August 27th, 1896: The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought on this day and remains the shortest conflict in history. It lasted forty-four minutes.
At 11:40 AM two days earlier (25 August 1896), the fifth Sultan of Zanzibar, Sayyid
Hamad bin Thuwaini Al-Busa'id [1] suddenly died. He was almost certainly poisoned by his cousin Prince Sayyid
Khalid bin Barghash Al-Busa'id who seized control of Beit al-Hukm Palace and proclaimed himself the new Sultan. This irked the British since the agreement establishing Zanzibar as a protectorate of the Empire (on 14 June 1890) meant succession had to be approved by the British consul. Khalid had not fulfilled this requirement and, moreover, Britain’s preferred successor was the more compliant Sayyid
Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Busa'id.
Determined to retain control over the strategically significant East African archipelago, which would allow them to enforce their policies such as the abolition of slavery, the British reacted swiftly. Khalid’s action was the casus belli Britain needed to issue an ultimatum demanding Prince Khalid order his forces to stand down and leave the palace. The ultimatum was delivered by Rear Admiral Harry Rawson of the Royal Navy (RN): surrender by 09:00 am or face military action. Khalid’s response was to mobilise his palace guard and barricade himself inside the Beit al Hukum Palace. Together with the Sultan’s palace guard, the defenders comprised around 2,800 Zanzibaris, mostly recruited from the civilian population, and several hundred of his servants and slaves. The Zanzibaris positioned several artillery pieces and machine guns in front of the palace sighted at the RN’s ships.
The British had gathered two cruisers, three gunboats, 150 marines and sailors, and 900 pro-Anglo Zanzibaris [2] in the harbour area so, with the ultimatum expired, at 09:02 am Rawson’s warships immediately bombarded the palace setting the palace on fire and disabling the defending artillery. Around the same time a small naval action took place, with the British sinking the Zanzibari royal yacht HHS Glasgow and two smaller vessels. Some shots were also fired ineffectually at the pro-British Zanzibari troops as they approached the palace. After causing extensive damage to the palace, the Zanzibari flag flying from the roof was shot down and the bombardment ceased at 09:46 am. Khalid’s forces were overwhelmed, and 500 casualties were sustained. Just one British sailor was seriously injured during the brief skirmish.
Khalid fled to seek sanctuary in the German Consulate before escaping to German East Africa (in the mainland part of present-day Tanzania). Hamoud was quickly installed as the new sultan later that day and pledged to honour British demands on Zanzibar. This fleeting but decisive altercation marked the end of the Sultanate of Zanzibar as a sovereign state and the start of Britain’s entrenched dominance in the region that persisted well into the 20th-century.
Bon appétit!
Reference:
Bird, D.. (2024), Q&A: “What was the shortest war in history?”, BBC History Magazine (September 2024), London: Immediate Media Company, p. 49.
Endnotes:
1. Sayyid Hamad bin Thuwaini Al-Busaidi (Arabic: حمد بن ثويني البوسعيدي) (c. 1857 – 25 August 1896) was the fifth Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Zanzibar from 5 March 1893 until his death on 25 August 1896.
2. The pro-Anglo Zanzibaris were commanded by Brigadier-General Lloyd Mathews of the Zanzibar army, who was also the First Minister of Zanzibar.
