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Capture of Gaki Sherocho ends the Kingdom of Kaffa

When
1897
Where
Unresolved capture site
Episodes
1

The capture of Gaki Sherocho, the last king of Kaffa, occurred on 11 September 1897, ending the ancient kingdom. Generals of Menelik II, including Welde Giyorgis Aboye, Ras Damisse, and King Abba Jifar II, subdued him after months of resistance. The kingdom was subsequently annexed by the Ethiopian Empire.

Episodes

  1. 11 September 1897 · Unresolved capture siteCapture of Gaki Sherocho

    After months of resistance, the last king of Kaffa was captured by Ethiopian generals, ending the kingdom's independence.

Background and detail

Background. The Kingdom of Kaffa existed from 1390 to 1897 in present-day Ethiopia, with its first capital at Bonga. It was home to various groups, including Ethiopian Muslim traders and members of the Ethiopian Church. The kingdom had expanded its borders in the 17th century, annexing neighboring Gimira states.

Conquest. The last Kaffa king, Gaki Sherocho, resisted for months against the combined armies of Welde Giyorgis Aboye, Ras Damisse, and King Abba Jifar II of Jimma. His capture on 11 September 1897 ended the kingdom's independence and brought Kaffa under Ethiopian control.

Aftermath. Following his capture, Gaki Sherocho was first sent to Ankober and then to Addis Ababa. The Kingdom of Kaffa was overrun and conquered in 1897, eventually annexed by the Ethiopian Empire. Alexander Bulatovich visited Kaffa in 1897, studying the culture and noting practices common with the Amhara people.

People involved

Sources

  1. Kingdom of Kaffa Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25
  2. Menelik II Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01

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.