ACTA ÆTHIOPICA vol. III. Internal rivalries and foreign threats 1869-1879.

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Acta Aethiopica

The purpose of the documentary series of Acta Aethiopica is to present, as far as possible, a complete set of all preserved historical documents, i.e. letters, treatises and proclamations, written by Ethiopians in the 19th century. The documents have been collected from dozens of archives in Africa and Europe and are presented in facsimile of the originals, as far as possible, with a fresh English translation, as well as annotation and extensive indices. The aim is to provide scholarship with an easy access to the original sources presenting the voice of the Ethiopians in the colonial period, a voice generally neglected in scholarship relying on more easily accessible reports by European explorers, missionaries, businessmen and consuls. Since African written sources for the 19th century colonial era are rare Acta Aethiopica is a unique series not only for political history but also for how Europe and Europeans were understood, how language and writing was affected and how ideas, religious and profane were transmitted in the colonial period, albeit in one particular country, Ethiopia.

As a distinct project Acta Aethiopica was born at a conference in Addis Abeba in 1970 at the suggestion of Sven Rubenson at the time Professor of Ethiopian history at Addis Abeba University. He realised that all modern scholarship on Ethiopian history was based on European sources and that Ethiopians were only heard as interpreted and very often misunderstood, deliberately or not. Another story needed to be told, a story that could explain why Ethiopia survived as an independent nation in the scramble for Africa.

Volume three with 235 documents was published in 2000 with the title Internal Rivalries and Foreign Threats 1869-1879. The volume documents the internal power struggle after the death of Tewodros resulting in the establishment of a growing base of power in the south with far reaching consequences. A large part of the documents deal with the increased external struggle to gain control of northern Ethiopia as well as the hinterland of the Red Sea littoral. The first culminated in the Egyptian invasion in 1875-1876, its defeat and aftermath, the second in the increased Italian involvement in Ethiopian affairs. The volume is dominated by the letters of emperor Yohannis with his base in the north, and his rival in the south, king Minilik, but also includes a number of letters by the local rulers on the coast, as well as letters by Catholic and Protestant converts. In contrast to the two first volumes there is an obvious impact of European style of diplomacy and writing.

Source: Lund Universtity, consulté le 02.08.2025

Biblethiophile, 02.08.2025