Britain vs. Zanzibar: The Shortest War To Ever Happen

The sultan’s palace in ruins after the war.

If you ask a random person on the street, chances are that they will think that the shortest war in history probably lasted for a day or two. But, surprisingly, it only lasted for 38 minutes! The war happened on August 27, 1896, and it was fought between Britain and Zanzibar, which is a small island off the east coast of Africa. They clashed with each other over who would control the throne (and the land) after a sultan had recently died. Zanzibar had been under British influence for many years prior, and with a small population and land area, they didn’t have much resources, weapons, or manpower. Thus, it was a pretty easy win for Britain, who, as a result, ended up with the control over the area.

How It All Began

Britain had a deal with Zanzibar’s rulers since 1890, so they already had a lot of say in what happened there. The sultan who died, Hamad bin Thuwaini, worked closely with them and kept everything running smoothly, but when he, at just 39 years old, passed away on August 25, 1896, things got messy really fast. People spread rumors about poison being the cause, though nobody could prove it, and his cousin, Khalid bin Barghash, didn’t waste any time and declared himself the new sultan. He took over the palace in Stone Town, which is Zanzibar’s biggest city. Britain wasn’t too happy about this because they wanted someone else, Hamud bin Muhammed, to take the throne instead. Khalid had some support from locals and rounded up about 2,500 soldiers, but most of them were just regular people with very weak weapons. Britain saw him as trouble and told him he had until 9:00 a.m. on August 27 to step down. However, he didn’t listen and got ready to fight instead. Britain brought warships into the harbor, including the HMS Racoon, HMS Thrush, and HMS Sparrow, along with a couple of others. They also had 900 soldiers on land, some of whom were local troops loyal to them. From the beginning, it was quite obvious that Khalid’s side didn’t have nearly enough power to stand up to that.

The 38-Minute War

When 9:00 a.m. rolled around, Khalid still hadn’t backed off. So, at 9:02 a.m., Britain started firing on the palace with their ships. Cannon shells hit hard, and since the palace was mostly wood, it caught fire quickly. Khalid’s troops tried to fight back with old cannons and rifles, but they couldn’t do much. He had one ship, called the HHS Glasgow, which was really just a yacht. It fired at the British navy, but they sank it in minutes, and the crew had to swim to shore. On land, his soldiers shot at the British too, but they got crushed fast, and around 500 Zanzibaris died in the mess. Britain only had one sailor get hurt. By 9:30 a.m., the palace was falling apart, and Khalid knew he was done. He slipped out a back door and ran to the German consulate for safety since Germany had some power nearby. Britain kept up the attack until 9:40 a.m., when they put up a white flag over the ruined palace. That marked the end of the war after just 38 minutes. They moved quickly and put Hamud in charge as the new sultan that same day. Khalid’s time as leader was over, and Britain tightened their hold on Zanzibar.

Why It Ended So Quick

This fight didn’t last long because Britain had way more strength than Zanzibar. Their warships and trained soldiers were no match for Khalid’s poorly armed group. His men couldn’t even reload their cannons fast enough to keep up. Plus, the palace wasn’t built to handle an attack—it was more of a nice house than a fortress. Khalid thought Britain might not push so hard, but he was wrong. They’d been taking charge all over Africa and Asia, and Zanzibar was just another spot they wanted locked down. Not everyone on the island backed Khalid either, which made it tougher for him to hold out. Britain also wanted to wrap things up before other countries, like Germany or France, got involved. Khalid running to the German consulate showed they were right to worry. By finishing it fast, Britain made sure nobody else could step in.

What Happened After?

After it was over, Khalid stayed with the Germans until October 2, when they got him out to Dar es Salaam, their colony nearby. He lived there in exile until 1927 and never came back to power. Hamud stayed sultan until 1902, doing what Britain told him. Zanzibar remained under their control until 1963, when it finally broke free and later joined with Tanganyika to become Tanzania. The war left a mark on Zanzibar. The palace got rebuilt, but you can still see some damage in Stone Town today. Around 500 people died on their side, while Britain barely lost anything. Locals remembered it as a hard lesson about fighting back against a bigger power. If you resisted, you’d lose quick.