The Timeline of the History of Eritrea

Ottoman Empire expands further south in the Red Sea to control the trading routes and posts in the Arabian peninsula and the shores of northeastern Africa.

Portuguese travler and priest, Francisco Alvarez, arrived at Debarwa and met with Bahri Negassi Dori, king of Medri Bahri.

Bahri Negassi Dori Fegaga Yohannes ruled Medri Bahri, the central highlands of modern-day Eritrea up to the Red Sea coast, from his capital at Debarwa.

Ahmed Gragn/Gurey al-Ghazi of Adal, current day Somalia, conquered northern Abyssinia and Medri Bahri reaching the central highlands of modern Eritrea.

Portuguese expedition forces led by Estêvão da Gama arrived at Massawa. At the request of the Abssinian Emperor, expeditionary force of 400 men under Cristóvão was sent to fight back Ahmed Gurey of Adal. Bahri Negassi provided assistance.

Bahri Negassi Yeshaq, the medieval ruler of the kingdom of Medri Bahri in present-day Eritrea, joined the Abyssinian Empire and the Portuguese to defeat Ahmad Gragn/Gurey of Adal

After the alliance with the Funj of Sudan and together defeating their Belew rulers, the Beni Amer led by Amer Kunu form a confederecy

Massawa was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1557. The Ottomans made it the capital of Habesh Eyalet with the intention of expanding further inland into Medri Bahri.

Bahri Negassi Yeshaq fought back the invading Ottoman Turks by leading the local peasantry recapturing Debarwa, the capital of his kingdom of Medri Bahri.

Bahri Negassi Yeshaq revolted against Abyssinia; Midri Bahri was devided into Ottoman-controlled coast and Abyssinia-controlled highlands

Ottoman Turks appoint the Naib to govern the Coastal plains while the highlands remained under the Abyssinian-supported Bahri Negassi

Mehmet Ali of Egypt took the administration of the Eyalet of Habesh including the port of Massawa, eroding the power of the local Naib nobility, after he defeated the Saudis who led the Wahhabi uprising in the Arabian Peninsula.

Naib Yahya of Hirgigo rebelled against the Egyptian rule under Ibrahim Pasha after he was dismissed from his position forcing the Egyptians to negotiate a truce.

Dejazmach Wube of Semien dominated Mereb Mellash with ruthless miltary raids and pillaging for 8 years.

Egyptians raid western lowlands for lucrative slave trade and taxation through their garrison at Kassala raiding the lands of the Beni Amer, Nara, Kunama and Bilen.

Father Giuseppe Sapeto arrived in the southern coastal areas of Denkalia and established an Italian Catholic Missionary

The Egyptians fortified the city of Kassala and raided the surrounding region subjugating the Beni Amer people.

Dejazmach Wube continued his 6-year long, brutal military administration in highlands, constantly raided lowlands, used divide-and-rule strategy and sought French and British support.

Having had lost his rule over Massawa because of the resurgence of the Wahhabi rebellion against the Ottomans, Mehmet Ali Pasha was given back his position to rule Massawa

Degiat Hailu of Tsazzega and Degiat Woldemichael of Hazzega started vying for control of Hamasien and their feud carries on for 20 years.

Gen. Napier's British Expedition against Tewodros II of Abyssinia landed at Zula (Eritrea) for provoking Queen Victoria. Kassa Mercha became Emperor Yohannes IV upon Tewodros' demise by aiding the expedition.

Italian missionary Giuseppe Sapeto purchased the Port of Assab as Italy joins the European "Scramble for Africa", racing to acquire land on the Red Sea coast of Africa

Ismail Pasha of Egypt fortified the garrisons at Massawa, Keren and Hrgigo to put his expansive plans into action and invade Abyssinia-controlled fertile highlands and the Barka delta

Egyptian forces, moving further inland, were ambushed by the Abyssinian army at a narrow pass at Gundet; with many dead, they were forced to retreat back to Keren and Massawa

At the Battle of Gura'e, Egyptian fortress at Gura'e was attacked by the Abyssinian army under Emperor Yohannes IV.

Raesi Woldemichael Solomon consolidated power in the highlands of Eritrea by defeating Degiat Hailu who was favored by Emperor Yohaness IV of Abyssinia at the Battle of Wekidiba

Shalleqa Alula of Abyssinia was promoted to Ras by Emperor Yohannes IV and assigned governorship of Mereb Mellash to tame the rebel Raesi Woldemichael of Mereb Mellash, current-day central Eritrea.

Ras Barya’u of Tigray was sent by Emperor Yohannes IV to subdue Raesi Woldemichael of Mereb Mellash who rebelled against the emperor. Ras Barya'u was killed in the battle and his army defeated.

Italy continued to expand its hold from the southern Red Sea of the Afar Sultanate and eventually occupied Massawa with no resistance from the Egyptian occupiers.

