Battle of Dabarki

Battle of Dabarki
	Part of Ethiopian–Ottoman border conflict
Date	1848
Location	Dabarki, Sudan
Result	Egyptian victory
Belligerents
Ethiopian Empire	Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Kassa Hailu (WIA)	Khalid Khusraw Pasha
Strength
16,000 spearmen	800 riflemen; 2 cannons
Casualties and losses
Heavy	Light

30°31′N 30°52′E / 30.51°N 30.87°E / 30.51; 30.87

The Battle of Dabarki, also known as the Battle of Dabarqi, was a military engagement fought between the Ethiopian Empire and the province of Egypt in 1848. The battle was a heavy defeat for the Ethiopians and would spur the modernization of the Ethiopian army.

History

In the late 1840s, Kassa Hailu decided strengthen his position by damaging his major adversary, namely the Muslim power Egypt, then a nominal province of the Ottoman Empire. Invading through Ethiopia's western frontier, the Ethiopian army advanced into the Egyptian-controlled Sudan and occupied Metemma without resistance.^[1]^[2]

In March 1848, Kassa and his force of 16,000 warriors attacked Dabarki, a fortified post garrisoned with a battalion of 800 Egyptian troops and two cannons.^[3]^[4]^[5] Kassa led his men in a frontal charge against the Egyptian fort and the Ethiopians suffered heavy losses by the accurate musket fire and the cannons, Kassa himself was slightly wounded during the assault.^[6] After this he led the remnants of his army back to Begemder.^[7]^[5]

The battle at Dabarki greatly effected Kassa' military thinking, inspiriting him to modernize the Ethiopian army with more modern artillery and firearms.^[7]^[5] Several sources have described the battle as the first significant defeat in Tewodros' military career.^[2]^[5]

References

↑ El Amin, Abdel Karim. Ahmed, Abdel Karim (2009). AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE SHAWAN – AMHARA CONQUEST OF THE OROMO and SIDAMA REGIONS OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA 1865-1900
1 2 Dunn, John. "'For God, Emperor, and Country!' The Evolution of Ethiopia's Nineteenth-Century Army", War in History, 1 (1994), pp. 278-99. Accessed February 3, 2021.
↑ Abir, Mordechai. Ethiopia: the Era of the Princes. p. 129.
↑ Abir, M. "The Origins of the Ethiopian-Egyptian Border Problem in the Nineteenth Century", Journal of African History 8, no. 3 (1967): 443-61. Accessed February 3, 2021
1 2 3 4 Dunn, John P. (2005). Khedive Ismail's Army. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-7146-5704-2.
↑ Abir, Mordechai. Ethiopia: the Era of the Princes. p. 129.
1 2 Marcus, Harold G. (2002-02-22). A History of Ethiopia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22479-7.

[:2-1] El Amin, Abdel Karim. Ahmed, Abdel Karim (2009). AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE SHAWAN – AMHARA CONQUEST OF THE OROMO and SIDAMA REGIONS OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA 1865-1900

[:3-2] 1 2 Dunn, John. "'For God, Emperor, and Country!' The Evolution of Ethiopia's Nineteenth-Century Army", War in History, 1 (1994), pp. 278-99. Accessed February 3, 2021.

[3] Abir, Mordechai. Ethiopia: the Era of the Princes. p. 129.

[4] Abir, M. "The Origins of the Ethiopian-Egyptian Border Problem in the Nineteenth Century", Journal of African History 8, no. 3 (1967): 443-61. Accessed February 3, 2021

[:1-5] 1 2 3 4 Dunn, John P. (2005). Khedive Ismail's Army. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-7146-5704-2.

[6] Abir, Mordechai. Ethiopia: the Era of the Princes. p. 129.

[:0-7] 1 2 Marcus, Harold G. (2002-02-22). A History of Ethiopia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22479-7.

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