history of Ethiopia

Introduction & Top Questions
From Ethiopia’s prehistory to the Aksumite kingdom
The Zagwe and Solomonic dynasties
Challenge, revival, and decline (16th–19th century)
Emergence of modern Ethiopia (1855–1916)
- Tewodros II (1855–68)
- Yohannes IV (1872–89)
- Menilek II (1889–1913)
- Iyasu (1913–16)
The rise and reign of Haile Selassie I (1916–74)
- Regent and heir apparent
- Emperor
- Conflict with Italy
- Return to power
- Internal conflicts and the fall of the monarchy
Socialist Ethiopia (1974–91)
- Land reform and famine
- Challenges to the regime
Ethiopian transition (1991–95)
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
- Political and economic reforms
- War with Eritrea
- Dissent, protests, and increasing oppression
- Winds of change
- Challenges, ethnic tensions, and the Tigrayan conflict
- 2021 elections, Tigrayan rebel advance, and an end to the fighting
- Conflicts in Amhara and Oromia
- Troubles in Tigray, regional tensions, and the 2026 election

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Map of Ethiopia and surrounding countries in East Africa, showing international boundaries, major cities such as Addis Ababa, and neighboring nations including Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. An inset locator map highlights Ethiopia's position on the African continent.

Tall stone obelisk with carved details stands among several smaller stelae at the Aksum Kingdom site in Ethiopia, with trees and blue sky in the background.

Map of Africa and surrounding regions with the territory of the ancient kingdom of Aksum highlighted in orange. The highlighted area covers parts of present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, and Djibouti, showing Aksum's location near the Red Sea in northeastern Africa.

Bete Giyorgis (House of St. George)

Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ghāzī

Fasilides' castle in Gonder

Illustration from Le Petit Journal showing King Menelik II in a red cloak and headdress riding a white horse as he surveys Ethiopian troops at the Battle of Adwa.

Engraving depicting Ethiopian forces attacking Italian soldiers led by Brigadier General Vittorio Emanuele Dabormida during the Battle of Adwa, with chaotic close combat and smoke.

history of Ethiopia: Media

Images

Ethiopia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Ethiopia and surrounding countries in East Africa, showing international boundaries, major cities such as Addis Ababa, and neighboring nations including Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. An inset locator map highlights Ethiopia's position on the African continent.

Ethiopia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

“Lucy”

“Lucy”

“Lucy,” a 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton found...

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Tall stone obelisk with carved details stands among several smaller stelae at the Aksum Kingdom site in Ethiopia, with trees and blue sky in the background.

Obelisk at Aksum

An obelisk from the ancient Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum, in the modern town of the...

© Meinzahn—iStock/Getty Images

Map of Africa and surrounding regions with the territory of the ancient kingdom of Aksum highlighted in orange. The highlighted area covers parts of present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, and Djibouti, showing Aksum's location near the Red Sea in northeastern Africa.

Aksum, c. 6th century ce

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Bete Giyorgis (House of St. George)

Bete Giyorgis (House of St. George)

Bete Giyorgis (House of St. George), one of the rock-hewn churches in Lalībela, Ethiopia,...

© Edwin Remsberg/Alamy

Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ghāzī

Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ghāzī

Statue of the 16th-century Muslim leader Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ghāzī (also known as...

RoboRanks

Fasilides' castle in Gonder

Fasilides' castle in Gonder

Fasilides' castle in Gonder, Ethiopia.

J. Allan Cash Photolibrary/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Illustration from Le Petit Journal showing King Menelik II in a red cloak and headdress riding a white horse as he surveys Ethiopian troops at the Battle of Adwa.

Battle of Adwa

Ethiopian Emperor Menilek II surveying his troops at the Battle of Adwa on March...

© Photo12—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Engraving depicting Ethiopian forces attacking Italian soldiers led by Brigadier General Vittorio Emanuele Dabormida during the Battle of Adwa, with chaotic close combat and smoke.

Battle of Adwa

Ethiopian forces attack the troops of Italian Brig. Gen. Vittorio Emanuele Dabormida...

© DEA Picture Library—De Agostini/Getty Images

Antique map showing northeast Africa from the early 1900s, including regions labeled as Tripoli, Egypt, Libya, Abyssinia, Darfur, and Wadai. The map features detailed borders, cities, and geographic features of the period, with an inset in the upper right corner highlighting the Nile Delta and the Suez Canal.

Ethiopia, c. 1902

Map of northeastern Africa, with Ethiopia (as Abyssinia) shown in the lower right...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of eastern Africa around 1914, showing the region divided among British, German, French, and Italian colonial powers. Different territories are color-coded by colonial ruler, with key locations such as British East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), German East Africa (including present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi), Italian Somaliland, and French Somaliland labeled. Major lakes, rivers, and cities are also marked.

Imperial partitions of eastern Africa, 1881–1925

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia stands in an ornate ceremonial uniform beside a table with a crown

Haile Selassie I

Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I posing in ceremonial uniform, c. 1930.

© Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Italian soldiers in the Italo-Ethiopian War

Italian soldiers in the Italo-Ethiopian War

Italian soldiers being transported by truck during the Italo-Ethiopian War in Ethiopia....

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Neg. no. LC-USZ62-59754)

Mengistu Haile Mariam in military uniform raises his left fist while delivering a speech in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 1977, with a crowd visible in the background.

Mengistu Haile Mariam

Ethiopian army officer and head of state Mengistu Haile Mariam delivering a speech...

William Campbell—Sygma/Getty Images

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaking at the launch of the La Gare mixed-use real estate development, Addis Ababa, November 19, 2018.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaking at the launch of the La Gare mixed-use real estate development, Addis Ababa, November 19, 2018.

Office of the Prime Minister -Ethiopia

Map of the Horn of Africa, highlighting the core countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti in solid light green, with Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and Uganda shown in striped light green to indicate broader definitions. Surrounding countries and bodies of water, including the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean, are also labeled. An inset globe marks the region's location in Africa.

Horn of Africa

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.