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| 1876, Feb |
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| Ethiopian army under Yohannes defeated an Egyptian force and captured a huge supply of arms. | 1 |
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| c. 1880 |
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| The Ethiopian Church forced 50,000 Muslims, 20,000 pagans, and 500,000 Galla to be baptized. | 2 |
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| 1885, Feb. 3 |
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| Italy seized Massawa on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. | 3 |
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| 1889, March 10 |
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| Death of Yohannes IV of Ethiopia in a battle on the Sudanese frontier led to the accession of Menelik II as king of kings, shifting the political focus of Ethiopia to the southern region, with the new capital, Addis Ababa, at its center. | 4 |
| Italians took advantage of the succession, cattle plague, and epidemics to occupy Eritrea. European powers recognized that Italian claim over Ethiopia was based on a fraudulent translation of the Uchale Treaty between Ethiopia and Italy. | 5 |
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| 1889–1913 |
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| Menelik II doubled the size of the Ethiopian Empire. Menelik pursued a program of modernization, including the establishment of Addis Ababa as his capital and the starting of a postal service, banking, and a government cabinet. | 6 |
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| 1890–94 |
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| Menelik expanded Ethiopian territory and acquired modern arms. | 7 |
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| 1891 |
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| Menelik denounced Italian claims of a protectorate. | 8 |
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| 1896, March 1 |
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| Menelik and the Ethiopian army of 100,000 men, using modern arms, inflicted a crushing defeat on Italian invaders at Adua (Adowa) (See March 1). Italy renounced its claims and recognized the independence of Ethiopia. | 9 |
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| 1910–14 |
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| The Young Ethiopians, led by Gebre Heywet, emerged to argue for a program of reform and modernization, and for communications to stimulate the internal economy, not just foreign trade. | 10 |
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| 1906–13 |
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| During Menelik's incapacity, succession struggles were inflamed by European attempts to divide Ethiopia into spheres of influence. Menelik suffered a series of strokes and died in 1913. | 11 |
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