The Gras in Ethiopia: Carbines of Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taytu

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4 жыл бұрын

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Ethiopia is a fascinating and unique example of an African nation that was able to uphold its sovereignty through force of arms, and resist become a possession of any of the European powers during the age of colonial expansion. The defining event in this history was the Battle of Adwa in 1896, when Emperor Menelik II's army thoroughly defeated an Italian expeditionary force. Menelik and his wife Empress Taytu were a talented and intelligent couple who worked together to play European powers against each other and maintain Ethiopian independence and encourage its development at the same time.
During the 1880s and 1890s, Ethiopia was particular supported by arms from Russia and France. The Russians wanted to support a fellow Orthodox nation, and the French wasn't;t to stymie Italian expansion in East Africa. The Russians supplied many Berdan rifles, and the French supplied Gras rifles and carbines. Today we are looking at a pair of Gras carbines, which are marked in Ethiopian Ge'ez script as being property of Menelik (the Gendarmerie carbine) and Tatyu (the cavalry carbine). I think they have a wonderful story to tell...
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Пікірлер: 401

@alahos 4 жыл бұрын

You could showcase one Gras rifle every Tuesday and call it Mardi Gras.

@mehmednedjib7361 4 жыл бұрын

*MaHdi Gras

@RonaldMcDonald519 3 жыл бұрын

I groaned so loud but gotta thumbs up. Damn you sir

@alahos 3 жыл бұрын

Kevin Conway What can I say, I'm a dad.

@hiddenhist 4 жыл бұрын

A few comments: Yohannes died fighting the Mahdists, yes, but these were a sudanese fighting force. He was defeated in the battle of Gallabat - possibly one of the largest battles of the entire “Mahdist War” Taitu had a military regiment. Women actually have a decent trackrecord of being involved in governance and even military affairs in Ethiopian history (especially the 19th century, during the Mesafint period) Arthur Rimbaud, famous French poet, was actually among tue arms dealers to Ethiopia Very nice that you delved a bit into the pre-1890s period of Ethiopian history. I find this is always the focus and think it is a problem.

@keithsimpson2685 3 жыл бұрын

The "Mahdists" can mean so many groups through time. Mahdi is a way cooler idea than a messiah lol.

@jeffreylauwereys7855 4 жыл бұрын

I know the answer behind the Taytu mark on the rifle. She was also a military commander, with a 5'000 person crack legion under direct command. I'd bet this rifle was either earmarked at supply or used by someone assisned to that legion. She directed forces during the Siege of Mekelle against the Italians(short version: the Ethiopians massively outnumbered Italian troops in a siege posture at a half-completed fort, artillery outranged, then Taytu cut off their water supplies to hurry the process up. it was Far and away the most embarrassing loss by the Italians in years, so embarrassing it forced them to the negotiating table), and was actually the main person negotiating the end of hostilities with Italy, to the relative confusion of Italy as a whole.

@1melkt 4 жыл бұрын

Actually 15,000 under her direct command!

@1SaG 4 жыл бұрын

My hairdresser I had an appointment with right after watching one of Ian's other Ethiopian videos turned out to be Ethiopian herself. Boy, oh boy was I glad for having had a little refresher on Ethiopian history when I was sitting in her chair. Needless to say that I spent way more time getting my hair cut that day than necessary .... such an interesting country with an incredible history.

@mattfleming86 4 жыл бұрын

One reason I love Ian's history lessons is his passion for the history. I imagine she was even more so. That would have been a cool thing to experience.

@lanceluthor6660 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah I bet Ian made you look cool. Although I would bet the bar is pretty low. Most north Americans probably can't find Ethiopia on a map.

@seanthunell5060 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent food as well!

@Gagis 4 жыл бұрын

Damn, all of the history of Ethiopia is just incredibly fascinating.

@Furzkampfbomber 4 жыл бұрын

Gras-cinating, you mean? . I show myself out.

@scoobydoobielll5632 4 жыл бұрын

Yes! Loved it!

@luisnunes2010 4 жыл бұрын

Try an episode from the 1540's, when 400 portuguese comanded by Cristóvão da Gama were sent to aid the ethiopians and turned a war that was going rather badly for them so far. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crist%C3%B3v%C3%A3o_da_Gama

@RobertDecker417 4 жыл бұрын

For sure. I love it

@deadflowers7017 4 жыл бұрын

@@Furzkampfbomber please do. ;)

@wazkangz955 4 жыл бұрын

The amount of research Ian did on the history of this rifle is impressive, learned a lot on this one.

