Battle of Chelenqo
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Chelenqo was an engagement fought on 6 January 1887 between the army of Shewa
under Negus
Menelik II and Emir 'Abd Allah II
of Harar
. The Harari forces were routed, and Negus Menelik afterwards occupied and annexed the city of Harar.
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.
Menelik had desired control of the city of Harar for some time. 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.
Although the army of Shewa was a veteran force with contemporary rifles, and numbered in the thousands, Negus Menelik sought to avoid war, and in January 1887, offered 'Abd Allah the same kind of autonomy that king Abba Jifar
of Jimma
enjoyed; the emir refused this offer.
Knowing that he was heavily outnumbered, and his troops had only obsolete matchlock
s and a few cannon
s, 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 had worried about a surprise attack, and kept his men at alert.
The emir's men opened fire at 11:00 am. The Shewan soldiers quickly responded and routed the Harar infantry with few casualties. Menelik pursued the retreating emir to Harar, whose ancient walls would not long resist his assault. Once again 'Abd Allah refused to surrender, then fled into the desert, leaving his uncle to negotiate the city's surrender. With the occupation, the independence of Harar came to an end.
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
under Negus
Negus
Negus is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature...
Menelik II and Emir 'Abd Allah II
'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur
Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur, also known as Amir Hajji 'Abdu'llahi II ibn 'Ali 'Abdu's Shakur, was the last Emir of Harar from 1884 to January 26, 1887, when the state was terminated, following the defeat of the Harari troops at the Battle of Chelenqo .According to R.A...
of Harar
Harar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
. The Harari forces were routed, and Negus Menelik afterwards occupied and annexed the city of Harar.
Negus Menelik, in response to Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
control of parts of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
and the port of Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
, had begun to import firearms and munitions through the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-controlled ports of Djibouti. By 1886, Emir 'Abd Allah of Harar had blocked transport of these arms through his territories.
Menelik had desired control of the city of Harar for some time. 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.
Although the army of Shewa was a veteran force with contemporary rifles, and numbered in the thousands, Negus Menelik sought to avoid war, and in January 1887, offered 'Abd Allah the same kind of autonomy that king Abba Jifar
Abba Jifar II
Moti Abba Jifar II was King of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma .-Reign:Abba Jifar II was the son of Abba Gomol and Queen Gumiti...
of Jimma
Kingdom of Jimma
The Kingdom of Jimma was one of the kingdoms in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 19th century. It shared its western border with Limmu-Ennarea, its eastern border with the Sidamo kingdom of Janjero, and was separated from the Kingdom of Kaffa to the south by the Gojeb River. Jimma...
enjoyed; the emir refused this offer.
Knowing that he was heavily outnumbered, and his troops had only obsolete matchlock
Matchlock
The matchlock was the first mechanism, or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon's flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing,...
s and a few cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s, Emir 'Abd Allah decided to attack on early in the morning of Ethiopian Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
(January 9), expecting the Shewans to be unprepared and befuddled with food and alcohol. However, Negus Menelik had worried about a surprise attack, and kept his men at alert.
The emir's men opened fire at 11:00 am. The Shewan soldiers quickly responded and routed the Harar infantry with few casualties. Menelik pursued the retreating emir to Harar, whose ancient walls would not long resist his assault. Once again 'Abd Allah refused to surrender, then fled into the desert, leaving his uncle to negotiate the city's surrender. With the occupation, the independence of Harar came to an end.