Theodore, Emperor of Abyssinia, was raised to the throne from a very
humble position in life. He was one of the proudest of monarchs, was
styled "King of Kings," and boasted a descent from King Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba; a fiction devised to flatter the vanity of the royal
house of Ethiopia.
When this mighty emperor gave an audience he was surrounded by several
large and fierce-looking lions, and he made a great display of his
command over the savage creatures; but, notwithstanding their ferocious
aspect, the animals were said to be in reality as tame as dogs. Anyway,
they must have made a timid ambassador feel rather nervous when first
introduced to the royal presence.
The Abyssinians are very vain, and King Theodore thought himself greater
than all the sovereigns in the world, and this led to his fall. Thinking
he was not treated with sufficient respect by the British envoy and
other Europeans, he imprisoned them all. In 1867 an expedition was
fitted out under the command of General Napier. After encountering great
difficulties on the march, the British troops stormed and took
possession of Magdala without losing a single man; and the Emperor
Theodore, seeing that all was lost, slew himself to avoid falling into
the hands of the enemy. The captives were liberated, and for his
services in this campaign General Napier received the title of Lord
Napier of Magdala.
[Illustration: A PROUD MONARCH]