This rare photograph captures heads of state from around the world in one setting. Although most of countries were in some form of rivalry or direct conflict, sometimes political situations make diplomacy the only option. Yohannes IV (Ethiopian Empire), Tewfik Pasha (Egypt), Sultan Abdul Hamid II ( Ottoman Empire) and Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( Persia ) appear on the far left. Christian IX (Denmark), Luis I (Portugal), William III ( the Netherlands) , Pedro II (Brazil), Milan Obernovic IV (Serbia), Leopold II (Belgium), Alexander III (Russian Empire) are standing behind Wilhelm I (German Empire). Franz Joseph (Austro-Hungarian Empire ) stands next to Queen Victoria (British Empire). Jules Grevy (France) is standing next to Pope Leo XIII. Technically, the Pope would not be a head of state at this time, seeing as Vatican City did not gain independence until 1929. Emperor Meiji (Japanese Empire ) and Emperor Guangxu (Qing Dynasty ) are present on the right. Behind them are Umberto I ( Italy), Alfonso XII (Spain), Oscar II (Sweden), and Chester A. Arthur (United States of America). The date of release has been recorded as 1889. The picture was probably taken earlier possibly around the years between 1883 to 1885. The reasoning behind this was that Chester Alan Arthur’s term as president ended in 1885 and Kaiser Wilhelm I died in 1888. Jules Grevy’s term as French president ended in 1887. The age of modern imperialism brought various countries into conflict. Japan would attack China in the First Sino-Japanese War ( 1894-1895). Italy made an attempt to conquer the Ethiopian Empire in the First Italo-Ethiopian War (1895-1896). German unification weakened French power and the British Empire became fearful of a German rise. The Ottoman Empire struggled to resist growing European influence and lost the Russo-Turkish War ( 1877-1878). European colonial empire building, rival alliance systems, ethnic nationalism, and the collapse of the old order resulted in World War I. The attempts at peaceful resolutions by world leaders did nothing to prevent mass global conflict.
The World History Archive and Compendium 
Yohannes the fourth was not an Ethiopian king, he was the king of the Tigrigna/Axsumite empire. Please correct it. There has never been an Ethiopian empire.
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Aksum did not exist after 950 . The other name for Ethiopia was Abyssinia .
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The Ethiopian Empire lasted from 1270 to 1974 .
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Can you name all the ‘kings’ that ruled all of Ethiopia from 1270 to 1974? And also include what Ethiopia was at that time in the matter of territories and lands. No one knows what Abyssinia was and the meaning of it. What is the origin of it?
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This list is not a complete family tree: http://ethiopedia.blogspot.com/2007/01/kings-and-queens-of-ethiopia-4470-bce.html?m=1 This does not include all the queens.
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Yohannes the fourth was part of the Solomonic dynasty, so he would not be an Aksumite king. That kingdom no longer existed. He became King of the Tigray, because he was able to defeat the Egyptian invasion. It was 1888 when Yohannes added more territory.
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Abyssinia has an origin in the 13th century. Aksum was a precursor to that . https://www.worldhistory.org/Kingdom_of_Abyssinia/
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So that proves my point, they did not lead Ethiopia, they were rulers of some regions, and territories. My point was there was no Ethiopia before 1912. The list is names of some oromo, tigrai and Eritrea rulers based on tribes and territories. None of them were leaders of Ethiopia except Emperor Haile slasie, even that emperor committed many atrocities in order to lead the ‘state’.
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That’s incorrect. There was an Ethiopia prior to 1912. Eritrea was at one time part of Aksum. Then it fell to the Zagwe dynasty. The Oromo did have their own states. They were absorbed by the 18th century : https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JUnZl7YxFAo
The video shows the expansion being at its height in 1896. Then it jumps back up after World War II, because Eritrea was given to Ethiopia under UN trusteeship.
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