August 27: The War Begins and Ends

On 27 August 1896, the Anglo-Zanzibar War began an ended. It is considered the world’s shortest war. Sources disagree as to whether the war began at 9:00am or 9:02am as well as how long it lasted; anywhere from 38 to 45 minutes.

The prelude to the war began three days earlier when the Sultan of Zanzibar died. His nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, then seized power in a coup. The British did not consider Bargash as favorable of a choice as Hamud bin Muhammed and ordered him to give up the throne. Instead of complying with the British ultimatum, Bargash prepared for war.

At approximately 8:00am on August 27, the British gave Bargash one hour to abdicate. After receiving no response, at approximately 9:00am, five British warships began firing on the Zanzibar navy—which consisted of one yacht—and a palace which Bargash had fortified. After the yacht had been sunk and the palace had been decimated, Bargash took refuge in the German embassy where he was granted asylum. The war ended at approximately 9:45am.

Hamud bin Muhammed’s coronation was held the following day.
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Although Bargash was only in power for less than 48 hours, he did not have the shortest reign on record. That distinction goes to crown Prince Luis Filipe of Portugal; eldest son of King Carlos I. On 1 February 1908, two members of a revolutionary society shot at the royal family. King Carlos I was instantly killed so the prince became King Luis II. However, due to wounds he suffered in the attack, he died twenty minutes later and was succeeded by his younger brother who became King Manuel II.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

Photo Caption: Palace in Zanzibar after the war.

 

One Response

  1. David Orzel says:

    On 27 August 1916, twenty years after the Anglo-Zanzibar War ended, Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary. This caused Romania to enter World War I (or The Great War) as a member of the Allied nations. World War I lasted for over four years, a stark contrast to the Anglo-Zanzibar War. In the Anglo-Zanzibar War over 500 were killed or injured, once again a sharp contrast to World War I. World War I had over 37 million casualties, 16 million being from deaths. The other 21 million were from various injuries. Both situations were defined as ‘wars’. It’s quite obvious that just because something is labeled as a ‘war’ doesn’t define the severity of the situation.

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