Treaty of Uccialli

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The Uccialli Treaty , also known as the Wetschale (Wuchale) Friendship Treaty , was concluded on May 2, 1889 between Ethiopia ( Abyssinia ) and Italy . The interpretation of Article XVII of the treaty led to the first Italian-Ethiopian war in 1895, with the defeat of Italy at the Battle of Adua . In the Addis Ababa Peace Treaty of October 26, 1896, Italy had to recognize the annulment of the treaty and the full sovereignty of the Ethiopian Empire.

history

The Ethiopian Emperor Yohannes IV was fatally wounded in 1889 during his campaign against the Mahdists in the Battle of Gallabat . His successor Menelik II tried to consolidate his power with the treaty, while Italy under Prime Minister Francesco Crispi wanted to gain influence over Ethiopia and make it its protectorate . The Italian version of the treaty stated in Article XVII, according to the Italian interpretation, that the Abyssinian ruler would transfer his representation towards third states to Italy and thus recognize the protectorate. Menelik protested against this interpretation, since the Amharic version with equal rights only states that he can, but does not have to, use Italy to represent third countries.

Great Britain , which hoped an Italian protectorate would provide a counterbalance to France and the Mahdists, agreed in two agreements of 1891 and 1894 with Italy to delimit the spheres of interest. In 1895 the first Italian-Ethiopian War broke out, which ended with the defeat of Italy at the Battle of Adua . In the Addis Ababa peace treaty of October 26, 1896, Italy had to recognize the annulment of the Uccialli treaty and the full sovereignty of the Ethiopian Empire.

Aftermath

The treaty is still cited today to illustrate the dangers of an inaccurate translation and interpretation of international agreements.

Web links

literature

  • Paulos Milkias, Getachew Metaferia: The Battle of Adwa: Reflections on Ethiopia's Historic Victory Against European Colonialism , Algora 2005, ISBN 0-87586-415-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Oswalt von Nostitz-Wallwitz: The diplomatic history of the conflict in Abyssinia , Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, 1935, p. 761 ff.
  2. ↑ Johnson: Languages ​​of diplomacy , Economist, April 2, 2013, accessed September 16, 2017