Achievements of Women during the Battle of Adwa and Its Aftermath: A Case Study of Empress Taytu Betul (1880s–1910s)

Abstract

This study is about the achievements of women during the Battle of Adwa and its aftermath, with a focus on Empress Taytu Betul (1880s–1910s). The study was conducted based on primary and secondary sources. In most cases the researcher has relied on data from secondary sources, as no elderly people could be found who could offer information about the role of Empress Taytu and her followers during and after the battle of Adwa. In the study of Ethiopian history, there are still misperceptions related to the division of power based on gender. It is thought that wars were fought mainly by men. However, the empress was one of the women who played a significant role in mobilising troops, organising and transporting supplies and provisions, raising the morale of fighters, gathering intelligence, nursing the wounded, and participating in actual fighting, during the Battle of Meqelle in particular and during the Battle of Adwa. Moreover, women who did not go to the battlefield had the responsibility of carrying the burden of men's work at home.