In the nineteenth century, the southeastern part of Africa on the shores of the Indian Ocean was ruled by the dynasty of the Sultanate of Oman. This small state prospered due to the active trade in ivory, spices and slaves. In order to ensure an uninterrupted sales market, cooperation with the European powers was necessary. Historically, England, which previously dominated the sea and colonized Africa, began to exert a constant strong influence on the policy of the Sultanate of Oman. 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 would have been mentioned on the pages of textbooks if the military conflict that took place 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 the rich African lands. Germany also did not stand aside and bought land in East Africa. But she needed access to the sea. Therefore, the Germans entered into 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 favor of the British. When the interests of England and Germany began to intersect, the current sultan died suddenly. He had no direct heirs, and his cousin Khalid ibn Bargash claimed his rights to the throne.
He quickly organized a coup d'état and assumed the title of Sultan. The speed and coherence of actions with which all the necessary movements and formalities were carried out, as well as the sudden death from unknown causes of Hamad ibn Tuvayni, give reason to assume that there was a successful attempt on the Sultan's life. Germany supported Khalid ibn Bargash. However, it was not in the British rules to lose territories so easily. Even if officially they did not belong to her. The British ambassador demanded that Khalid ibn Bargash abdicate in favor of Hamud bin Mohammed, another cousin of the deceased sultan. However, Khalid ibn Bargash, confident in his abilities and the support of Germany, refused to do so.
Ultimatum
Hamad ibn Tuwayni died on August 25th. Already on August 26, without delay, the British demanded to change the Sultan. Great Britain not only refused to recognize the coup d'etat, it was not even going to allow it. The conditions were set in strict form: until 9 a.m. nextday (August 27) the flag flying over the Sultan's palace was to be lowered, the army disarmed and government powers transferred. Otherwise, the Anglo-Zanzibar war was officially unleashed.
The next day, an hour before the scheduled 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 British demands were met, there could be no talk of any negotiations.
Military forces of the parties
By this time, Khalid ibn Bargash already had an army of 2800 soldiers. In addition, he armed several hundred slaves to guard the Sultan's palace, ordered both 12-pounder guns and a Gatling gun (some kind of rather primitive machine gun on a stand with large wheels) to be alerted. The Zanzibar army also had several machine guns, 2 longboats and the Glasgow yacht.
On the British side there were 900 soldiers, 150 marines, three small warships used for fighting near the coast, and two cruisers equipped with artillery pieces.
Realizing the superior firepower of the enemy, Khalid ibn Bargash was still sure 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 Barghash was completely confident in his support.
Start of hostilities
British ships began to take combatpositions. They surrounded the only defensive Zanzibar yacht, separating it from the coastline. On one side, at the distance of hitting the target, there was a yacht, on the other - the palace of the Sultan. The clock counted the last minutes until the appointed time. At exactly 9 am, the shortest war in the world began. Trained gunners easily shot down the Zanzibar cannon and continued their methodical bombardment of the palace.
In response, the Glasgow opened fire on a British cruiser. But the light craft had not the slightest chance of confronting this war mastodon bristling with guns. The first salvo sent the yacht to the bottom. The Zanzibaris quickly lowered their flag, and the British sailors rushed in lifeboats to pick up their hapless opponents, saving them from certain death.
Surrender
But the flag was still flying on the palace flagpole. Because there was no one to bring him down. The sultan, who did not wait for support, left him among the first. His self-made army also did not differ in special zeal for victory. Moreover, high-explosive shells from ships mowed down people like a ripe crop. Wooden buildings caught fire, panic and horror reigned everywhere. And the shelling did not stop.
Under the laws of war, the raised flag signals a refusal to surrender. Therefore, the Sultan's palace, practically destroyed to the ground, continued to be poured with fire. Finally, one of the shells hit the flagpole directly and knocked it down. At the same moment, Admiral Rawlings ordered a ceasefire.
How long did the war between Zanzibar and Britain last
The first salvo was fired at 9 am. The ceasefire order was issued at 9:38. After that, the British landing force quickly occupied the ruins of the palace without meeting any resistance. Thus, the shortest war in the world lasted only thirty-eight minutes. However, this did not make her the most forgiving. In a few tens of minutes, 570 people died. All from the Zanzibar side. Among the British, one officer from the Drozd gunboat was wounded. Also during this short campaign, the Zanzibar Sultanate lost its entire small fleet, which consisted of one yacht and two longboats.
Saving 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 for his arrest, and British soldiers established a round-the-clock watch near the embassy gates. So a month passed. The British had no intention of lifting their peculiar siege. And the Germans had to resort to a cunning ploy to get their henchman out of the country.
The boat was removed from the German cruiser Orlan, which arrived at the Zanzibar port, and the sailors on their shoulders brought it to the embassy. There they put Khalid ibn Bargash in the boat and in the same way ferried him aboard the Orlan. International law stipulated that the lifeboats, along with the ship, were legally considered to be the territory of the country to which the ship belonged.
Results of the war
The result of the war of 1896 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 Hamud ibn Muhammad unquestioningly carried out all the orders of the British ambassador until his death, and his successors behaved the same way over the next seven decades.
