page_title: Ras Alula
section_title: Battle of Dogali
hierarchical_section_title: Ras Alula / Battle of Dogali
caption_attribution_description: English: Own Scan. Public domain on account of age. From the book "Ras Alula and the Scramble for Africa: A Political Biography&#160;: Ethiopia &amp; Eritrea 1875-1897 ", Red Sea Press,U.S. (1997), Haggai Erlich Français&#160;: Photo scannée du livre: "Ras Alula and the Scramble for Africa: A Political Biography&#160;: Ethiopia &amp; Eritrea 1875-1897 ", Red Sea Press,U.S. (1997), Haggai Erlich
context_page_description: Ras Alula Engida was an Ethiopian general and politician from Tigray. He was one of the important leaders of the Ethiopian Empire's forces during the 19th century. Described by Haggai Erlich as the greatest leader whom Abyssinia produced since the death of Emperor Tewodros II in 1868, Ras Alula was referred to by Europeans as "the Garibaldi of Abyssinia". He led many battles for the independence of Ethiopia, including Dogali and Adwa. In service of the Emperor Yohannes IV, Ras Allula successfully defeated the Egyptians in Gundet 1875, Gura 1876, Aylet 1887, Senhit 1880, against the mahdists of Sudan, Kufit 1885, Metema 1889 against Italians, Sahati 1887, Dogali 1887, Amba-Alaje 1889, Mekelle 1896 and Adwa 1896. When Yohannes returned from his unsuccessful campaign in Saati, he invaded and ravaged Gojjam for King Tekle Haymanot Tessema's rebellious intentions.
context_section_description: However events beyond Tigray or the Horn of Africa gave Ras Alula very little time to recover from the battle. As part the European Scramble for Africa, at this time the Italians took control of the Red Sea coasts, occupying Massawa and Sahatit with the tacit approval of the British, which was a violation of the Hewett Treaty.
  Although he had collaborated with the British against the Mahdists, Ras Alula chief interest was to guarantee Ethiopian sovereignty, which made him very wary towards the English who he suspected supported the Italians' encroachments. His mistrust is clearly expressed in a conversation carried out with Augustus B. Wylde, the former British vice consul at Jeddah, who recorded these words in a dispatch to the Manchester Guardian:
  What does England mean by destroying Hewett's treaty and allowing the Italians to take my country from me? …Did I not relieve the Egyptian garrison in the Bogos country? Did I not fight at Cassala when it was too late? Have I not done everything I could? You English used us to do what you wanted and then left us.
  Upon returning to Asmara, Alula mobilized 5,000 men and marched from Ghinda towards Sahati. It is unclear whether Ras Alula was acting on his own initiative in this instance, or at the orders of his Emperor. Discussing the battle later, he insisted that he was following orders; contemporary Ethiopian documents support Ras Alula's claim. However, in a 9 March 1887 letter to Queen Victoria, Emperor Yohannes wrote that his general had first spent two weeks investigating the Italian presence, then demanded that the Italians either evacuate their positions outside of Massawa or fight.
  Before attacking the Italians, he notified Emperor Yohannes of his intentions, which is expressed to Harrison, who had accompanied the admiral Hewett during the negotiations of the treaty, declaring to him that the British had not honored their word.
  To Marcopolo Bey Ras Alula wrote that the Italians were in Massawa, and to the Consul Sumagn de France, he warned that he would destroy the Italian forces if they did not leave Abassinian territory. But the Italians believed that it was "the divine will that the Italians come to Massawa". In October 1886, the forces of Alula appeared near Sahati and Massawa.
  By December 1886, confrontation with the Italians was inevitable. The first clash took place 25 January 1887 at Sahati, where the Ethiopians were repulsed with heavy casualties; Alula rallied his troops and the next day annihilated the Italian relief column at Dogali. The commander of the Italian forces, colonel Tommaso De Cristoforis was killed in this battle, along with 400 soldiers and 22 officers.
caption: Ras Alula Engida in his final days.
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