@TH3PLA1NP1L0T 4 жыл бұрын

WazKangz This video is the research now

@MGood-ij1hi 4 жыл бұрын

Forgotten Weapons is a rare jewel ; most gun related channels are testosterone outlets of guys shooting guns, but here you get the mechanics , development , and related history of the guns being presented. This is often more interesting than simply watching guns go bang.

@WIRRUZZZ 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. "Gun goes bang" on video isn't really all that interesting, in my opinion, I'd say it's closer to showing a picture and shouting "BANG" than the real thing. Seeing Ians reaction to e.g. the American 180 or Minigun is priceless, but other than that, shooting footage does little for me. Listening to someone who obviously knows what he's talking about is a great way to spend time, regardless of topic. And, as a european, the political aspects on other channels can be quite jarring, even if I "get" them on an interlectual level. It just has basically no relevance to me . . . Oh, and typically, one can read the comments, too, without getting cancer ;)

@matthewspencer5086 4 жыл бұрын

During Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia, the Ethiopians received support from Romanian diplomats and even from Hitler, but no discernible support from the British, French and American _governments._ Hitler was playing to the gallery, of course, but the Romanians were sincere. (This was partly how Hitler came to be popular with some British newspapers: there was a time when he seemed to be doing the right thing when Baldwin wasn't. Actually Hitler wanted the world to see his point of view on Austria, which was the opposite of Mussolini's.) The Romanian Embassy in Paris sponsored a press conference for the Ethiopians, which was heckled by Italian journalists. The senior Romanian diplomat present said "A la port, les sauvages!" (French being the official language for diplomatic statements) and the Italian journalists were chucked out. Hitler sent the Ethiopians thousands of rifles and some "machine guns". I doubt these were MG34s, more likely Mg 08-15s, but it would be interesting to see if the Ethiopian rifle treasure trove includes any of Hitler's military aid!

@lakrids-pibe 4 жыл бұрын

"A la port, les sauvages!" Sick diplo burn!

@TheMrPeteChannel 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, A.H. had a little spat with Benito because A.H. was getting ready to annex Austria & Benny was like "No!".

@lanceluthor6660 4 жыл бұрын

When Ian said the Ethiopians were good at playing the Imperial powers off against each other he wasn't kidding.

@PanzehVideos 4 жыл бұрын

@@TheMrPeteChannel Yeah, at the time, British and French politicians throught aligning with Italy could help contain German ambitions(The Stresa Front)- this understanding collapsed with the Spanish Civil War.

@Ermymaya1987maya 4 жыл бұрын

This history is not on any part of Ethiopia history books that i read so far but if this is true i wanted to know the source of this information and I would like to add on my Ethiopian history if its true!

@erikv.smykal5578 4 жыл бұрын

to give a passing idea how deep & intricately Christian church history in Ethiopia is- an elder of their faith travelled to meet Martin Luther in Wittenburg in 1594. check out the history of 'Michael the Deacon' if you're interested.

@johanneskasper4775 4 жыл бұрын

Acts 8,26-39 le seen as the beginning of christianity in Ethiopia.

@indigonile673 4 жыл бұрын

May as well date it even further back that that. One of the driving factors behind the Portuguese voyages of exploration was the search for the mythical Prester John, who was thought to live in that part of the world. Although the Portuguese never found him, they did find the Ethiopian rulers in the early 1500s, eventually allying with them in their battles against the Ottoman Empire. Imagine if Ian ever found an old Portuguese arbeques in this new stockpile - he'd be over the moon!

@CALIBA88 4 жыл бұрын

thats so nice to read. christians instead of voodo or beheading religion

@cplusplussizeddick1430 4 жыл бұрын

Lol, Ethiopia was Christian in the 300's let alone 1500s. They and one other country is the two contenders for being the first Christian nation's

@Lidoott 4 жыл бұрын

@@cplusplussizeddick1430 The "other" country is Georgia

@henrybrown8624 4 жыл бұрын

Ethiopia has layer upon layer of remarkable history though very few articles or books feature it. Your video is a great start at making Ethiopian history available to a broader audience.

@sjoormen1 4 жыл бұрын

When history is even more interesting than weapon.

