nations with royal families

[Markdoc]

Re: nations with royal families

 

Which artifact was supposed to have power to grant victory in war, wasn't it?

 

And as I recall, Ethiopia was the only country in Africa that was never really successfully conquered and colonized (although the Italians made a creditible stab at it if I rememeber my history...)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The italians had multiple stabs at it, but never really made much progress. Back in the 19th century, they put together a large army and marched out of Ertitrea (which they did colonise) to conquer Ethiopia. Unfortunately for them, the British and the French had made a secret agreement to keep Ethiopia independent as a buffer between British interests in Sudan and Egypt and French interests in Djibouti and the horn. An italian colony in the middle was not on their agenda. So they supplied the Tigreaen king (Tigre is one tribal area in Ethiopia) with relatively modern rifles and millions (literally) of cartridges. At Adawa, the Italian army faced off against a much larger Ethiopian one armed not with spears, but repeating rifles, with plenty of ammo ... and got crushed. The Ethiopian king, flush with cash, weapons and reputation off this victory then went on to conquer all his surrounding rivals and establish, more or less the modern state of Ethiopia (one reason Ethiopia has been so unstable - it was put together by conquest from multiple independent, warring kingdoms only about a century ago). The Italians had another go in the 30's, where aircraft and mustard gas gave them a significant advantage, but they didn't manage to do more than conquer the regions around the larger cities before WW2 brought the British and commonwealth troops in on the Ethiopian side. There was a relatively short, quite nasty and almost unknown war there which resulted in a Commonwealth victory and the loss of about 70,000 Italian troops - plus the entire Italian red sea fleet.

 

cheers, Mark

[Alverant]

Re: nations with royal families

 

Not sure if it counts as a royal family, but the Vatican does have a monarch-for-life of sorts who is elected by a kind of nobility. There's no real chance of a dynasty or family. But in a fictional history a family who knows what could happen.

[Yansuf]

Re: nations with royal families

 

The italians had multiple stabs at it, but never really made much progress. Back in the 19th century, they put together a large army and marched out of Ertitrea (which they did colonise) to conquer Ethiopia. Unfortunately for them, the British and the French had made a secret agreement to keep Ethiopia independent as a buffer between British interests in Sudan and Egypt and French interests in Djibouti and the horn. An italian colony in the middle was not on their agenda. So they supplied the Tigreaen king (Tigre is one tribal area in Ethiopia) with relatively modern rifles and millions (literally) of cartridges. At Adawa, the Italian army faced off against a much larger Ethiopian one armed not with spears, but repeating rifles, with plenty of ammo ... and got crushed. The Ethiopian king, flush with cash, weapons and reputation off this victory then went on to conquer all his surrounding rivals and establish, more or less the modern state of Ethiopia (one reason Ethiopia has been so unstable - it was put together by conquest from multiple independent, warring kingdoms only about a century ago). The Italians had another go in the 30's, where aircraft and mustard gas gave them a significant advantage, but they didn't manage to do more than conquer the regions around the larger cities before WW2 brought the British and commonwealth troops in on the Ethiopian side. There was a relatively short, quite nasty and almost unknown war there which resulted in a Commonwealth victory and the loss of about 70,000 Italian troops - plus the entire Italian red sea fleet.

 

cheers, Mark

 

The "multiple independent, warring kingdoms" had been part of a single, unified kingdom until the kingdom broke up in the 18th century. After the death of Iyasus the great in 1706, there was no agreed on heir, and the country fractured.

Emperor Theodore II reunited the country (by force) in 1855. Ethiopia broke up again after his death in 1868. In 1889 Menelik II became emperor, and he reunited the country.

[Markdoc]

Re: nations with royal families

 

The "multiple independent' date=' warring kingdoms" had been part of a single, unified kingdom until the kingdom broke up in the 18th century. After the death of Iyasus the great in 1706, there was no agreed on heir, and the country fractured.[/quote']

 

Not really. Iyasu I united the regions of the north and reconquered the Red Sea coast, but his campaigns against the Oromo in the south were never successful and he never even attempted to expand across the Rift valley into Gurage and Harage territory. He ruled over what's now Eritrea and about a quarter of what's now modern Ethiopia - the region north of Debre Libanos.

 

Emperor Theodore II reunited the country (by force) in 1855. Ethiopia broke up again after his death in 1868. In 1889 Menelik II became emperor, and he reunited the country.

 

Again, not really. Tewodros II (the usual anglicised spelling of his name) conquered Tigray, Wallo, and part of Shawa. But these correspond to just the upper corner of modern Ethiopia - from a little south of Addis, as far north as Mek'ele, East to the Nile and no further west than Dese. Before he killed himself to avoid capture by the British, he had ceded Eritrea to the Italians and ruled over about a third of what's now modern Ethiopia. He was never able to conquer either Yohannes (who, with the help of British weapons was able to take over his kingdom after Tewodros' death and defeat the Egyptians) or Menelik, who succeeded Yohannes to finally unite the northern kingdoms. It wasn't until Menelik II - the victor of Adawa - that the Northerners extended the borders of Ethiopia out over the Harege, Afar, Oromo and southern tribes' regions, which make up almost half the country.

 

There's a map here:

the light green region in the north corresponds - more or less - to Tewodros' kingdom and the darker green to Yohanne's additions, but you can see how during Menelik II's reign (1889-1913) the country suddenly expanded to fill its current borders.

 

cheers, Mark

[pinecone]

Re: nations with royal families

 

Not really. Iyasu I united the regions of the north and reconquered the Red Sea coast, but his campaigns against the Oromo in the south were never successful and he never even attempted to expand across the Rift valley into Gurage and Harage territory. He ruled over what's now Eritrea and about a quarter of what's now modern Ethiopia - the region north of Debre Libanos.

 

 

 

Again, not really. Tewodros II (the usual anglicised spelling of his name) conquered Tigray, Wallo, and part of Shawa. But these correspond to just the upper corner of modern Ethiopia - from a little south of Addis, as far north as Mek'ele, East to the Nile and no further west than Dese. Before he killed himself to avoid capture by the British, he had ceded Eritrea to the Italians and ruled over about a third of what's now modern Ethiopia. He was never able to conquer either Yohannes (who, with the help of British weapons was able to take over his kingdom after Tewodros' death and defeat the Egyptians) or Menelik, who succeeded Yohannes to finally unite the northern kingdoms. It wasn't until Menelik II - the victor of Adawa - that the Northerners extended the borders of Ethiopia out over the Harege, Afar, Oromo and southern tribes' regions, which make up almost half the country.

 

There's a map here:

the light green region in the north corresponds - more or less - to Tewodros' kingdom and the darker green to Yohanne's additions, but you can see how during Menelik II's reign (1889-1913) the country suddenly expanded to fill its current borders.

 

cheers, Mark

 

Thanks for all the info! I was just entertaining myself with a goofy idea, and this plays right into it!

Ja Rules! the Rasta superman (Kal crashed in the Carabean...) could restrore the Lion of Zion's desendant to the throne...

[BNakagawa]

Re: nations with royal families

 

North Korea, more or less.

[Nuclear Fridge]

Re: nations with royal families

 

North Korea' date=' more or less.[/quote']

 

"You ready for inspection, Hans? Step a rittle to your reft. A rittle more...

"Good."

Any evil throne room can only be enhanced by the inclusion of a huge shark tank.