Emperor Tewodros II is one of the towering figures of modern Ethiopian history.
He tried to unify and modernise Ethiopia but his reign was also marked by brutality.
He faced a rising tide of rebellion inside the country and then in 1868 a British military expedition marched into the Ethiopian highlands.
Its aim was to free British diplomatic envoys the Emperor had imprisoned.
Tewodros II made a last stand at Magdala, his mountain top fortress.
In 2016, Rob Walker spoke to historian Philip Marsden.
(Picture: Tewodros II. Credit: Getty Images)