Emperor Tewodros II

Published: April 10, 2023, 8 a.m.

b'

Emperor Tewodros II is one of the towering figures of modern Ethiopian history.

He tried to unify and modernise Ethiopia but his reign was also marked by brutality.

He faced a rising tide of rebellion inside the country and then in 1868 a British military expedition marched into the Ethiopian highlands.

Its aim was to free British diplomatic envoys the Emperor had imprisoned.

Tewodros II made a last stand at Magdala, his mountain top fortress.

In 2016, Rob Walker spoke to historian Philip Marsden.

(Picture: Tewodros II. Credit: Getty Images)

'