Ethiopia and Great Britain: A Note on the Anti-Slavery Protocol of 1884

Abstract

The emperor of Ethiopia, Yoḥannǝs IV (r. 1872–89), signed a peace treaty with Britain in 1884, which ended the Egyptian–Ethiopian war. This treaty was negotiated by Rear Admiral Sir William Hewett on behalf of the British government. In the treaty’s appendix, Emperor Yoḥannǝs IV also signed an anti-slavery agreement in which he confirmed his will to eliminate the slave trade in all territories under his control. Although the “Hewett treaty” has received some academic interest, the slavery protocol went rather unnoticed. In this article, we will give an overview of the protocol, put it in its historical context, and present a critical edition and translation of the document. We analyze the protocol as written evidence for the British colonial agenda in the wider region of the Horn of Africa.