The Sultanate of Zanzibar was an Omani-ruled state on the island of Zanzibar and the nearby East African coast, which became independent of the Omani homeland when the sons of Sultan Said divided his realm after his death. Zanzibar was a centre of the Indian Ocean trade in cloves, ivory and enslaved people, with an Arab ruling class governing a mostly African population. Britain gained dominant influence and made it a protectorate in 1890, and in 1896 the sultanate lost the brief Anglo-Zanzibar War, often described as the shortest war in history. It became independent in 1963, but a violent revolution a month later overthrew the sultan. Zanzibar then merged with Tanganyika to form Tanzania.
Before and after
- 26 July 1856Birth of George Bernard Shaw
- 29 July 1856Death of Robert Schumann
- August 1856Discovery of Neanderthal 1
- 23 August 1856Earthquake in Oshima, Japan
- from 19 October 1856 to 12 January 1964Sultanate of Zanzibar
- 18 December 1856Birth of Joseph John Thomson
- 28 December 1856Birth of Woodrow Wilson
- from 1857 to 1947Indian independence movement
- 1857Rise of Symbolism
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- March 1900Arthur Evans begins digging at Knossos
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.