Battle of Chelenqo
| Battle of Chelenqo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Menelik's Expansions | |||||||
 Harar as depicted in Sir Richard Francis Burton's book 'First Footsteps in East Africa: Or, An Exploration of Harar'; published 1856. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Shewa | Emirate of Harar | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Negus Menelik Ras Makonnen | 'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 20,000-25,000 Shewan troops | 3,000[1]-4,000 Harari troops | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Minimal, around 100 dead, 600-700 wounded | Substantial, est. 1,000 dead | ||||||
The Battle of Chelenqo[2] was an engagement fought on 9 January 1887 between the Abyssinian army of Shewa under Negus Menelik and Emir 'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur of Harar. The Harari forces were routed, and Negus Menelik afterwards occupied and annexed the city of Harar.
Background
[edit]Negus Menelik, in response to Italian control of parts of Eritrea and the port of Massawa, had begun to import firearms and munitions through the French-controlled ports of Djibouti. By 1886, Emir 'Abd Allah of Harar had blocked transport of these arms through his territories.
The massacre of the Italian explorer Count Pietro Porro and his entire party in April 1886, allegedly at the emir's command, gave the Negus an excuse to march on Harar.[3] Menelik had desired control of the city of Harar for some time. Menelik's general suffered a defeat at the hands of the Emirate of Harar's forces in late 1886 at the Battle of Hirna.[4] Menelik would however make a second attempt to invade the Emirate of Harar in January 1887 offering 'Abd Allah the same kind of autonomy that Abba Jifar II of the Kingdom of Jimma enjoyed; the Emir refused this offer.
Battle
[edit]Knowing that he was heavily outnumbered, and his troops had only obsolete matchlocks and a few cannons, Emir 'Abd Allah decided to attack on early in the morning of Ethiopian Christmas (January 9), expecting the Shewans to be unprepared and befuddled with food and alcohol. However, Negus Menelik was worried about a surprise attack, and kept his men at alert.
The Amir misjudged the quality of these troops and attempted to repeat his earlier success with a second night attack. "Had he allowed the enemy to attack the walled city, where his few Krupp cannon might have been effective, the Shewans might have suffered a defeat with serious political consequences," Marcus notes.[5] The Emir's men opened fire at 11:00 am. The Shewan soldiers quickly responded and Makonnen's column destroyed the enemy artillery; within twenty minutes, Menelik's troops were victorious.[6] Menelik pursued the retreating emir to Harar, whose ancient walls would not long resist his assault. Once Menelik reached Harar, the Amir fled with his wives and children into the desert country east of Harar leaving his uncle Ali Abu Barka to negotiate the city's surrender.[5] With the occupation, the independence of Harar came to an end.
Consequences
[edit]Finally having conquered Harar, Menelik extended trade routes through the city, importing valuable goods such as arms, and exporting other valuables such as coffee. He would place his cousin, Makonnen Wolde Mikael in control of the city.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Gibbs, Camila. Past And Present In Harar (PDF). Ethiopia In Broader Perspective: Papers of the XIII International Conference of Ethiopian Studies. p. 4.
- ^ also spelled Chalanko, Chalenko, Calanqo, Calanko, Chelenko, etc.
- ^ Harold G. Marcus, The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913, (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1995), p. 91 ISBN 1-56902-010-8
- ^ Caulk, Richard (1971). "The Occupation of Harar: January 1887". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 9 (2): 10–11. JSTOR 41967469.
- ^ a b Marcus, Harold G. (2002). A History of Ethiopia. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-520-22479-7.
- ^ Pétridès, S. Pierre (1963). Le héros d’Adoua, Ras Makonnen, Prince d’Éthiopie. Éditions Plon. p. 44.