@Furzkampfbomber 4 жыл бұрын

We have a _really_ interesting piece of history here. And now... let's disassemble it.

@sjoormen1 4 жыл бұрын

@@Furzkampfbomber :-D true:-D

@samholdsworth3957 4 жыл бұрын

Why forgotten weapons is so grand

@Wild_Bill57 4 жыл бұрын

The guns turned out to be more of an excuse to talk about the country that about the guns. The history that was very cool. Interesting dynamic between the king and the queen

@sjoormen1 4 жыл бұрын

@@Wild_Bill57 Indeed. That mark of hers made me think that they had somesort of premarital agreement:-D

@aaronbuckmaster7063 4 жыл бұрын

Look at the slight upward an left deformation of the steel. Also note the uniform circumference on the left of the bolt at the point of impact, and the perfect uniformity of the conical shape at the point of deflection. I’ve seen many forms of metals struck by many types of projectiles and that was just in the military. I also had a career in LE as a Deputy Sheriff. That is a bullet impact for certain, which is actually very neat. With higher velocities and jacketed bullet development it almost couldn’t be anything else. That is a unique historical piece. I would like to see what it looks like after getting some TLC.

@danm7298 Жыл бұрын

that is interesting. It mustve been done during battle. I cant imagine they tried shooting their own guns intentionally. The person that used it when that bullet struck the rifle might have been wounded or killed. it certainly wouldve given him a scare.

@5anjuro 4 жыл бұрын

Russia's interest in Ethiopia extended beyond just the Orthodox Church, there were other connections. For instance, one of Peter the Great's close aides, Hannibal, was a native of East Africa coast, likely an Ethiopian. One of his descendants was Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, the towering cultural figure of the early XIX c, and the founder of the modern Russian literature. Pushkin himself would often half-jokingly describe himself as an Ethiopian.

@hedgehog3180 4 жыл бұрын

Kings and Generals did an episode on him which is pretty great.

@cplusplussizeddick1430 4 жыл бұрын

It is an established myth that Hannibal was Ethiopian but rather most likely from central Africa Cameroon

@dawitketema4150 2 жыл бұрын

@@cplusplussizeddick1430 evidence please?

@keepyourbilsteins 4 жыл бұрын

I cannot Express my gratitude enough for how deeply you dive into the history surrounding these pieces.

@jasondoe2596 4 жыл бұрын

*This* stuff is why I'm subscribed to this channel! (Well, this, and the crazy mechanics ;)

@lairdcummings9092 4 жыл бұрын

Yep. Forgotten Weapons - and history - indeed!

@lairdcummings9092 4 жыл бұрын

@ frequently. Othias and Mae are a brilliant team. Where Ian goes wide and about, those two focus and dig. As a pair of teams, they synergize brilliantly.

@zaffdos 4 жыл бұрын

Always happy to get some good content in the morning before real life starts!

@nicolasb5275 4 жыл бұрын

« In 1902 Ethiopia was armed with eight-tenths of Gras cartridges and two-thirds of 75. French weapons came from private factories (Saint Etienne, Le Creusot, Tulle or Châtellerault), official government suppliers and the arsenals of the Ministry of War. » (page 414) The trade of weapons in Djibouti from 1888 to 1914 by Agnès Picquart (1971) in « revue d’outre mers » As « MAS » is usually for Manufacture d’Armes de Saint etienne and it is a recorded supplier of such guns to Ethiopia I think the assumption of Ian is right, even if this particular marking is unusual I translated from french directly, here is a link for the full text: www.persee.fr/doc/outre_0300-9513_1971_num_58_213_1560

@1melkt 4 жыл бұрын

I think, Arthur Rimbaud was one of the emperor's arm broker while he was living in Harrar married to an Ethiopian woman.

@nicolasb5275 4 жыл бұрын

@@1melkt "But today Hariris remember mostly the smuggler Rimbaud who sold weapons to the king of Choa Menelik, future Emperor of Ethiopia, who took the town of Harar in January 1987 " Source : www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/07/31/en-ethiopie-arthur-rimbaud-l-inconnu-de-harar_4705837_3212.html But I found nothing about his potential local wife, which is not abnormal considering this is a not so documented part of his life in a place that was not the main target of archivist at this time I totally didn't knew this about Rimbaud, thank you for the info

@scoobydoobielll5632 4 жыл бұрын

Lol the next video in auto play is some Ethiopian guy I've never heard of with a flag of Ethiopia behind him and a video title in a language that won't even display on my phone. KZfaq is that friend who you told once that you like Mexican food and now there's a mariachi band at your birthday party

@thearousedeunuch 4 жыл бұрын

Same here!

