| Princes
Era
The Era of the Princes, also called
Zamana Masafent, was a brief period of history in Ethiopia that
lasted from 1769 to 1855. By 1708, the central government was
destroyed and the country had split up into three different
provinces: Amhara, Shoa, and Tigray. The Amhara region was
continually in internal faction and contributed poorly to defending
Ethiopia against external enemies. Tigray, on the other had, played
a major role in reinstating an imperial government and hosted a
decisive battle at Adwa. On the other had, Shoa, for the most part,
stayed out of the political situations that dealt with the Amhara
and Tigray regions. However, Shoan kings did expand their
territories southwards and established trade that produce an
abundance of coffee and slaves. Ethiopia survived this era in its
history because of Tigray and Shoa’s gaining steady power.
Most of Africa was not yet a colonial
hotspot at this time. Ethiopia’s biggest foe was Egypt. Egypt had
freed itself from Ottoman control and was now pursuing to expand
southwards. The Egyptians attacked and seized lands in northern
Tigray but French and British intervenes helped diminish Egypt’s
attempts to expand south.
Europeans gained even more interest
in Ethiopia for the duration of this period. Trade rejuvenated and
tribal lords gained more access to firearms. In the north, Tigraen
rulers were able to get hold of guns from the Turks by means of
two-way transactions and used them to seize power. Europeans of many
trades and profession visited the kingdom with more regularity.
Missionaries sponsored by the Swiss, German, and English governments
attempted to convert Ethiopians to protestantism. Most of the
missionaries were met with dismayed attitudes and they, more often
then not, fell in awkward positions with civilians and the church.
Most Ethiopian rulers were more concerned with the prospective
support and firearms the country would receive rather than the
missionaries’ religious endeavors. The missionaries’ attempts failed
but they did bring about awareness of the potential of technological
advancement.
|
