Elets, Iu.L.: The Emperor Menelik and His War against Italy. Based on the Documents and Campaign Diaries by N.S. Leont’ev

Title

Imperator Menelik i voina ego s Italiei. Po dokumentam i pokhodnym dnevnikam N.S. Leont’eva, Sankt-Peterburg 1898

The Emperor Menelik and His War against Italy. Based on the Documents and Campaign Diaries by N.S. Leont’ev

Keywords

Summary

The volume, consisting of 19 chapters, is a military account of the war between Ethiopia and Italy in 1895-1896, often providing information on international relations. Though it is mainly based on Nikolai Leont’ev’s documents gathered during his permanence in Ethiopia, in the preface the author declares that he has also made use of Italian sources. After outlining the historical context leading up to the clash, Elets dwells on the relations established between Russia and Ethiopia, provides a portrait of Menelik and his entourage, describes the geographical characteristics of the region and offers the reader information on the structure of the Ethiopian army and its military tactics. Thereafter, the narrative focuses mainly on the various stages of the war, describing the main clashes up to the battle of Adwa. The final chapters are devoted to the peace negotiations and to Leont’ev’s activity as a mediator in establishing stable diplomatic relations between Russia and Ethiopia. The appendixes consist of a short correspondence between Pope Leo XIII and Menelik II. The book is supplemented by many illustrations, including valuable photographs taken by Leont’ev himself.

Bio

Iulii Elets was a Russian colonel, writer, journalist and military historian. Born in a noble family of the Grodno governorate, he served in the Grodno Hussar Life Guards Regiment until 1899, when he retired. However, he continued his military activity by allegedly volunteering in the Anglo-Boer war, as well as by serving during the Boxer rebellion and the Russo-Japanese war (on which he reported for the newspaper “Novoe vremia”). He left Russia after the 1917 Revolution, living in Sofia and Paris prior to moving to Belgium, where he died. He began his literary career by joining the newspaper “Varshavskii dnevnik”, closely collaborating with writer Vsevolod Krestovskii (1840-1895), who was working as its editor. In addition to his collaboration with other periodicals, such as “Voskresen’e”, “Niva”, “Rodnik”, “Russkii invalid”), Elets also published essays, literary prose and poetry. Among his works: History of the Grodno Hussar Life Guards Regiment, 1824-1896 (1890-1897); The Disease of the Century (1892); The Heroin of Amur (1901); Our Power (1901); From My Wanderings (1905); On the Way of the Cross (1924).

Sources

“Elets, Iulii”, in Russkie pisateli. 1800-1917: biograficheskii slovar’, t. 2, Moskva 1992, p. 226.

A.F.

Gallery