas II.
Despite the complexity of the negotiations due to language barrier, the results of the envoys’ meeting with the Tsar were quite significant. The delegation took with them 135 boxes of rifles and ammunition, as well as a large batch of cavalry sabers from the Zlatoust plant. In addition, Emperor Nicholas II sent to Menelik 400 thousand rubles from his own funds as a gift and awarded him with the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Nicholas II also conveyed his letter to Menelik, in which he expressed gratitude for sending the delegation and gifts, and also assured the Negus of his constant position and sympathy “to the fate of the Abyssinian people.”
The Italian Embassy in St. Petersburg protested against the Royal reception of the Ethiopian delegation. To this demarche, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexey Lobanov-Rostovsky replied that Russia had never recognized the Italian protectorate over Abyssinia.
Upon considering Menelik’s request for weapons and a subsequent report by N. Leontiev, the Russian Government decided to send to Ethiopia 30 thousand rifles, 5 million cartridges and 5 thousand sabers as military aid. These weapons, however, could not be delivered in time as the Dutch steamer Doelwyck carrying them was impounded by the Italians in Massawa. Its cargo was released only after the conclusion of peace treaty between Ethiopia and Italy.
The news of the illustrious Ethiopian victory over the Italians at Adwa on March 1, 1896, was received in Russia with great enthusiasm. The Russian Red Cross Society mobilized 130 thousand rubles to fund and equip the medical unit to assist the wounded, which was immediately dispatched to Ethiopia under the leadership of major general N. Shvedov. Alexander Bulatovich, who later became a prominent explorer of Ethiopia, was in charge of logistics and communications of the mission.
During their stay in the country, the Russian doctors treated about 14 thousand patients and performed over 450 successful operations. Their mission also resulted in the establishment of the first modern hospital in Addis Ababa. A smaller medical facility was also opened in Harar at the request of its governor Ras Mekonnen.
Soon after the victory at Adwa, Menelik sent a cable to the Tsar informing of his intention to start negotiations with Italy with the purpose of “concluding an honorable peace, given that Ethiopia’s independence is preserved”. Nicholas II ordered to provide diplomatic support for peace talks. N. Leontiev was sent to Rome as an authorized representative of the Negus, he also assisted in drafting the peace treaty. In appreciation of his service, Menelik awarded the Russian officer with an honorary title of the Count of Abay.
Also in homage to Russia, Menelik decided to celebrate the coronation of Nicholas II in May 1896 by releasing a number of the Italian prisoners of war. The group of 50 prisoners was escorted to Djibouti by the same N. Leontiev.
In September 1897, Nicholas II sent to Menelik II an extraordinary diplomatic mission headed by State
Councilor Pyotr Vlasov. This first official mission dispatched by Russia to sub-Saharan Africa also included doctors and military instructors. In the first days of February 1898, the mission arrived in Addis Ababa, thus establishing diplomatic relations between Abyssinia and Russia.
According to the instruction given to P. Vlasov by the Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Muravyov, Russia “is not pursuing any selfish or mercantile goals in Abyssinia and is in sympathy with the activities of the Negus aimed at strengthening his authority, maintaining stability and promoting development and wellbeing of his country.
The common religion, as well as exceptional qualities, demonstrated by this Ruler during critical time, sufficiently explain our favour towards him”. This testifies to the conclusion that the general policy of the Russian Empire considering Ethiopia and its adjacent territories was clearly anticolonial by nature.
The above article is largely based on the Russian book “Emperor Menelik and His War with Italy” (St. Petersburg, 1898) written by Yuliy Elets, who used N. Leontiev’s original notes and diaries. The author also studied the relevant collection of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, a division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The Ethiopian Herald March 6, 2019
BY NIKITA BUTURLIN