On 5 February 1885, Italian troops under Admiral Caimi landed at Massawa as the Egyptians withdrew from the lower Red Sea. They pushed advance posts into the interior of modern-day Eritrea.

Ras Alula of Abyssinia ordered a bloody raid on the Nara and Kunama ethnic groups, looting and pillaging their territory following his failed siege of Kassala.

A reinforcement battalion of 500 men under Colonel Tommaso De Cristofori en route to the garrison at Saati was ambushed by Ras Alula's men at Dogali and annihilated.

The first Eritrean soldiers in the Italian colonial army known as Ascari were recruited. More than 130,000 Ascari would have served in the Italian army by 1941.

The Treaty of Wuchale, between Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and Italy, deciding the territories of Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia was signed.

Italy declared the formation of its new colony of Eritrea on the Red Sea, taking territories the weakened Egyptians occupied and expanding to the central highlands. Eritrea got its name from the Erythraean Sea or Red Sea.

Degiat Bahta Hagos Aba T'mer (ባህታ ሓጎስ) of Segeneiti who had previously opposed Abyssinian encroachment into his territory, rebelled against Italian Occupation. He is considered a symbol of resistance to foreign domination.

The Battle of Adwa, fought between the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy, won by the former, decided the territories of Eritrea and Ethiopia

The Treaty of Addis Ababa was signed between Ethiopia's Menelik II and the Italians, recognizing colonial Eritrea, sovereign Ethiopia and the abrogation of the Treaty of Wuchale.

The 125km-long railway connecting Massawa to Asmara was completed by colonial Italians in Eritrea. It is considered an engineering feat for scaling the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley in quite a short distance in one of its sections.

Railway Reaches Agordat

British Abyssinian Campaigns - World War II offensive against Italy to take over Eritrea and Ethiopia in East Africa.

The Love of Country League was formed to bring awareness to the suffering of Eritreans under the un-removed Italian officials under the British administration.

Ibrahim Sultan led the movement to emancipate the Tigre serfs from the Shemagulle feudal landowners. He founded the Emancipation Movement of the Serfs (Harakat Tahrir al Aqnan)

After WWII was over, economic depression set in. The British dismantled and salvaged many Eritrean factories and transportation infrastructure. Lawlessness and anti-Italian banditry (shiftanet) became rampant.

The newspaper Dimtsi Ertra (Voice of Eritrea) announced the formation of the Association for the Union of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Sudanese British soldiers killed 46 Eritrean civilians while wounding 70 others in Asmara following a clash in a liquor shop. A 3-day mourning was declared by the British administration.

The Bet Giorgis Conference was organized by Eritrean Unionist and pro-independence activists to find common ground following concerning domestic and international events.

Following the failure of the Bet Giorgis Conference to unite the "self-determination" movement, Ibrahim Sultan founded the Eritrean Muslim League, or "al-Rabita al-Islamia" in Arabic.

The Unionist Party, whose mission was the union of Imperial Ethiopia with the former Italian colony of Eritrea, was founded by Tedla Bairu.

Al-Rabita Islamia, or the Muslim League party, was officially formed in a ceremony in Keren at the gathering of Islamic community leaders from many parts of Eritrea.

The arrival of COI in Eritrea

On Feb 10, 1947, the Paris Peace Treaty outlined that the fate of Eritrea was to be decided based on the findings of a new Commission, the Four Powers Commission.

The Four Powers Commission arrived in Eritrea and found Eritreans divided on independence with most highland Christians favoring Union with Ethiopia while Muslims preferring independence.

Abdulkadir Kebire, pioneer of the movement for independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia, was fatally wounded by Unionist sympathizers' attack in Asmara.

UN Resolution 390 A (V) passed to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia. This was a U.S. sponsored compromise to find a middle ground between full union with Ethiopia and full independence ignoring the majority wish of Eritreans.

Following the passing of the UN resolution to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia, Anze Matienzo arrived in Eritrea to oversee the transition to federation.

British Campaign Successfully Ended Shifta-Related Violence that became rampant with the unrest and division within the Eritrean society on deciding the future of the colony of Eritrea

A group of Eritrean students in Cairo, Egypt, formed a pivotal organization that would shape the course of Eritrea's revolutionary history.

The first election in the history of Eritrea was held by memebers of the public to elect their representatives in the National Assembly

Emperor Haile Selassie ratified the Federal Act, federating Eritrea with Ethiopia per UN resolution in the Throne Room of the Imperial Palace in Addis Ababa.

Tedla Bairu was elected as Chief Executive of the Government of Eritrea, under the federal Imperial Ethiopian Crown

The Syndicate of Free Eritrean Workers was Founded and Woldeab Woldemariam was elected its president. It was the first trade union organization in Eritrea and one of the first in Africa.

Woldeab Woldemariam was severely wounded after a 7th assassination attempt that left him hospitalized for 5 months. He left for exile to Sudan soon after.