@ralphdials1688 4 жыл бұрын

The Empress had her own army. I bet you didn't want to be around when her and her hubby had an argument!!

@toku7319 4 жыл бұрын

I thought the Gras in Ethiopia was green.

@atsonaga5520 4 жыл бұрын

😂

@Pcm979 4 жыл бұрын

You know what they say, "The Gras is sold by Greener".

@ianwalker8042 4 жыл бұрын

@randymagnum143 4 жыл бұрын

@@Pcm979 you've outdone yourself, sir. Please, treat yourself to a Martini!

4 жыл бұрын

@RocketSurgeon lol. Ethiopia is actually a paradise. The country is mostly lush and green with a climate either temperate or alpine. I guess years of World Vision makes you an expert about that land.

@Moxiecore 4 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy those longer vids with lots of history in them. Thank you Ian!

@mrscary3105 4 жыл бұрын

That mark sure looks like a round hit that rifle.

@Kaboomf 4 жыл бұрын

It looks very similar to battle damage I've seen on old cannons.

@steveh1792 4 жыл бұрын

Or some recruit got a severe thrashing from his top sergeant for poor trigger discipline.

@dirus3142 4 жыл бұрын

The History Guy has a video about the Kingdom of Aksum, the Empire that became Ethiopia. Interesting story. Worth checking out if you find Ian's tidbits of Ethiopian history interesting.

@joshuablair7028 4 жыл бұрын

I love the Ethiopian content.

@Journey_Awaits 4 жыл бұрын

Oh what could have been

@killjoy4895 4 жыл бұрын

I love the Ethiopian Content.

@lairdcummings9092 4 жыл бұрын

@@Journey_Awaits indeed. Ethiopia was really only one dedicated ally away from making the step to world player. African history would have been so much different.

@TodayLifeIsGoood 4 жыл бұрын

So do I, Ethiopia has done so much really interesting stuff!

@deadflowers7017 4 жыл бұрын

The Ethiopians are great and wise people.

@verios44 4 жыл бұрын

I love watching this channel, there is soo much history in weapons, the story attached to these is even more pronounced. Thank you for the invaluable insight.

@TheHylianBatman 4 жыл бұрын

Ethiopia is one of the most interesting nations on Earth, and I'm glad I got to learn about it and arms within it today. Those poor guns. They were used, for sure.

@adamcichon6957 4 жыл бұрын

A funny fact! Here in Poland, this story about ethiopian rise against Italy, is forever spoiled because one detail. Namely because the name of Emperor. In polish "menel" means the same as the trump or hobo. So "menelik" is associated with a very short or very young hobo o_O. That way in Poland, the first and strong first association with emperor's name is... The Emperor Lil' Hobo the Second ... badum tsss!

@Taistelukalkkuna 4 жыл бұрын

Good story, but maybe you need to polish it a bit.

4 жыл бұрын

@@derekakaderek maybe not. imo trump and bum are synonymous.

@adamcichon6957 4 жыл бұрын

@@derekakaderek yeah, my english is weak, i know...

@robertwoolson 4 жыл бұрын

Taistelukalkkuna Oh my goodness, that’s the worst.

@Taistelukalkkuna 4 жыл бұрын

@@robertwoolson I know, and I´m here all week...

@jimvandemoter6961 4 жыл бұрын

Another great piece of history that I wasn't aware of. Thank you, Ian.

@alt5494 4 жыл бұрын

The story telling is getting out of hand in the best possible way!! Please continue cheers.

@spartan22550 4 жыл бұрын

C'est passionnant, merci pour votre travail. Le fusil chassepot/le gras est un des exemples les plus parlant de repositionnement technologique du 19ème siècle.

@UXB1000 4 жыл бұрын

The Ethiopian military really had guns from all over, hadn't they? You got American, Italian, Swiss, French, Belgian, Czech, German - I'm sure there's a Martini-Henry/Lee-Enfield and a Mosin-Nagant in there somewhere, spanning across several decades. Quite an intriguing & interesting history, Ethiopia.

