In the nineteenth century, the dynasty of the Omani sultanate ruled the southeastern part of Africa on the shores of the Indian Ocean. This small state flourished due to the active trade in ivory, spices and slaves. In order to ensure an uninterrupted market, cooperation with European powers was necessary. Historically, England, which previously dominated the open sea and colonized Africa, began to exert a constant strong influence on the politics of the Omani Sultanate. At the direction of the British ambassador, the Zanzibar Sultanate is separated from Oman and becomes independent, although legally this state was not under the protectorate of Great Britain. It is unlikely that this small country was mentioned on the pages of textbooks if the military conflict that had occurred on its territory had not entered the annals of history as the shortest war in the world.
Political situation before the war
In the eighteenth century, different countries began to show keen interest in rich African lands. Germany, too, did not stand aside and bought land in East Africa. But she needed access to the sea. Therefore, the Germans concluded an agreement on the lease of the coastal part of the Zanzibar Sultanate with the ruler Hamad ibn Tuvaini. At the same time, the Sultan did not want to lose the location of the British. When the interests of England and Germany began to intersect, the incumbent Sultan suddenly died. He had no direct heirs, and his cousin Khalid ibn Bargash claimed his rights to the throne.
He quickly staged a coup d'etat and assumed the title of Sultan. The speed and coherence of the actions with which all the necessary movements and formalities were made, as well as the sudden death from unknown causes of Hamad ibn Tuvaini, suggests that there was a successful attempt on the Sultan. Support for Khalid ibn Bargash was provided by Germany. However, it was not in British rules that it was so easy to lose territory. Even if officially they did not belong to her. The British ambassador demanded that Khalid ibn Bargash abdicate in favor of Hamoud bin Muhammad, another cousin of the deceased sultan. However, confident in his strength and support from Germany, Khalid ibn Bargash refused to do so.
Ultimatum
Hamad ibn Tuvaini died on August 25. Already on August 26, without delaying affairs in the long box, the British demanded to change the Sultan. Great Britain did not just refuse to recognize the coup d'etat; it was not even going to allow it. The conditions were set in strict form: until 9 am the next day (August 27), the flag flying over the Sultan's palace was to be lowered, the army was disarmed and government powers were transferred. Otherwise, the Anglo-Zanzibar war was officially unleashed.
The next day, an hour before the declared time, a representative of the Sultan arrived at the British embassy. He requested a meeting with Ambassador Basil Cave. The ambassador refused to meet, saying that until all the demands of Britain were satisfied, there could be no talk of any negotiations.
Military forces of the parties
By this time, Khalid ibn Bargash already had an army of 2,800 soldiers. In addition, he armed several hundred slaves to guard the Sultan's palace, ordered to alert both 12-pound guns and the Gatling gun (a kind of rather primitive machine gun on a stand with large wheels). The Zanzibar army also had several machine guns, 2 longboats and a Glasgow yacht.
On the British side, there were 900 soldiers, 150 marines, three small warships used for fighting offshore, and two cruisers equipped with artillery.
Realizing the superiority of the enemy’s firepower, Khalid ibn Bargash was still confident that the British would not dare to start hostilities. History is silent about what the German representative promised the new Sultan, but further actions show that Khalid ibn Bargash was fully confident in his support.
The beginning of hostilities
British ships began to take up combat positions. They surrounded the only defensive Zanzibar yacht, separating it from the coastline. On one side at a distance of hitting the target was a yacht, on the other - the palace of the Sultan. The clock counted the last minutes to the appointed time. At exactly 9 a.m., the shortest war in the world began. Trained gunners easily shot down the Zanzibar cannon and continued the methodical bombardment of the palace.
In response, Glasgow fired on a British cruiser. But the light little ship did not have the slightest chance of confronting this military mastodon bristling with guns. The first salvo sent the yacht to the bottom. The Zanzibarites quickly lowered their flag, and the British sailors rushed on lifeboats to pick up their unlucky opponents, saving them from imminent death.
Surrender
But on the palace flagpole, the flag was still developing. Because there was no one to let him down. Not waiting for support, the Sultan left him among the first. His self-made army also did not differ with special zeal for victory. Moreover, high-explosive shells from ships mowed people like a ripe crop. Wooden buildings caught fire, panic and horror reigned everywhere. But the shelling did not stop.
According to the laws of war, a raised flag signals a refusal to surrender. Therefore, the palace of the Sultan, almost completely destroyed to the ground, continued to be watered with fire. Finally, one of the shells landed right on the flagpole and knocked it down. At that very moment, Admiral Rawlings ordered a ceasefire.
How long did the war between Zanzibar and Britain last?
The first volley was fired at 9 in the morning. The ceasefire was announced at 9:38. After this, the British landing quickly occupied the ruins of the palace, not meeting any resistance. Thus, the shortest war in the world lasted only thirty-eight minutes. However, from this she did not become the most sparing. In a few dozen minutes, 570 people died. All from the Zanzibar side. Among the British, one officer from the gunboat Drozd was wounded. Also during this short campaign, the Zanzibar Sultanate lost its entire small fleet, consisting of one yacht and two longboats.
Salvation of the Disgraced Sultan
Khalid ibn Bargash, who fled at the very beginning of hostilities, received asylum in the German embassy. The new sultan immediately issued a decree arresting him, and British soldiers established round-the-clock duty at the gates of the embassy. So a month has passed. The British were not going to lift their peculiar siege. And the Germans had to resort to a cunning trick in order to take their protege out of the country.
The German cruiser Orlan arrived at the port of Zanzibar and took off the boat, and sailors on their shoulders brought it to the embassy. There Khalid Ibn Bargash was put into a boat and transported him aboard the Orlan in the same way. International laws stipulated that boats, along with the ship, are legally considered the territory of the country to which the ship belongs.
War Results
The result of the 1896 war between England and Zanzibar was not just an unprecedented defeat of the latter, but also the actual deprivation of even that fraction of independence that the sultanate had previously. Thus, the shortest war in the world had far-reaching consequences. The British protege Hamoud ibn Muhammad until his death indiscriminately carried out all the orders of the British ambassador, and his successors behaved in the same way over the next seven decades.