Ethiopia

country in the Horn of Africa

73 dated entries naming Ethiopia, drawn from 65 separate years between 668 BCE and 2024 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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7th century BC

668 BCEKing Ashurbanipal puts down an Egyptian rebellion. He drives out Egypt's Ethiopian king Taharqa, and restores Necho I as governor of Sais in the Nile Delta.source

3rd century

250An epidemic begins in Ethiopia, moves into Egypt and the Roman colonies in North Africa, and spreads through the Roman Empire (named the Plague of Cyprian, after St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage).source
270The Kingdom of Aksum (modern Ethiopia) begins minting its own gold coins to facilitate international trade, following the model of Roman coinage.source

4th century

330Frumentius is the first bishop of Ethiopia (approximate date).source
341Coptic Christianity is introduced into Ethiopia by the Syrian apostle Frumentius. He and his colleague Aedesius ware captured by Ethiopians a year or two ago, and have become civil servants at the Aksumite court of King Ezana. Ezana is impressed with Frumentius' teachings and converts to Christianity. Frumentius becomes the first Bishop of Axum and encourages the Christian merchants present in the country to practise their faith openly.source

5th century

500Traders from southern Arabia settle in northern Ethiopia.source

7th century

615Several of Muhammad's followers begin to emigrate to the Aksumite Empire. They found a small colony there, under the protection of the Christian Ethiopian emperor Așhama ibn Abjar.source

8th century

702Ethiopian (Axumite) raiders occupy the port of Jeddah (modern Saudi Arabia).source

9th century

850Coffee is discovered (according to legend) by the Ethiopian goatherder Kaldi in East Africa, who notices that his goats become energetic after chewing the red berries from certain wild bushes (approximate date).source

10th century

919Following his death, Mara Takla Haymanot is succeeded by his eldest son Tatadim as ruler (negus) of the Zagwe Dynasty in Ethiopia.source
919Mara Takla Haymanot, ruler of Ethiopiasource

13th century

1270August 10 (10 Nehasé 1262) – Yekuno Amlak overthrows the Ethiopian Zagwe dynasty, claims the imperial throne and establishes the Solomonic Dynasty, which will last until 1974.source

14th century

1390The Kingdom of Kaffa is established in present day Ethiopia (approximate date).source

15th century

1478November 8 – Emperor Baeda Maryam I of Ethiopia (b. 1448)source
1490Pêro da Covilhã arrives in Ethiopia.source

16th century

1542April 4 – The Battle of Jarte begins in Ethiopia as the Army of the Portuguese Empire, commanded by Cristóvão da Gama encounters the army of the Ethiopian ruler, the Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, achieving a victory on April 16.source
1542August 28 – Battle of Wofla in Ethiopia: Reinforced with at least 2900 arquebusiers and cavalry, the Imam Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi attacks the Portuguese camp. The Portuguese are scattered; Cristóvão da Gama is captured and executed.source
1542February 2 – Battle of Baçente: The Portuguese under Cristóvão da Gama capture a Muslim-occupied hillfort in northern Ethiopia.source
1573Sarsa Dengel, emperor of Ethiopia, defeats the Oromo in a battle near Lake Zway.source
1597Yaqob succeeds his father Sarsa Dengel, as Emperor of Ethiopia at the age of 7.source

17th century

1608January 17 – Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia defeats an Oromo army at Ebenat; 12,000 Oromo are reportedly killed at a cost of 400 Amhara.source
1618April 21 – Spanish-born Jesuit missionary Pedro Páez becomes (probably) the first European to see and describe the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.source
1620October 6 – Battle of Amedamit in Gojjam, Ethiopia: The Roman Catholic Ras Sela Kristos, half-brother of Emperor Susenyos, crushes a group of rebels, who are opposed to Susenyos' pro-Catholic beliefs.source
1624January 24 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.source
1626February 11 – Emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia and Patriarch Afonso Mendes declare the primacy of the Roman See over the Ethiopian Church, and Roman Catholicism the state religion of Ethiopia.source
1634Suspecting that Patriarch Afonso Mendes played a part in the Portuguese assault on Mombasa, Emperor Fasilides expels him and several Jesuit missionaries from Ethiopia.source
1636Emperor Fasilides founds the city of Gondar, which becomes the capital of Ethiopia for the next two centuries.source
1668Emperor Yohannes I of Ethiopia convenes a church council in Gondar, which decides to expel all Roman Catholics from the country.source
1676Emperor Yohannes I of Ethiopia decrees that Muslims must live separately from Christians throughout his realm.source
1696April – A fire destroys the Gra Bet (Left Quarter) of Gondar, the capital of Ethiopia. The fire starts "in the house of a prostitute" and destroys many buildings, including the churches of St. George, Takla Haymanot and Iyasu.source

18th century

1704An earthquake strikes Gondar, Ethiopia.source
1755June 26 – Iyasu II, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. c. 1723)source
1770February 14 – Scottish explorer James Bruce arrives at Gondar, capital of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) and is received by the Emperor Tekle Haymanot II and Ras Mikael Sehul.source
1771May – Three battles of Sarbakusa: An alliance of three of the most powerful aristocrats of Ethiopia (Goshu of Amhara, Wand Bewossen and Fasil of Damot) defeats Ras Mikael Sehul and Emperor Tekle Haymanot II, taking control of Ethiopia.source
1773June 27 – Mentewab, dowager Empress of Ethiopia (b. c. 1706)source
1779June 23 – Ras Mikael Sehul, Enderase of Ethiopia (b. 1692)source

19th century

1817December 12 – Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I of Ethiopia, (b. c. 1751)source
1831February 14 – Sabagadis, Ethiopian warlord (b. c. 1770)source
1868April 13 – Emperor Theodore or Tewodros II of Ethiopia by suicide (b. 1818)source
1875November 16 – Battle of Gundat: Ethiopian Emperor Yohannes IV defeats another Egyptian army.source
1875September 7 – Battle of Agurdat: An Egyptian invasion of Ethiopia fails, when Emperor Yohannes IV defeats an army led by Werner Munzinger.source
1887January 24 – Battle of Dogali: Abyssinian troops defeat the Italians.source
1888October 14 – Battle of Guté Dili: Seeking to extend Mahdist control over what is becomes southwestern Ethiopia, governor Khalil al-Khuzani is routed by an alliance of Shewan forces, under Ras Gobana Dacche and Moroda Bekere, ruler of Leqa Naqamte. Only a handful, including Khalil, barely manage to flee the battlefield.source
1889March 9 – Battle of Metemma: Yohannes IV, Emperor of Ethiopia, is killed; Sudanese forces, who have been almost defeated, rally and destroy the Ethiopian army. Yohannes is probably the world's last ruler ever to die in battle; on March 25 Menelik II proclaims himself as his successor.source
1889May 2 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, giving Italy control over what will become Eritrea.source
1896March 1 – Battle of Adwa: Ethiopia defends its independence from Italy, ending the First Italo-Ethiopian War.source
1897October 6 – Ethiopia adopts the tricolor flag: green is for the land, yellow for gold, and red is symbolic of strength and the blood shed.source

20th century

1906December 13 – The United Kingdom, France and Italy sign an agreement to preserve, in Ethiopia, the integrity of the ancient empire of Abyssinia.source
1916October 27 – Battle of Segale: Negus Mikael of Wollo, marching on the Ethiopian capital in support of his son Emperor Iyasu V, is defeated by Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis, securing the throne for Empress Zewditu.source
1928August 2 – Italy and Ethiopia sign the Italo-Ethiopian Treaty.source
1932April 17 – Haile Selassie announces an anti-slavery law in Abyssinia.source
1934November 23 – An Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission in the Ogaden discovers an Italian garrison at Walwal, which lies well within Ethiopian territory. This encounter leads to the Abyssinia Crisis.source
1936May 9 – Speaking in Rome, Benito Mussolini announces the foundation of the empire, as Italian East Africa is formed from the Italian territories of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland.source
1937February 19 – Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Eritrean nationalists attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades. Italian security guards fire into the crowd of Ethiopian onlookers. Authorities exact further reprisals, which include indiscriminately slaughtering native Ethiopians over the next 3 days, detaining thousands of Ethiopians at Danan and slaughtering almost 300 monks at the Debre Libanos Monastery.source
1960December 17 – Troops loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia overcome the coup that began on December 13, returning the reins to the Emperor upon his return from a trip to Brazil. The Emperor absolves his own son of any guilt.source
1961June 1 – Ethiopia experiences its most devastating earthquake of the 20th century, with a magnitude of 6.7. The town of Majete is destroyed, 45% of the houses in Karakore collapse, 17 km mi of the main road north of Karakore are damaged by landslides and fissures, and 5,000 inhabitants in the area are left homeless.source
1963May 25 – The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.source
1970November 21 – In Ethiopia, the Eritrean Liberation Front kills an Ethiopian general.source
1974September 12 – Ethiopian Revolution: Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed by the Derg, bringing an end to the Solomonic dynasty's rule since 1270. The Ethiopian Civil War begins.source
1987March 29 – A hybrid solar eclipse is the second hybrid solar eclipse in less than one year, the first being on October 3, 1986. It is annular visible in southern Argentina, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan (part of the path of annularity crossed today's South Sudan), Ethiopia, Djibouti and northern Somalia and totally visible in Atlantic Ocean, lasting just 7.57 seconds.source
1988March 17 – Eritrean War of Independence – Battle of Afabet: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on 3 sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF).source
1989August 7 – U.S. Representative Mickey Leland (D-TX) and fifteen others die in a plane crash in Ethiopia.source
1991May 21 – Ethiopian Civil War: Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia to Zimbabwe, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end.source
1994December 13 – The trial of former president Mengistu begins in Ethiopia.source
1994March 31 – The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull.source

21st century

2007September 11 – Ethiopia celebrates the third millennium in Ethiopian calendar.source
2018July 9 – Eritrea and Ethiopia officially declare an end to their twenty-year conflict.source
2019December 19 – A locust plague devastates 173,000 acres (70,000 hectares) of crop and grazing land in Ethiopia and Somalia.source
2020Beginning of the Tigray War: Ethiopia launches an offensive in Tigray following an attack on Ethiopian military bases by the Tigray People's Liberation Front.source
2023January 21 – Tigray War: Eritrean forces withdraw from Shire and other major towns in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.source
2024January 1 – Ethiopia announces an agreement with Somaliland to use the port of Berbera. Ethiopia also says that it will eventually recognize Somaliland's independence, becoming the first country to do so.source
2024January 1 – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates become BRICS members.source
2024July 22 – Landslides kill 257 people and bury two villages in Geze Gofa, Gofa Zuria, Ethiopia.source