@xamel94 4 жыл бұрын

If it can push lead they want it

@voiceofraisin3778 4 жыл бұрын

Not always in a good way, check out Emperor Tewodros' attempts to build a cannon called Sevastopol and how it ended up with his running into one of the military geniuses of the 19th century.

@Phil-zx5yc 4 жыл бұрын

You forgot the Russians, Portuguese, Japaneses and now the Chinese who did supported and armed Ethiopia. Now even the tribes whose lifestyle pretty much hasn't changed for thousands of years all of them poses an ak 47...

@brasstard7.627 4 жыл бұрын

They had Mosins for sure. They bought some of the weapons from the Russo-Japanese war of 1905 that Japan had captured. They were going to buy them all 60,000 or so rifles if I remember right but the deal fell through with only a small amount being purchased by Ethiopia

@dawitketema4150 2 жыл бұрын

@@brasstard7.627 You are right. You can still see the Mosin Nagat rifles being carried in north eastern part of Ethiopia. They are popular there.

@candidmoe8741 4 жыл бұрын

You are a wonderful history teacher, Ian.

@Mr.T711 4 жыл бұрын

Enjoy you research and presentation of these older arms. Thanks!

@BuntMeister66 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Ian for sharing another great piece of history, I appreciate your work.

@ogilkes1 4 жыл бұрын

Great story. Ethiopia is a wonderful country. Interesting that Taitu and Menelik are always both protrayed in the very lively paintings of the battle of Adowa that are still painted in the country. She was clearly involved closely in all the major decisions of the reign.

@ifssal 4 жыл бұрын

A deeply fascinating video. Thank you!

@ryanwoodin9995 4 жыл бұрын

Can’t wait to watch this video. I bought a Gras from RTI a few months ago and would like to learn all I can about it.

@MrPh30 4 жыл бұрын

And in 1955-1965 Norwegian navy officers helped Ethiopia with buildup,training and organising their Navy also.

@rolfnilsen6385 4 жыл бұрын

Ethiopia is landlocked today, I assume you are thinking about the annexed Eritrea? Did not know that Norway had a naval mission in the region.

@kenmccoy5582 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent history lesson Ian, thank you!

@zmanjace1364 4 жыл бұрын

This is why I love this channel. You come here for the neat guns but you stay for the interesting history.

@alexng7014 4 жыл бұрын

Great video! Well-researched as always.

@thetalesofdaneandco 4 жыл бұрын

I love this history lesson. I legitimately miss a good lecture from my days earning the ole history degree, so this is nice.

@MrCapricess2005 4 жыл бұрын

Ethiopia was part of the Coptic Orthodox church from 330AD to 1959.

@toma1693 4 жыл бұрын

Why did they leave

@MrCapricess2005 4 жыл бұрын

@@toma1693 due to politics in Egypt at the time, they asked the the Coptic pope and he granted them independence which renamed the new church the oriental church.

@MrCapricess2005 4 жыл бұрын

@@toma1693 they still go to Coptic church, if the can`t find oriental church.

@1melkt 4 жыл бұрын

@@toma1693 Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

@1melkt 4 жыл бұрын

@@MrCapricess2005 not oriental but Orthodox Tewahedo Church

@socotroquito2007 4 жыл бұрын

Gras rifle 1874 model was also used in South America , Chileans supplemented their Comblain with Gras rifles all adapted to 11mm cartridges , to keep the same logistics

@alun7006 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely fascinating stuff. More, please!

@rosstapson 4 жыл бұрын

Dude! Lovely new historical information, thanks so much, as always.

@loupiscanis9449 4 жыл бұрын

Thank You , Ian .

@SportbikerNZ 4 жыл бұрын

Very interesting to hear the storied historic overview of these guns. Amazing how much they've seen and weathered over such a long period.

@nickverbree 4 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed this one; such a cool subject to do a video about

@chrisdooley8155 4 жыл бұрын

Now I'm picturing Menelik and Taytu as having a Chris Traeger/Ben Wyatt dynamic with their subordinates.

@Major_Bomber187 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the good video, gives me something to watch on my birthday

@ES90344 4 жыл бұрын

Ian, when you do videos on history that isn't really known in the West, could you share the sources you used for your research? It would be great for those of us that want to read more into the forgotten history parts of Forgotten Weapons.

@DarkRaven40011 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the history, very interesting!

@ogilkes1 4 жыл бұрын

One of the most extraordinary figures involved in the arming of Ethiopia was Arthur Rimbaud, a wierd poet/libertine/drug and alcohol crazed writer and arms dealer, who lived in Harrar, the great desert caravan city in the east, for a while. His house is still preserved ion the old town to be visited. He negotiated for big sales of surplus arms for Menelik who reputedly cut him to the bone on the profits, and paid late into the bargain (Taitu was probably overseeing these sales).

@pseudomonad 4 жыл бұрын

This was a really interesting snippet of history told through an object. It's that context that makes a video like this worth watching for someone like me (who's neither an expert in firearms nor in the history of C19 NE Africa)

@HE-162 4 жыл бұрын

Forgotten Weapons: The Firearms channel for engineering and history people who aren’t necessarily into firearms 😂. Kinda like top gear was a car show for everyone, including people who don’t like cars haha

@pseudomonad 4 жыл бұрын

@@HE-162 Oh, yeah, I love the engineering bits too. Ian talking us in detail through the operation of some of the earlier and more gizmotic weaponry is great.

@randywatson8347 4 жыл бұрын

Love that smooth teardrop bolt handle.

@The_White_Mandingo 4 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@hiltibrant1976 4 жыл бұрын

Gotta say that rifle has a really empressive history...

@chacuate3481 4 жыл бұрын

I have seen more than 20 of your videos and it does not surprise me at all the level of historical facts that you bring into it. However, in this particular video I have to thank you for bringing that part of Ethiopian history to the viewer. It was disappointed because you did not disassembled the rifle as is customary in your videos. Thanks for the history lesson.

@bamboozlednoodle6513 4 жыл бұрын

“We can take Ethiopia.” “We can take Greece.” -A country who couldn’t take Ethiopia or Greece Edit: yes, I am 100% aware that Italy did take Ethiopia in the 1930s, it’s just a meme people

@Gracz87 4 жыл бұрын

"I took Ethiopia 1935-1936!"

@jasondoe2596 4 жыл бұрын

Hydra88, Italy didn't take Greece - the German fighting machine did.

@mixererunio1757 4 жыл бұрын

And the worst part is that ppl think that Italians were bad soldiers or were cowards. Italian troops were very brave, read about Italian forces on eastern front. But they were terribly commanded. Italians couldn't take Greece, despite it being weaker mostly because of planning and logistics. The same thing was in Africa.

@Moonhermit- 4 жыл бұрын

@@hydra8845 With Ethiopia, they had to try twice, had to use war crimes and poison gas, and weakened their entire armed forces for the next decade. With Greece, they were literally at a stalemate and at parts even losing the war and only "won" because Germany and it's client states bailed them out before they had to sue for peace.

@jogzyg2036 4 жыл бұрын

I believe the correct wording is we can taka the Greece, we can taka the Ethiopia. Mama Mia.

@thespecialbru 4 жыл бұрын

Hooo boy, Ian is excited. It’s rare to see such verve in this videos.

@nicholasdial8213 4 жыл бұрын

All those corners are worn so smooth, definitely ridden hard

@kurtwk 3 жыл бұрын

Why is it always a firearm that serves as the catalyst to get me more interested and even excited to learn more about a certain country’s history. You did this with the “ Mondragon “ and all the rifles involved in the Boer War .....Thanks Ian 🙂

@edoedo8686 4 жыл бұрын

Like everyone says--great presentation.

@nathanielsolomon8608 3 жыл бұрын

I am always PROUD to be a family member of Menelik II

@yoseph3625 3 жыл бұрын

No you're not menelik doesn't have any family They all dead with his grandson lij iyasu the last family member 😌

@aradat9671 3 жыл бұрын

@@yoseph3625 no there no all dead🤡you must be salty tigray banda😌

@yoseph3625 3 жыл бұрын

@@aradat9671 meneliks only daughter is zewditu and her only son lij iyasu(killed by haile Selassie) and i'm not banda i'm proud"ነፈጠኛ"

@danm7298 Жыл бұрын

I bought a gras rifle and they sent me a cut down one on accident. It did not have the M80 conversion. I was surprised. They did send me a matching 100% complete gras rifle with a decent bore tho.

