Emperor Menelik II baptized as Sahle Maryam, was Negus of Shewa, then Nəgusä Nägäst of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death. At the height of his internal power and external prestige, the process of territorial expansion and creation of the modern empire-state had been completed by 1898. Ethiopia was transformed under Nəgusä Nägäst Menelik: the major signposts of modernization were put in place. Externally, his victory over the Italians colonists had earned him great fame: following Adwa, recognition of Ethiopia’s independence by external powers was expressed in terms of diplomatic representation at the court of Menelik and delineation of Ethiopia’s boundaries with the adjacent colonies. After defeating the Italians, he became the first black African king in modern history to engage in slavery of white European war captives held as slaves inside Ethiopia. Menelik II is considered an African icon and one of the most powerful black persons in history. Long before Haile Selassie, Malcolm X and Kwame Nkrumah, Menelik II was the first Pan-Africanist that ignited the idea of black empowerment among the African Diaspora worldwide. Wikipedia [ - ]

Emperor Menelik II baptized as Sahle Maryam, was Negus of Shewa, then Nəgusä Nägäst of Ethiopia... [ + ]