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Event of 1889: Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, giving Ital

When
1889
Where
Wuchale
Episodes
1

The Treaty of Wuchale, signed on 2 May 1889, established peace between the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. It defined boundaries for Italian-controlled Eritrea and created a dispute over Article 17, where Italy claimed a protectorate status while Ethiopia maintained autonomy.

Episodes

  1. 2 May 1889 · WuchaleSigning of the Treaty

    Menelik II and Count Pietro Antonelli signed the Treaty of Wuchale on 2 May 1889, establishing peace and boundaries.

Background and detail

Background. Italy sought to expand its territories by colonizing Ethiopia. Emperor Menelik II resisted this expansion and agreed to establish a treaty instead. The signing parties were King Menelik II of Shewa, acting as Emperor of Ethiopia, and Count Pietro Antonelli representing Italy. The treaty was signed in the small Ethiopian town of Wuchale, from which it derived its name.

Treaty Terms. Article 1 established peace between the Emperor of Ethiopia and the King of Italy and their successors. Article 3 created permanent boundary lines between regions of Eritrea under Italian control and regions of Ethiopia. Article 18 stated that the Emperor would give preference to Italian nationals when choosing to offer privileges to third states or Italy.

Article 17 Dispute. Article 17 was interpreted differently by Ethiopia and Italy. The Amharic version stated that the Emperor could use the Italian government for business with other powers, granting Ethiopia considerable autonomy. However, in October 1889, Italians informed European governments that Ethiopia was an Italian protectorate, preventing other nations from conducting diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.

People involved

Sources

  1. Treaty of Wuchale Wikipedia, revision of 2025-09-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.