@leventemontana1755 4 жыл бұрын

I can understand Ian's love for France, it's an easy country to love. I'm russian and the first time I visited Paris - it was fenomenal

@Hypastpist 4 жыл бұрын

you apperantly didnt meet any french while there

@Warptenlololol 4 жыл бұрын

@@Hypastpist It's almost like French are patriotic people that won't easily bend to foreigners, be them tourist or wearing uniform, quaint innit? If you want to get fellated for being American (or anything really) go to Belgium or the Netherlands, not to a fiercely independent country.

@gierhedd75 4 жыл бұрын

@@Warptenlololol doesn't mean you should take national pride in being a deek to folks. It's not saucy, rather annoying.

@gierhedd75 4 жыл бұрын

@@Hypastpist 😅

@lucidnonsense942 4 жыл бұрын

@@Hypastpist boo hoo - can you show us where the bad Frenchman touched you?

@danm7298 Жыл бұрын

Its kind of interesting u can see heavy pressure marks on the stocks from other types of guns. U can see sling swivels from berthiers, sight sliders imprints from gras, and bolt screw imprints on a lot of ethiopian guns. from years of sitting with hundreds of pounds of guns pressing down on them. usually always on the left side. furthermore the pitting or rust is usually worse on the left side from moisure sitting on the lowest point especially on the left side of the bore.

@PershingDragoon 4 жыл бұрын

Here you have two rifles that on their own don't look _too_ interesting, and yet they have this great story to go with them. Great video, Ian :)

@DustyGamma 4 жыл бұрын

Wow, so much fun history in these rifles!

@draddams 4 жыл бұрын

I don't think I've ever seen Ian so excited.

@selihom 4 жыл бұрын

Good research. I can verify a lot of those facts.

@mrg315 4 жыл бұрын

That ding in the first bolt head looks like two very hard strikes with a ball-peen hammer. I find this Ethiopian period just as fascinating. Thanks for bringing these to us. Good to be reminded that 1- colonialism was pretty bad for everyone except the colonizers and 2- There is more to Ethiopia than all those boxes of UNICEF pennies we were told they needed to survive a famine.

@wildwyatxbox 4 жыл бұрын

woo. Finally early to one of your epic videos

@danm7298 Жыл бұрын

One lucky guy on YT, brasstard bought an artilary gras. it was actually a cut down rifle that was made in 1867. couldve been used in the franco prussian war. I asked but they dont have any more gras from 1871 or earlier. My CC was made in 1872. its the oldest gun in my collection.

@charlene2400 7 ай бұрын

I got a unique Vetterli TS from that cache down there, with similar markings to your Menelik one. It's an actual 1887, not a 70/87, and was actually made with the Vitali mag from new.

@chefren77 4 жыл бұрын

I would love to see a video about cleaning one of these up.

@VegasCyclingFreak 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, these rifles certainly do have very interesting histories

@samhansen9771 4 жыл бұрын

I love the videos about Ethiopia!

@enjibkk6850 4 жыл бұрын

Very interesting video, personally I like these history rich episodes best. 👍

@matthewkrueger4786 4 жыл бұрын

I actually used your book to see what you were talking about with proof mark locations.

@pezozpezoz 4 жыл бұрын

There's always more info and history

@azau2457 4 жыл бұрын

I wish there were more videos on the history of Ethiopia, it’s a super interesting country

@christiannewaye7306 4 жыл бұрын

They also massively ulitized modern rifles at that time like Mosin 1891's and Berdan Rifles in the battle of adwa.

@tacomancers12356789 4 жыл бұрын

As someone who bought from Inter Ordinance before, these are really par for the course as to what you get from them. I got an Ethiopian 1888 and a Belgian Congo 1889/36 and the 88 is missing the elevation slider and cleaning rod. The 89/36 is complete, but the cleaning rod is almost stuck in place and I'm afraid to remove it out of fear of damaging the gun. Also these guns are DIRTY, and I mean dirt and dust in EVERY opening and operating surface, so be prepared for that if you're looking to get one of these. Other than that, great vid, I might pick one of these up after I've financially recovered from pandemic panic buying a bunch of gats. Also, would like to know the markings on my Ethiopian 1888 as well, if you know Amharic or know someone who could translate, pls let me know, translation apps have failed me hard, ty.

@ScottKenny1978 4 жыл бұрын

Did you see the photos of how these classics were "stored"? Those sheds barely kept the weather off!

