Despite the defeat at Adwa, Umberto still…

Despite the defeat at Adwa, Umberto still harbors imperialistic ambitions towards Ethiopia.

In 1897, the prime minister, Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì tries to sell Eritrea to Belgium on the grounds that Eritrea was too expensive to hold onto, but is overruled by the king who insists that Eritrea must stay Italian.

Rudinì attempts to reduce military spending, citing a study showing that since 1861 military spending has constituted over half the budget every year, but is again blocked by the king.