the shortest war in history
On the 25th of August 1896 Sultan Hamad died and his cousin
Hamoud was declared as his successor by the acting British
Consul, Sir Basil Cave. This appointment was not met with
agreement by Khaled, another cousin of Hamad who, as the
son of Barghash, considered that he had the rightful claim to
the accession. By the time that Cave reached the royal palace
Beit el Sahel, the doors were barred. Khaled had gained access
through a broken window, along with around 2000 supporters
and had proclaimed himself Sultan, raising the Zanzibar flag.
The British authorities refused to recognise Khaled's claim
and tension rose as a potentially explosive stand-off ensued.
Cave had marines from the three British ships in the harbour
stationed around the town, evacuating Europeans to the British
Consulate under heavy guard, where they gathered excitedly
on the roof to watch the drama unfold.
The night passed off without event and the following morning
two further ships arrived in Zanzibar harbour to reinforce the
fleet. At dawn Rear Admiral Rawson turned his guns on the
palace and issued Khaled with an ultimatum. Either he was
to surrender and walk out to the customs shed by 9.00am or
the fleet would open fire.
At 8.00am Khaled sent a message asking for talks, but his request
was curtly turned down.. At 9.02am the fleet opened fire a barrage
of ****ls on the palace and when the dust settled the building was
in ruins, with up to 500 bodies strewn amongst the rubble. At 9.40am,
the flag was lowered as Khaled surrendered, escaping through the
maze of streets to seek sanctuary at the German consulate. From
there he escaped to Mombasa, where he lived out his life in exile.
The battle is officially listed in the Guinness Book of
Records as the shortest war in history.
the shortest war in history
