colony · Horn and East Africa

Italian Eritrea

1890 CE – 1941 CE · capital Asmara

Italy's first colony, carved from the Red Sea coast and highlands, which gave Eritrea its borders, its capital Asmara and a distinct identity.

Origins

An Italian shipping company bought the port of Assab in 1869, and the Italian state took it over in 1882. Italy occupied Massawa in 1885 with British approval and pushed inland, despite defeat at Dogali in 1887. The Treaty of Wuchale with Menelik II in 1889 recognised its gains, and on 1 January 1890 the colony of Eritrea was proclaimed.

Rule and society

Italy's defeat at Adwa in 1896 fixed the border with Ethiopia. Under governors such as Ferdinando Martini, the capital moved to Asmara, which was rebuilt with Italian modernist architecture. A railway linked Massawa to Asmara and Agordat, and tens of thousands of Eritrean askari served in Italy's colonial wars. Racial segregation was imposed under Fascism.

Decline and legacy

In 1936 Eritrea became part of Italian East Africa. British forces took it in 1941 after the Battle of Keren, beginning the British Administration of Eritrea. Asmara's Italian-era centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lineage

Medri Bahri 1350 CE – 1890 CEItalian EritreaBritish Administration of Eritrea 1941 CE – 1952 CE

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Italian Eritrea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/italian-eritrea
MLA
“Italian Eritrea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/italian-eritrea. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Italian Eritrea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/italian-eritrea.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Italian Eritrea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/italian-eritrea (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