This book recounts the history of Annie Betts' great-great grandfather, Wilhelm Schimper, and his descendants.

Schimper was a well known German botanist who went to Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1837, married a local Abyssinian girl and stayed in the country for the rest of his life. His wife, Woizero Mirtsit, was believed to be of royal Abyssinian blood by being closely related to Dejazmach Wube, Schimper’s benefactor and ruler of Tigray province.

In the world of botany Wilhelm Schimper is considered to be the main contributor to the knowledge of the flora of the Horn of Africa and his specimens still form a substantial part of the collections of the major herbaria of Europe to this day.

One of his daughters married a German Protestant missionary and the whole family became innocent pawns in the machinations of mid 19th century Abyssinian politics. In particular, the story features the actions of the despotic Emperor Tewodros II and the British Military campaign in 1868 (known as the Abyssinian Expedition) to rescue a number of British diplomatic representatives and other Europeans held hostage by Tewodros at Magdala, his mountain stronghold. Much has been written about this period of history but not from a personal or family perspective.

The story then continues to cover the life of Schimper's granddaughter, Elisabeth Bender, who with her husband worked in Urfa in Turkey and were instrumental in rescuing large numbers of Armenian widows and orphans resulting from the Armenian Genocide of 1916/17.

Although the main purpose in writing the book was to document the story for Annie and Tony's family it will also appeal to anyone who has an interest in this fascinating period of 19th century Ethiopian history.

A Princess in the Family can be purchased online for £20 plus postage from www.domtom.co.uk (01444 250444)