Sebastopol (Mortar)
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Sebastopol was the name of a large
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
mortar commissioned by the
Ethiopian Emperor The emperor of Ethiopia (, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse (, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The emperor was the head of state ...
Tewodros II Tewodros II (, once referred to by the English cognate Theodore; baptized as Kassa, – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to ...
(1818–1868). The name was taken from the
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
n town of
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
, the site of a battle during the
Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
. The mortar weighed approximately 6.7 tons, and was capable of firing off half-ton artillery rounds. In an attempt to speed up industrialisation, Tewodros had welcomed
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and
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officials and a group of German missionaries into his kingdom. In 1866, following a series of diplomatic misunderstandings and the king's increasingly erratic behaviour, all foreigners were taken prisoner. Tewodros ordered the artisan-missionaries, led by
Theophilus Waldmeier Theophilus Waldmeier (1832 in Basel – 1915) was a Swiss Calvinist missionary who later became a Quaker. Waldmeier was born in the Canton of Aargau and was brought up by his mother and grandmother, strict Roman Catholics, who insisted on th ...
, to construct a
brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
cannon capable of firing a cannon ball. It took seven months to construct and two furnace were built for the casting. When it was transported to
Magdala Magdala (; ; ) was an ancient Jews, Jewish city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, north of Tiberias. In the Babylonian Talmud it is known as Magdala Nunayya (), and which some historical geographers think may refer to Tarichaea (). It is belie ...
a special road had to be built. At times 800 men were needed to move it; the 200 mile journey took six months. Meanwhile the
British expedition to Abyssinia The British Expedition to Abyssinia was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire (also known at the time as Abyssinia). Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, ...
was sent to free the captives, which resulted in the
Battle of Magdala The Battle of Magdala was the conclusion of the British Expedition to Abyssinia fought in April 1868 between British and Abyssinian forces at Magdala, from the Red Sea coast. The British were led by Robert Napier, while the Abyssinians were ...
. Although there are no records of the mortar being used in the battle it remains half-buried in the ground, on the plateau at Meqedela, near
Amba Mariam Amba Mariam (Amharic: ዐምባ ማሪያም) is a village in central Ethiopia. Formerly known as Magdala or Magdalena (መቅደላ ''Magdalenā or Mäqdäla'') during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II (1855–1868). Located in the Debub Wollo ...
. A bronze replica has been cast and displayed in the centre of a
roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
at Tewodros Square, Churchill Avenue,
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...
.Ethiopian Tourist Guide website, Landmarks and Monuments in Addis Ababa


Gallery

File:Sebastopol, the original artillery mortar of Emperor Tewodros II.jpg, The original mortar File:ET Addis asv2018-01 img36 Tewodros Square.jpg, The mortar monument on Tewodros Square,
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...
File:Tewodros II Sebastopol.jpg, Ethiopian soldiers dragging the mortar


References

{{reflist Mortars Military history of the Ethiopian Empire Weapons of Ethiopia Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1868 Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)