Customer Reviews

The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia, 1844-1913

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For those with a historical interest in the nations of Africa will find this book entertaining and easy to read. Well researched, informative, and detailed account of the life of King Menelik II of Ethiopia. Menelik was the king responsible for unifying the various tribes within the nation and generally created the border that exists today (or, at least, when Eritrea was still part of Ethiopia). Menelik is also famous for his military genius which helped defeat the Italian army in 1896 at the Battle of Adwa, thus preventing Ethiopia from being colonized by a European nation. Prof. Harold Marcus also goes into great detail on Ethiopia's dealings with the European nations and its neighboring countries during the rule of King Menelik II, but his narrative style makes this book very easy to read. I recommend this book to anyone from high school and up.

The book "The Life and Times of Menelik II" is superbly written. It gives an overall highly discriptive view of Abyssinian history during the last generations of Ethiopia's empirial dynasty. It is probably the best book that exists about Ethiopia's struggles against European colonialism, specifically the Battle of Adwa. Read this book to discover why Ethiopia was the only country in the early 20th century not yet subjected to European occupation.