This conflict is usually described as the shortest recorded war in history, lasting under an hour. When the pro-British sultan of Zanzibar died, his cousin Khalid bin Barghash seized the palace without British consent, which broke an agreement requiring approval of the British for any succession. Britain demanded he stand down, and when the ultimatum expired Royal Navy ships bombarded the palace and the small Zanzibari fleet. Khalid fled to the German consulate and later escaped to German East Africa, while Britain installed Hamoud bin Mohammed as sultan. The episode confirmed British dominance over the island, which stayed a protectorate until 1963.
Before and after
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 18961896 Summer Olympics
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 1896The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens
- 16 July 1896Birth of Trygve Lie
- 9 August 1896Birth of Jean Piaget
- 27 August 1896Anglo-Zanzibar War
- 24 September 1896Birth of F. Scott Fitzgerald
- 12 October 1896Birth of Eugenio Montale
- 2 December 1896Birth of Georgy Zhukov
- 10 December 1896Death of Alfred Nobel
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 19 April 1775 to 3 September 1783American Revolutionary War
- 4 July 1776United States Declaration of Independence
- 17 September 1787United States Constitution
- from 1803 to 1815Napoleonic Wars
- 1815Congress of Vienna
- from October 1853 to February 1856Crimean War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.