True story of shortest war in history that lasted under 40 minutes but still had 500 deaths

The Anglo-Zanzibar War is widely known as the shortest in history

The shortest war in history only lasted 40 minutes, but still managed to take the lives of 500 people.

The Anglo-Zanzibar War, which took place in 1896, is widely known as the shortest war to ever take place.

But sadly, it had many casualties, despite barely lasting an hour.

It all started in August 1896, when the sultan of Zanzibar, Sultan Hamad, died suddenly. Britain, who had influence over the region at the time, had a preference over who would replace the sultan, but Prince Khālid ibn Barghash did not agree.

British forces in front of the sultan's palace. (Pictures from History/Getty Images)

British forces in front of the sultan’s palace. (Pictures from History/Getty Images)

He took control himself instead – much to the disapproval of the British – which caused tensions between the two sides.

On August 25, the Brits arrived in Zanzibar with soldiers and gunboats, while Prince Khālid took refuge in the palace behind an army of 3,000 soldiers and supporters, as well as several artillery guns.

While directly asking Prince Khālid to surrender, the Brits were also sending troops to protect the British Consulate and control any rioting from the public.

Despite the growing tension – and the ultimatums that chief diplomat, Basil Cave issued to Khālid – the British troops could not proceed without the approval of the government at home.

Prince Khālid ibn Barghash. (Henry Guttmann/Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Prince Khālid ibn Barghash. (Henry Guttmann/Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Cave sent a telegram to the Foreign Office, asking: “Are we authorised in the event of all attempts at a peaceful solution proving useless, to fire on the Palace from the men-of-war?”

The next day, he received the following: “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.”

Prince Khālid was issued one final ultimatum on 26 August, but did not surrender.

That afternoon, the harbours were cleared and British women and children taken to safety.

The palace after the bombardment. (Pictures from History/Getty Images)

The palace after the bombardment. (Pictures from History/Getty Images)

At 9am the following day, troops began infiltrating the palace, and at 9.02am, ships Racoon, Thrush and Sparrow opened fire on the palace, leading to around 500 casualties.

Many of those killed had died in the fire that engulfed the palace.

Khālid, however, ended up escaping, seeking shelter in the German Consulate before being smuggled into Tanzania. He remained on the run until he was captured in 1916, when British forces invaded East Africa.

Despite the conflict lasting just minutes, it took the lives of many of Khālid’s troops.

Related Posts

Tesla recalls a staggering 700,000 vehicles over concerning fault that ‘increases risk of crashing’

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has noticed a potentially deadly flaw in three models Tesla has recalled nearly 700,000 cars after a potentially dangerous fault was discovered….

Justin Baldoni dropped by talent agency after Blake Lively sues for sexual harassment and alleged campaign to ‘destroy her reputation’

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively starred alongside each other in the 2024 flick It Ends With Us Justin Baldoni has been let go by his talent agency…

People are just realizing the morbid meaning behind iconic barber’s pole

It’s not just there as a colorful decoration to adorn the front of barbershop windows If you’ve ever wondered what the striped pole outside a barbershop symbolizes,…

Jeff Bezos set to marry fiancée Lauren Sánchez in $600,000,000 wedding and the plans are mind-blowing

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos got engaged to journalist Lauren Sánchez in May 2023 Sources have revealed alleged details surrounding Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ wedding to Lauren Sánchez….

Parents of 10-year-old boy reveal vile nickname bullies allegedly called son before he took his own life

Sammy Teusch died by suicide on May 5, 2024 Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing. The parents of a 10-year-old…

Blake Lively sues co-star for sexual harassment and alleged campaign to ‘destroy her reputation’

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni co-starred in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against It Ends with Us co-star…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *