Queen Victoria’s Hostage Problem

In November 1863, King Theodore 11 of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) wrote to Queen Victoria asking her assistance in forming an expedition to capture Jerusalem and secure the right of Christian pilgrims in that holy city. King Theodore, who was, or so he claimed, a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, had received his education in a monastery, and, upon seizing the throne in 1855, became a religious fanatic, destroying mercilessly anything he considered to smack of decadence.

The Queen did not reply to Theodore’s request. And her failure to do so had serious consequences for the British Consul, Mr. Charles D. Cameron, and ten foreign missionaries, including two women, whom the King seized and held as hostages. They would not be released for four and a half years.

IL

About the Author

Ilya Levkov

In November 1863, King Theodore 11 of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) wrote to Queen Victoria asking her assistance in forming an expedition to capture Jerusalem and secure the right of Christian pilgrims in that holy city. King Theodore, who was, or so he claimed, a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, had received his education in a monastery, and, upon seizing the throne in 1855, became a religious fanatic, destroying mercilessly anything he considered to smack of decadence.

The Queen did not reply to Theodore’s request. And her failure to do so had serious consequences for the British Consul, Mr. Charles D. Cameron, and ten foreign missionaries, including two women, whom the King seized and held as hostages. They would not be released for four and a half years.