On August 27, 1896, Great Britain began a war against Zanzibar. This war would be the shortest war in world history.
Source: (mybaseguide/colorized).
First, a little background. The main island of the country of Zanzibar was Unguja or Zanzibar Island. Portuguese settlers had claimed it in 1499. The Sultans of Oman expelled the Portuguese in 1698, after which the island was under nominal control of the Sultans. In 1858, Sultan Majid bin Said declared Zanzibar Island independent from Oman, and the sultanate was split from Oman and recognized by Great Britain. In 1873, a British ultimatum and threat of blockade forced Barghash bin Said, the second sultan, to end the slave trade. After this, the capital was established in Zanzibar Town and a palace complex was built near the sea, consisting of three main buildings connected by covered bridges: the palace, the attached harem, or Beit al-Hukm, and a ceremonial palace, called the Beit al-Ajaib or “House of Wonders.”
The British Were Trying To End The Slave Trade In Zanzibar
In 1886, Britain acknowledged Zanzibar’s sultanate and its sovereignty. Germany, however, vied with Britain for control of trade rights in the area into the late 19th century. When Sultan Khalifah granted rights to Kenya to Britain and rights to Tanganyika to Germany, the ending of slavery in those lands upset the Arab ruling classes. Additional unrest developed when the German authorities would not fly the flag of the Zanzibar Sultanate. Shortly after this, Khalifah extended trade rights to the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC). With German assistance, the IBEAC started a blockade to end the slave trade.
In 1890, Khalifah died, and Ali bin Said ascended to the sultanate; he banned the slave trade but allowed slave ownership. The new Sultan also made Zanzibar a British protectorate, appointed Lloyd Matthews as First Minister to lead his cabinet, and granted Britain a veto over appointments of sultans in the future. During the year that Ali became Sultan, Britain and Germany signed the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty, which ceded Germany’s rights in Zanzibar to Britain, giving the British government more power. Hamad bin Thuwaini then became sultan in 1893. Tensions over the British goal of eradicating slavery worsened, and the British authorized Hamad to create a Zanzibari palace bodyguard, but this too caused problems.
The Death Of A Sultan Prompted The Battle
British sailors and marines posing with a dismantled Zanzibarian gun. Source: (mybaseguide/colorized).
Then, on August 25, 1896, Sultan Hamad died suddenly, after which his nephew, Khalid bin Bargash moved into the palace, violating the treaty with Ali. The British were not happy about this, as they wanted a different candidate for the sultanate. Khalid started to gather forces in the Palace Square and took control of the Zanzibar Navy, which consisted of a single yacht, the HHS Glasgow. At the end of the day, he had amassed nearly 3,000 men and taken control of the artillery. They also had two 12-pounder field guns and a 17th century bronze cannon pointed at the British ships in the harbor.
Ships Began To Gather In The Harbor
Meanwhile, the British began to gather their own forces, and 150 sailors and marines from Philomel and Thrush, which were anchored in the harbor, landed; a contingent commanded by Captain O’Callaghan came ashore to deal with rioting, and another group, under Lieutenant Watson of Thrush were sent to guard the British consulate, where British citizens were told to gather for protection. The HMS Sparrow also entered the harbor and anchored opposite the palace. Basil Cave, the chief British diplomat, asked Khalid to stand down and return home, but Khalid refused, instead stating that he would proclaim himself Sultan at 3:00 p.m. Cave informed him that if he did so, this would be an act of rebellion. Sultan Hamad was buried at 2:30, and exactly 30 minutes later, the palace guns fired a royal salute, proclaiming Khalid’s succession. Cave also informed other foreign consuls to continue to fly the flag at half mast to honor Hamad and they did so. They also agreed to not recognize Khalid as sultan.
The Buildup To War
Source: (Cultura Collectiva).
The following day, the British cruisers Raccoon and St. George arrived and anchored in the harbor. At around the same time, Lord Salisbury authorized Cave to use their resources to remove Khalid from power, stating "You are authorised to adopt whatever measures you may consider necessary, and will be supported in your action by Her Majesty's Government. Do not, however, attempt to take any action which you are not certain of being able to accomplish successfully." Despite Cave’s continuing attempts to negotiate with Khalid, he refused, and was given an ultimatum to take down his flag and leave the palace by 9 a.m. on the 27th. British women and children were then taken to St. George and the merchant ships left the harbor.
The Aftermath
The remains of the palace after the bombardment. Source: (wikipedia/colorized).
On the 27th, Khalid sent a messenger to request a parley, but the consul replied that it would only occur if Khalid met the conditions of the ultimatum. Khalid sent a messenger stating that he had no intention of doing so and did not believe the British would fire on them. At 9 a.m., General Lloyd Matthews ordered the ships to start the bombardment. At 9:02, Raccoon, Thrush, and Sparrow began to fire at the palace. At 9:05, Glasgow fired upon the St. George. St. George returned fire and sank Glasgow. By 9:40, the bombardment ceased, the Sultan’s flag had been cut down, and the palace and harem had caught fire. Later that day, Hamoud bin Muhammed was installed as sultan. Depending on which events marked the start and the end of the war, it lasted 38, 40, or 45 minutes.
As a result of a war which lasted less than an hour, 500 Zanzibari men and women were killed or wounded. The Indian quarter suffered from looting in the aftermath, with 20 dying in the chaos, and one British petty officer was wounded on Thrush. After the battle, sailors from Thrush and Philomel were sent to the town to contain the fire in the palace. However, the harem, palace, and lighthouse were demolished because they were deemed unsafe. The former palace became gardens, while a new palace was constructed on the site of the harem. The wreck of Glasgow was left in the harbor and the masts were visible until 1912, when the boat was broken up for scrap.
There Were No Further Conflicts
Part of the shoreline in 1902. The building with the tower is the reconstructed palace, and the objects sticking out of the water are the masts of Glasgow. Source: (wikipedia).
Khalid, the disputed Sultan, fled and sought refuge in the German consulate. The German consul refused to surrender Khalid to the British; the extradition treaty excluded political prisoners. Khalid was taken to Dar es Salaam in German East Africa. The British punished Khalid’s supporters, making them pay reparations to cover the shells fired at them and the damages from the looting. Sultan Hamoud remained a loyal figurehead in a British run government. Hamoud did abolish all forms of slavery, but the emancipation process proved to be a slow one. The protectorate remained in place for 67 years, and there were no further rebellions.
