to various places within Shewa and beyond allowing him to interact with a diverse group of people and explore opportunities which existed for a career in a secular field. For example, early on he learned to appreciate the importance local as well as foreign languages. Beyond these sketchy details, little is known about Mersha's early life at this point. It is unclear, for example, if he had royal ancestry. The fact that he was later married to the daughter of one of Menelik's trusted servants suggests, however, that the family had close ties to the palace. Overall there is little doubt that Mersha's formative and early adulthood experiences helped him prepare for his long and illustrious public career. It's worth noting that today Ankober is one of many districts (woredas) of Ethiopia. But back then, it was the capital of one of several powerful kingdoms. The following quote encapsulates the vitality of the Ankober area at the time: The early nineteenth-century Shawan royal capital of Ankober was a spectacular sight, ‘perched at 2400 meters atop a volcanic cone above the steep escarpment of the eastern highlands’. It commanded a prosperous, cosmopolitan and culturally diverse polity. Founded as a frontier outpost in the late-eighteenth century, fifty years later Ankober stood amidst a rich agricultural area and controlled the Red Sea trade through regional markets such as Aliyu Amba. Visited by Muslim merchants and traders from the Mediterranean, and a busy ecclesiastical base of Orthodox theology, Ankober was a lively commercial and intellectual center. By mid-19th century, Ankober had established trade and diplomatic ties with the outside world. As a result, there was strong public interest in international affairs, foreign languages, history, geography and medicine, as well as the design, manufacturing and function of machines and tools as documented by missionaries. Under Menelik, the last ruler of Shewa (1865–1889), Ankober rapidly evolved into a vibrant political and economic center. Trade was expanded to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea via Harar. Mersha also grew up in one of the most consequential periods in the nation's history. The second half of the nineteenth century was a turning point in the sense that it marked the end a long period of deep divisions within and between the various kingdoms located in the northern part of the country known as the Era of Princes or Zemene Mesafint (1769–1855). Emperor Tewodros (Tewodros II) was