In the 1880s and 1890s, the Russians provided something like 30,000 Berdan II rifles to Emperor Menelik II. The backstory on how the Berdans got to Ethiopia is the Russians knew the Italians had colonial designs on Ethiopia and did not want to see an Orthodox nation fall under the control of a Roman Catholic nation. Taytu Betul was an authentic Ethiopian leader. (CNN) — For more than a century, the secretive imperial palace complex has stood over Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa, closed off to everyone but the country's leaders and . Like his predecessor, Tewodros II (reigned 1855-68), Yohannes IV was a strong, progressive ruler, but he spent most of his time repelling military threats from Egypt, Italy, and the Mahdists of the Sudan. SELASSIAN PAN-AFRICANISM. Yohannes successfully managed to pacify central, northern, and parts of southern Ethiopia, but he had yet to face foreign enemies encroaching on Ethiopian territory via. Available in three sizes. Haile Selassie crowned as Emperor of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930, however, by this time he had already been actively involved in capitalizing on Ethiopia's unique status as an independent African nation in order to gain international recognition for Ethiopia. He succeeded to the Ethiopian throne on 21 January 1872 four years after the death of Emperor Thewodros. The more well-known fossil remains of "Lucy" (Australopithecus afarensis) date from 3.2 m years ago and were discovered in 1974. found: Dictionary of African Biography, accessed January 14, 2015, via Oxford African American Studies Center database: (Lebna, Dengel; Weneg Seged; King; born in 1496 in Ethiopia; Emperor of Ethiopia in the early sixteenth century during the Muslim conquest (1508-1540); defining event during reign known as conquest of Ethiopia by the Muslim ruler Ahmad b. An early proponent of African unity and independence who claimed to be a descendant of King Solomon, he fought with the Allies against the Axis powers during World War II and was a messianic figure for the Jamaican Rastafarians. The first major opposition the emperor faced was the expansionist Egyptians, who were highly interested in spreading their territory further south. ETHIOPIA'S FOREIGN POLICY UNDER EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE I: AN APPRAISAL. Menelik II (August 17, 1844 - December 12, 1913), Conquering Lion of Judah, Elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia was negus negust (emperor) of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death.