Battle of Gallabat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Gallabat
Part of the Mahdist War
The Battlefield Where King John Was Killed – Gallabat in the Early 20th Century
Date 9–10 March 1889 Location Gallabat, Sudan Result Pyrrhic Mahdist victory
Belligerents
Mahdist State	Ethiopian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Zeki Tummal	Yohannes IV of Ethiopia  † Ras Mengesha Yohannes Ras Mikael of Wollo Ras Alula
Strength
85,000 men	130,000 foot soldiers, 20,000 cavalry
Casualties and losses
~30,000 killed	~30,000 killed

The Battle of Gallabat (also called the Battle of Metemma) was a major fight between the Mahdist forces from Sudan and the Ethiopian army. It happened on March 9-10, 1889. This battle is very important in Ethiopian history because Emperor Yohannes IV was killed during the fighting. It was also the last big battle on the Ethiopian side of the Mahdist War. The battle took place near two towns, Gallabat in modern Sudan and Metemma in modern Ethiopia. That's why it's known by both names.

Why Did the Battle Happen?

When the Mahdists started a rebellion against the Egyptians, many Egyptian army groups became trapped in Sudan. The British, who were then in charge of Egypt's government, made a deal with Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia. This deal, called the Treaty of Adowa, was signed on June 3, 1884. It allowed the trapped Egyptian soldiers to leave Sudan safely by going through Ethiopian land to Massawa.

After this, the Mahdist leader, Khalifa Abdallahi, saw the Ethiopians as his enemies. He began sending his forces to attack Ethiopia. The towns of Gallabat and Metemma were important because they were on a trade route from the Nile River to Gondar, which was Ethiopia's old capital city. The Mahdists used these towns as a base to launch their attacks into Ethiopia. These raids led to a defeat for the Mahdists by an Ethiopian general named Ras Alula at Kufit on September 23, 1885.

Gondar is Attacked

In January 1887, a local Ethiopian ruler named Negus Tekle Haymanot, who served Emperor Yohannes, defeated the Mahdists in a battle. To get revenge, the Mahdists, led by Abu Anga, marched into Ethiopia the next year with a huge army of 81,000 men. Their goal was to attack the historic city of Gondar.

Tekle Haymanot tried to stop them at Sar Weha on January 18, 1888, but his forces were defeated. A person who saw the battle, Joseph Ohrwalder, said that Tekle Haymanot's soldiers fought very bravely to protect their country and their faith. However, the Mahdist army was much larger and better equipped, so they were overwhelmed. Because of this loss, the Mahdists were able to enter Gondar and take many valuable things. Many churches were burned, and many people were harmed or taken captive.

Even though the capital city was damaged, Emperor Yohannes waited to counterattack. He was worried about Menelik II, who ruled the region of Shewa. The Emperor wanted to fight Menelik first, but his religious leaders and top officers convinced him to deal with the Mahdist threat instead. The Ethiopians, led by Ras Gobana Dacche, did defeat the Mahdists in the Battle of Guté Dili on October 14, 1888. After this victory, the Emperor decided to follow his people's advice. He said that if he survived, he could fight Shewa later. If he died fighting the Mahdists, he believed he would go to heaven.

The Battle of Gallabat

In late January 1889, Emperor Yohannes gathered a massive army of 130,000 foot soldiers and 20,000 cavalry in Dembiya. The Sudanese Mahdists had an army of 85,000. They built strong defenses in Gallabat, surrounding the town with a huge zariba. This was a barrier made of tangled thorn bushes, similar to barbed wire.

On March 8, 1889, the Ethiopian army arrived near Gallabat. The main attack began the next day. The Emperor's nephews, Ras Haile Maryam Gugsa and Ras Mengesha, led the two sides of the Ethiopian army. The Ethiopians managed to set the zariba on fire. By focusing their attack on one part of the defense, they broke through the Mahdist lines and entered the town. The Mahdist defenders suffered heavy losses and were almost completely defeated.

However, the battle suddenly changed. Emperor Yohannes, who was leading his army from the front, was hit by a bullet in his hand. He kept fighting, but then a second bullet hit him in the chest, which was a fatal wound. He was carried back to his tent and died that night. Before he passed away, Yohannes told his leaders to accept his son, Ras Mengesha, as the next emperor. The Ethiopian soldiers, feeling sad and discouraged by their ruler's death, began to leave the battlefield. This left the victory to the Mahdists.

According to David L. Lewis, the Mahdists didn't know the Emperor had died until a spy noticed a strong smell from his body. The Mahdists, who were almost beaten, then rushed out of their zariba and scattered the disheartened Ethiopians. On March 12, the Mahdist commander, Zeki Tummal, caught up with Rasses Mangasha and Alula near the Atbara River. They were trying to take the Emperor's body to a safe place. The Mahdists caused many more losses for the Ethiopians and captured the Emperor's body.

What Happened Next?

The death of Emperor Yohannes caused a lot of political trouble in Ethiopia. On his deathbed, Yohannes had named his son, Ras Mengesha, as his heir. He asked Ras Alula and his other nobles to support Mengesha. However, the region of Tigray was in chaos, there was a famine, and local chiefs were fighting among themselves. Even though Alula urged Mengesha to declare himself Emperor, Mengesha refused. He knew that without full support from all of Tigray, no one would take his claim to the throne seriously. Within a few weeks, Menelik II was recognized as the new emperor. This made the Shoan region the most powerful in Ethiopia.

After Menelik became emperor, Mahdist raids continued into Ethiopia, reaching as far as Dembiya. However, Menelik tried to build friendly relations with the Mahdists. When Menelik rejected the Treaty of Wuchale in 1893, the Mahdist leader Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad sent a representative to Ethiopia. Just before the First Italo-Ethiopian War began, Menelik sent a letter to the Khalifa. In it, he said:

When you were at war with Emperor Yohannes, I was also fighting against him. We have never fought each other. Now we face an enemy worse than ever. This enemy has come to take control of both of us. We are of the same skin color. Therefore, we must work together to get rid of our common enemy.

Because of increasing pressure from European colonial powers, the Khalifa was open to Menelik's friendly message. He sent small raiding groups to Italian Eritrea, but they were easily pushed back. After it became clear that the Mahdists would likely be defeated, Menelik declared them enemies of Ethiopia. He then sent an army to take control of the gold-producing area of Bani Shangul, adding it to Ethiopia by 1897.