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The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia, 1844-1913
A study of the political and military genius of Menelik II, who defeated late 19th century European imperialism.
298 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 7, 2011
For those interested in this pivotal period of Ethiopian history, The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913 is an incredibly informative read. Key aspects about Ethiopian culture, demographics and preceding history are covered aptly by Marcus alongside the subject matter. There is really nothing bad I can say about this book except that perhaps, as the title suggests anyways, it is not strictly a biography of the key character, Menelik II. Rather, the book discusses various subjects such as:
-The Zamana Masafent (a long, brutal Civil War in Ethiopia comparable historically to Japan's Sengoku-Jidai or other countries' extensive periods of civil strife among warlords)
-The rise of Tewodros
-The nominal unification of the country under Yohannes IV
-A brief background of Menelik II's home province of Shewa/Shoa
-To a limited extent, some background information on foreign polities that played a role in Ethiopian history at this time, including Egypt, Mahdist Sudan, France, Britain and of course Italy.
-The life and accomplishments of Menelik II himself
-The reign of Menelik II's successor Lij Iyasu.
Those seeking a pure biography of Menelik II for one reason or another will not necessarily find it here. Though the book goes into plenty of detail about the titular character, it does not solely focus on him and at times does not focus on him at all. From my perspective at least, this is actually to the book's credit. The expanded narrative benefits history students (such as myself) who seek something more broadly educational.
Non-history students or people less familiar with Ethiopia's history might question why this era and country in particular are important. The reason is actually pretty simple: During the 19th century, Imperialistic European powers carved up nearly all of Africa. There were two main countries that survived this conquest. One was tiny Liberia in West Africa. The other was the larger and far more impressive Ethiopia.
I have seen some history textbooks contend that Ethiopia's survival was owed largely to geography (Ethiopia is a heavily mountainous country and thus naturally troublesome for invaders after all). I find that this assessment is highly misleading, however. Harold Marcus' book successfully points out why.
It becomes clear from reading The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913 that Ethiopia faced a plethora of obstacles in securing its own independence. Foreign incursions even prior to the famously failed Italian invasion that occurred in Menelik II's time, technological backwardness, long-standing ethnic, regional, cultural and religious conflicts, hard-hitting famines and epidemics were just some of the hardships Ethiopia endured in the 19th century.
In light of these weaknesses, it is not hard to imagine several would-be conquerors exploiting Ethiopia, perhaps by pursuing a policy of “divide and conquer” that would involve playing regional warlords off against one another. Ethiopia's terrain likely played a role in helping the country to preserve its independence, but it did not play the decisive role. Ethiopia weathered the so-called Scramble for Africa due to the ingenuity, diplomatic shrewdness, charisma, modernization efforts and religious tolerance of Menelik II. It was Menelik II who fully unified Ethiopia after many years of Civil War. It was Menelik II, too, who thereafter laid the foundation for the modern Ethiopian state. From this perspective, Menelik II can be seen as a statesman just as significant to his country's history as Otto von Bismarck is to Germany. Equally as important, Menelik II himself is just as intriguing a character as Bismarck, and well worth reading about in Marcus' book.
-The Zamana Masafent (a long, brutal Civil War in Ethiopia comparable historically to Japan's Sengoku-Jidai or other countries' extensive periods of civil strife among warlords)
-The rise of Tewodros
-The nominal unification of the country under Yohannes IV
-A brief background of Menelik II's home province of Shewa/Shoa
-To a limited extent, some background information on foreign polities that played a role in Ethiopian history at this time, including Egypt, Mahdist Sudan, France, Britain and of course Italy.
-The life and accomplishments of Menelik II himself
-The reign of Menelik II's successor Lij Iyasu.
Those seeking a pure biography of Menelik II for one reason or another will not necessarily find it here. Though the book goes into plenty of detail about the titular character, it does not solely focus on him and at times does not focus on him at all. From my perspective at least, this is actually to the book's credit. The expanded narrative benefits history students (such as myself) who seek something more broadly educational.
Non-history students or people less familiar with Ethiopia's history might question why this era and country in particular are important. The reason is actually pretty simple: During the 19th century, Imperialistic European powers carved up nearly all of Africa. There were two main countries that survived this conquest. One was tiny Liberia in West Africa. The other was the larger and far more impressive Ethiopia.
I have seen some history textbooks contend that Ethiopia's survival was owed largely to geography (Ethiopia is a heavily mountainous country and thus naturally troublesome for invaders after all). I find that this assessment is highly misleading, however. Harold Marcus' book successfully points out why.
It becomes clear from reading The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913 that Ethiopia faced a plethora of obstacles in securing its own independence. Foreign incursions even prior to the famously failed Italian invasion that occurred in Menelik II's time, technological backwardness, long-standing ethnic, regional, cultural and religious conflicts, hard-hitting famines and epidemics were just some of the hardships Ethiopia endured in the 19th century.
In light of these weaknesses, it is not hard to imagine several would-be conquerors exploiting Ethiopia, perhaps by pursuing a policy of “divide and conquer” that would involve playing regional warlords off against one another. Ethiopia's terrain likely played a role in helping the country to preserve its independence, but it did not play the decisive role. Ethiopia weathered the so-called Scramble for Africa due to the ingenuity, diplomatic shrewdness, charisma, modernization efforts and religious tolerance of Menelik II. It was Menelik II who fully unified Ethiopia after many years of Civil War. It was Menelik II, too, who thereafter laid the foundation for the modern Ethiopian state. From this perspective, Menelik II can be seen as a statesman just as significant to his country's history as Otto von Bismarck is to Germany. Equally as important, Menelik II himself is just as intriguing a character as Bismarck, and well worth reading about in Marcus' book.
May 30, 2020
A great read for all but especially for Africans. It is a book that chronicles the life and rise of one of the greatest African leaders in history; Menelik II. Marcus expertly tells Menelik's story including his trials and tribulations to his rise as Emperor of Ethiopia. It is an important piece of work which will help all Africans learn about the essence of the first African leader to land a blow to imperialism as it existed in the nineteenth century.
August 3, 2022
The best comprehensive recollection of the life of Menelik II.
The author painstakingly combed through many documents and oral recollections to bring to life this complex and talented leader.
Some information is a little auxiliary, and many names are listed but well worth a read for anyone interested in colonisation or Ethiopian history.
The author painstakingly combed through many documents and oral recollections to bring to life this complex and talented leader.
Some information is a little auxiliary, and many names are listed but well worth a read for anyone interested in colonisation or Ethiopian history.
December 29, 2017
This is one of the best books written about Ethiopia during the late 19th/early 20th period. It goes far beyond just talking about Menelik; Tewodros, Yohannes, Iyassu, the French, the Italians, and so much more.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews