Taytu Betul became the Empress of Ethiopia in 1889 and believed in putting the interests of her country above European expansion plans. As a result, she willingly went to war against Italy preserving Ethiopia's independence, leading her own contingent of soldiers. Empress Taytu prevented Ethiopia from being colonized. The Ethiopian victory over Italy was an important event in the Pan-African movement, inspiring other African countries to fight for independence in the 1900s.