@cplusplussizeddick1430 4 жыл бұрын

We'll send a picture or something. How do you expect it to be translated. Or go on Facebook and ask Ethiopians or try to find an Ethiopian group

@cplusplussizeddick1430 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah go join the Ethiopian Historical Photos group on Facebook

@tewodrossamson790 4 жыл бұрын

I'm an Ethiopian I can translate it for you

@brasstard7.627 3 жыл бұрын

@@tewodrossamson790 Id be greatful if you could translate my gun. I just posted a video of my Ethiopian Gras and the markings are different than the guns in Ians video and Im dying to know what it is

@austin_bennett 4 жыл бұрын

The Ethiopian history was really fascinating

@mitchhill9450 4 жыл бұрын

I have a converted chassepot/gras that has been turned into a 12 bore shotgun. it has the turned down bolt and is marked 1868,

@Njasey 4 жыл бұрын

that one awesome combination of guns.

@johnstacy7902 4 жыл бұрын

Im hoping sometime Ian will do a video on the small arms of Zamunda...

@davidt3563 4 жыл бұрын

What a cool history!

@JerryEricsson 4 жыл бұрын

Kind of makes me want to get back into collecting, but alas, the funds no longer allow such thrilling pursuits so I must satisfy my firearms dreams to episodes of Forgotten Weapons. A million thanks for keeping my love of unique firearms alive and well.

@johanneskasper4775 4 жыл бұрын

Rüdiger Nehberg, a German adventurer, described them in the 1970ies, as still wide spread throughout the country. Unfortunately one of his comrades was shot by one of those while traveling down the Nil.

@miketucker2817 4 жыл бұрын

Very interesting part of African history, thank you.

@jan-hendrikbussmann4644 4 жыл бұрын

I love your videos that go deeper into the individual history of the actual weapons on the table. Even the most anti-gun people will have to silently admit that weapons are quite valuable contemporary witnesses to the politics of the past.

@danm7298 Жыл бұрын

These guns got a second life in ethiopia which is kinda cool. and when used by the AOI given a third life lol. these woulda languished in obscurity in some warehouse from the 1880s if not sent abroad to be used after they became obsolete.

@muddyboots1881 3 жыл бұрын

The amount of historic provenance on these two rifles is off the charts.

@The_White_Mandingo 4 жыл бұрын

Forgotten weapons, hickock, and SteveMRE are the holy Trinity of the gun hobby lol!

@Gameprojordan 4 жыл бұрын

military arms channel too

@gunfuego 4 жыл бұрын

You forgot IV8888 (RIP Barry) and Jerry Miculek. SteveMRE is a great channel but his content is geared more towards militaria than firearms...

@stevailo 4 жыл бұрын

I enjoy tfb tv, Garand Thumb and Brandon Herrera a lot too

@iuploadherebecauseimnotbuy7236 4 жыл бұрын

Don't be forgetting TAOFLEDERMAUS.

@edwalmsley1401 4 жыл бұрын

What no inrange TV!!!!

@MBCDC1 4 жыл бұрын

I´d love to see a video, watching Mark Novak working on these guns! :-)

@gusd41 4 жыл бұрын

I always find it interesting the states whether it be Ethiopia or Japan that more or less modernize their armies always manage to survive and places like China that sticks hard to tradition or pushes hard against change get carved up

@axelpatrickb.pingol3228 4 жыл бұрын

In the case of Japan... they were flat out killing each other during the Boshin War and the weird part about that is the winning side - the Imperials - are the ones that stuck with tradition. They only won because as much as they hate modernity and foreign culture, they hate the shogunate more so that they accepted Britain's "help" in defeating the "modernized" Shogunate forces...

@gierhedd75 4 жыл бұрын

In China's case whenever the population gets a little out of control, some horrific epidemic conveniently slips out and reminds the people that the government is there to "take care of them". Or you know.... Tiananmen Square......

@lucidnonsense942 4 жыл бұрын

@@gierhedd75 Lol, no... But points for desperately trying to get irrelevant talking points in, you've got to at least have some basis in reality. China has had 4k years of history, surely you can find an example of almost anything in that long a stretch - at least try when trolling.

@gierhedd75 4 жыл бұрын

@@lucidnonsense942 Paper or plastic?

@gierhedd75 4 жыл бұрын

@@lucidnonsense942 Calm the feck down. It'll be okay, buddy. Didn't mean to upset you.