A 25-year lease is signed between the governments of the United States and Ethiopia to establish a military communications base at Kagnew Station in Asmara.

Woldeab Woldemariam, a leading figure in the movement for the independence of Eritrea, started radio broadcasting from exile in Cairo having survived many assassination attempts at home.

The rise and convergence of activism of Eritrean students in Cairo and Eritrean soldiers serving in the Sudanese army for Eritrean independence.

The clandestine Harekat Tahrir Eritrea, Mahber Shob'Ate or Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM) was established in November 1958 by five young Eritrean exiles in Port Sudan.

The Eritrean flag with the green olive wreath on a sky-blue background was banned by the Ethiopian government further eroding the autonomy of the Government of Eritrea.

Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) was founded in Cairo by the former Chairman of the General Assembly, then exiled, Idris Mohammed Adem along with other intellectuals.

Mahber tyatr Asmera (Mat'A) or Asmara Theater Association was founded by interested citizens to push for an Eritrean cultural and national renaissance.

Hamid Idris Awate led the first attack on Ethiopian posts heralding the beginning of the armed resistance for Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia

A bomb attack on high-level Ethiopian officials was carried out by ELF fighters in Agordat at a gathering to promote Ethiopia's forced annexation of Eritrea.

The first ever organized open-confrontation battle between Eritrean freedom fighters and regular Ethiopian army took place at Togoruba.

The Massacre in Hazemo

The Massacre at Elabered

Ethiopian soldiers rounded up the entire village of Besikdira, forced the people into the local mosque, shot into them until almost all of them, including the elderly, women and children were dead.

At Ona, more than 800 residents and people who fled from the Ethiopian army's bloody raids of the surrounding villages, notably Besikdira, were massacred.

The Massacre at Keren

The Massacre at Om Hajer

General Aman Andom, the Eritrean-born chairman of the Military Derg (council) and acting Head of State of Ethiopia was Killed by the Derg over critical disagreements over the path forward after the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie I.

The Massacre at Asmara

The Massacre at Wokidiba

The Massacre at Asmara and Surrounding Villages

Following the assassination of a collaborator by ELF freedom fighters, an Ethiopian general orders the massacre against the residents of Agordat.

The Massacre at Hirgigo

The 2nd Massacre at frontmatter

EPLF attempts to take Massawa.

In mid-1978, the Eritrean revolution faced a decisive moment when the military balance of power shifted. A strategic withdrawal was made.

The multi-pronged, 1st campaign of the Ethiopian Derg army against Eritrean liberation fronts of ELF and EPLF started on June 13, 1978. Asmara was captured.

With a 3-month preparation, the Ethiopian Derg army launched its 2nd military campaign to annihilate EPLF in central highlands of Eritrea.

The Ethiopian Derg Army launched its 3rd campaign at Genfelom and Emahmime, with reinforcements from Asmara, Agordat and Massawa. Nakfa Front was established.

The Ethiopian Derg Army launched its 4th campaign aiming to break EPLF's fortified positions in a frontal attack at the Nakfa Front on March 30, 1979.

The Ethiopian Derg Army launched its 5th campaign aiming to split EPLF's defense lines for double-encirclement and cut supply lines to the Nakfa Front in July 1979.

The Ethiopian Derg government launched the multi-faceted Red Star Campaign in Asmara, Eritrea, to annihilate the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front "once and for all."

Ethiopian Derg Government 6th Military Offensive Against EPLF

Abdullah Idris and his group staged a coup against the ELF leadership accusing them of defeatism and handing over their arms to the Sudanese Army. Melake Tekle resisted arrest and was killed.

33 military aircraft were destroyed in 18 minutes by elite EPLF commando unit at the Ethiopian Air Force base at Asmara Airport.

The Massacre at Mogoraib

EPLF daringly planned to destroy Nadew Command after meticulous intelligence gathering and diversionary operations behind enemy lines

EPLF's battle plan to completely encircle and annihilate the Ethiopian Army's Nadew Command at the Battle of Afabet

Capacities of EPLF and Ethiopian Armies at the Battle of Afabet when EPLF launched an offensive to destroy Nadew Command

The Battle of Afabet brought about the annihilation of the Ethiopian Army's Nadew Command. EPLF's growing military prowess and strategic acumen became evident.

The Massacre at Shebah

Ethiopian soldiers rounded up all the residents of She'eb in the center of town and massacred 400 of them - most of them women and children

Offensive by Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front forces to liberate Massawa, Eritrea, and cut off the supply route to Asmara, facing the entrenched Ethiopian army and its naval force.

The Massacre at Afabet

The Massacre at Massawa

EPLF forces moved into the capital city of Eritrea, Asmara, liberating Eritrea from the Ethiopian military rule after a 30-year bloody armed struggle.

The flag-Raising ceremony Of the new nation of Eritrea at the United Nations in New York on May 28, 1993.