Anglo - Zanzibar war
Anglo - Zanzibar war was a 38-minute war in 1896 fought between the British and Zanzibar. The story goes like this, Zanzibar was part of the British Empire in East Africa and the British had their own people in power in Zanzibar. This man was Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini (Sultan of Zanzibar), a supporter of the British. But on August 25, 1896, he died and his grandson Sultan Khalid bin Barghash immediately came to power. He was never appointed by the British so he was not favored as the ideal successor. The British assembled their five warships to set sail on the island. They landed troops on the shore of the island, and a request was sent for the king to refuse and move out of the palace. But the king did the opposite and fortified the palace with his own army and artillery.
During the Anglo - Zanzibar war, on August 26, 1896, a final ultimatum was sent to the king to leave the palace before 9 a.m. the next day. The king ignored the ultimatum and ignored the warnings of the British. At 9:22 a.m. on August 27, 1896, the British Royal Navy began shelling the mostly wooden palace, and by 9:40 a.m. the shelling had already occurred. The palace was badly damaged but Sultan Khalid bin Barghash managed to escape and it was a victory for the British. This brief, 38-minute battle left around 500 Zanzibar citizens dead or wounded, and one British soldier wounded. Anglo - Zanzibar war is considered one of the shortest wars in history that had a devastating human cost.
- Date: August 27, 1896 (38 minutes)
- Location: Zanzibar Town, Zanzibar Sultanate
- Result: British victory
