The world’s shortest war lasted an incredibly brief 38 minutes

Thirty-eight minutes. The Anglo-Zanzibar War on August 27, 1896, was fought in less time than it takes to watch the much-discussed combat scene from “Lone Survivor. ” It was the shortest war in world history, which spans, you know, a bunch of years, so that is saying something.

Related: Why Patton’s predecessor in North Africa proved so useless against the Nazis British warships fired upon the royal palace shortly after 9 a. m. As far as mismatches go, this was a colossal rout, which begs one question: What were the Zanzibaris thinking?

Zanzibar Was a British Protectorate The Anglo-Zanzibar War began in 1896 when a would-be sultan falsely claimed power over the East African archipelago. (Wikimedia Commons) Long before Zanzibar merged with Tanganyika to become present-day Tanzania in 1964, it served as a protectorate of the British Empire. That relationship began in 1890 after the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty specified areas of German and British influence in East Africa.

As part of that deal, Britain received formal recognition of its control of Zanzibar. Britain was willing to preserve Zanzibar as a sultanate while simultaneously trying to render its sultan compliant to its wishes. What the British primarily wanted was for slavery to be abolished on the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Although some protested more than others, sultans generally acquiesced to British pressure. During the 1880s and 1890s, Zanzibar endured a series of changes in leadership as four sultans died . A Death Under Mysterious Circumstances The last in that line, Hamad bin Thuwaini, died suddenly on August 25, 1896.

Some believed his cousin, Khālid bin Barghash, poisoned him . If he did, Khālid wasn’t wracked with guilt. Far from it, in fact.

The power-hungry Khālid moved into the palace and assumed authority. The son of longtime sultan Barghash bin Said, who reigned from 1870 to 1888, Khālid already tried to assume power twice before without the British’s required approval and was rebuffed. At 3 p.

m. on August 25, mere hours after Sayyid Hamad’s death, Khālid issued a formal declaration appointing himself sultan. A 21-gun salute accompanied the proclamation.

Khālid’s bold move did little to deter the British. They still wanted him out and were willing to do anything to achieve that. Would-Be Sultan Refuses to Leave Palace Rear Adm.

Harry Rawson commanded the British forces in the short-fought Anglo-Zanzibar War. (Wikimedia Commons) Diplomat Basil Cave tried to reason with Khālid, trying to get him to leave on his own accord. Doing everything he could to retain whatever power he thought he had, Khālid repeatedly refused.

Meanwhile, he prepared for a potential conflict by consolidating about 2,800 Zanzibari Askari soldiers, palace guards, and civilians. The day after Sayyid Hamad died, the British government gave its consent to Cave and Rear Adm. Harry Rawson of the HMS St.

George, writing: “You are authorized 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. ” As Rawson established a 9 a.

m. deadline on August 27, Khālid remained belligerent. The ultimatum didn’t sway Khālid in the least; he even sent word shortly before the deadline that “we have no intention of hauling down our flag, and we do not believe you would open fire on us.

” 500 Died in Short War A cannon stands on the site of the palace that was destroyed during the Anglo-Zanzibar War in 1896. (Erasmus Kamugisha/Wikimedia Commons) The British weren’t posturing. Equipped with two cruisers and three gunboats, the British had much more firepower than their opponent despite having a smaller fighting force.

At 9:02 a. m. , Rowson ordered three of his vessels to open fire on the palace, and it soon became engulfed in flames.

Khālid’s forces stood no chance. By the time the British stopped firing, 500 Khalid loyalists were dead. On the British side, only one soldier sustained severe injuries.

It didn’t take long for the British to appoint Sayyid Hamad’s successor. With the palace likely still smoldering, they installed Hamoud bin Mohammed as the new sultan of Zanzibar. Khālid managed to escape to German East Africa, but the British didn’t forget about him.

They finally caught the fugitive and arrested him during World War I. Zanzibar remained a British protectorate until 1963, a few generations after a little-known war that was over in less time than a three-mile ruck. Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty • This 80-year-old minuteman took on a column of British troops by himself • The British military actually had an effective plan in 1776 • Here’s what happens when the US starts a military draft Featured Wars The world’s shortest war lasted an incredibly brief 38 minutes By Stephen Ruiz Feature Here’s what happens when the US starts a military draft By Blake Stilwell Feature The Space Force was fighting Iran before the first F-35 took off By Adam Gramegna History Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former President and Iraq War antagonist allegedly killed by an Israeli missile By Blake Stilwell Coast Guard Why the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security By Stephen Ruiz The post The world’s shortest war lasted an incredibly brief 38 minutes appeared first on We Are The Mighty .