The Shadow King

Though Mengiste writes a fictionalized account of war, the novel honors the national identity of Ethiopia and the stories of those who—while left out of formal histories—have shaped this identity. Many are familiar with World War II as a European conflict but have not heard the stories of the intertwined colonial conflicts that overstretched Axis powers and contributed significantly to Allied victory. Ethiopia is rarely acknowledged for its role in resisting Italian colonialism and thus weakening Italy’s forces in the global conflict. History has further ignored the significant contributions of Ethiopian women. Mengiste’s own grandmother served as a soldier during the Italo-Ethiopian wars, but textbooks mention no female soldiers. Mengiste aims to correct both oversights with The Shadow King.

The Italo-Ethiopian wars are integral to the shaping of Ethiopian national identity and securing its sovereignty in the international arena. Both the first and second Italo-Ethiopian wars were colonial wars of aggression in which Italy sought to expand its empire from what is now Eritrea into what it now Ethiopia. The First Ethiopian War of 1895 originated as a dispute regarding the Treaty of Wuchale and led to a conflict that established Ethiopian sovereignty in Western political terms.

Italian and Amharic translations of Article 17 of the Treaty of Wuchale differ grammatically. The Italian version states that Ethiopia must use Italian government to conduct foreign relations while the Amharic version states that Ethiopia may use Italian government to conduct foreign affairs. Emperor Menelik II rejected the Italian version, as it would turn Ethiopia into a protectorate, but Italy claimed in international arenas that Ethiopia agreed to be its protectorate. Western powers honored the Italian designation, leading to conflict, which the Ethiopians won by driving Italian forces out at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.

As one of the first examples of a successful ouster of a colonial power in Africa, Ethiopia earned a fierce reputation as a nation capable of matching European powers and leveraged its way into Western-dominated international politics. Ethiopia’s nationhood became an important symbol against colonial ideology worldwide. Menelik II himself designated the Gash/Mareb River as the boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which is why Mussolini’s forces chose this place for a second invasion in 1935.

Bolstered by the nationalism sweeping Europe and eager to demonstrate a commitment to expansionism, Mussolini ordered Marshal Emilio de Bono and General Rudolfo Graziani to enter Ethiopia in 1935 and take Adwa. European political leaders still reeling from WWI had no desire to stand against Italy for fear of sparking another war. Isolated, poorly supplied, and lacking modern weapons like planes and tanks, Ethiopians fought a years-long war until Emperor Haile Selassie’s offensive failed at Maichew in 1937. Although they were officially under Italian colonial rule, Ethiopians continued to resist for four more years until the Italian retreat in 1941. Again, Ethiopia became a symbol for the lies inherent in Western colonialism and Nationalism and for the possibility of effective resistance against both.

Unlike traditional military histories that focus on the decisions of generals and political leaders, Mengiste’s fictional retelling of the Second Italo-Ethiopian war centers the personal struggles and identities of individuals. Emphasis on the female characters’ transformations from wives, daughters, enslaved people, and victims to fierce warriors mirrors the historical transformation of Ethiopia from an isolated, invaded nation to a victorious sovereign nation asserting its right to exist.