British expedition to Abyssinia

British Expedition to Abyssinia
The burning fortress of Magdala
Date 4 December 1867 – 13 May 1868 (1867-12-04 – 1868-05-13)[1] Location From Annesley Bay to Magdala, Ethiopia Result British victory Release of European hostages Suicide of Emperor Tewodros II Destruction of Magdala fortress
Belligerents
United Kingdom  India Ethiopian rebels	Ethiopian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Sir Robert Napier	Tewodros II  †
Strength
13,000 26,000 camp followers	≈4,000
Casualties and losses
2 dead 700 wounded[2]	700 dead 1,400 wounded[2]

The British Expedition to Abyssinia was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire (also known at the time as Abyssinia). Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, then often referred to by the anglicized name Theodore, imprisoned several missionaries and two representatives of the British government in an attempt to force the British government to comply with his requests for military assistance. The punitive expedition launched by the British in response required the transportation of a sizeable military force hundreds of kilometres across mountainous terrain lacking any road system. The formidable obstacles to the action were overcome by the commander of the expedition, General Robert Napier, who captured the Ethiopian capital, and rescued all the hostages.

Historian Harold G. Marcus described the action as "one of the most expensive affairs of honour in history."^[3]