Battle of Azule

The Battle of Azule was fought on 6 September 1886, between the forces of Ras Darge Sahle Selassie of Shewa and a force of Arsi Oromo. It was part of a broader series of expansion campaigns done under Menelik II, Negus of Shewa, referred to by some historians as the Agar Maqnat. The battle of Azule was important as it represents the crushing of a large Arsi army by one under Menelik; it also demonstrates the dynamic of gun-wielding Shewans fighting Spear-wielding Arsi that many historians like to stress when discussing Menelik's expansions; it also retains symbolic and historic importance in the politics and identities of many.