The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between Britain and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. With a duration of only 45 minutes, it holds the record of being the shortest war in recorded history.
The war broke out after Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini, who had willingly cooperated with the British colonial administration, died on August 25 and his nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, seized power in what amounted to a coup d'etat. As the British favored another candidate, Hamoud bin Mohamed , who they believed would be easier to work with, they ordered bin Bargash to abdicate. Bargash refused, and instead assembled an army that consisted of about 2,800 men and an elderly but serviceable warship anchored in the harbor. While Bargash's troops set to fortifying the palace, the Royal Navy assembled several warhsips around the island and started dispatching landing parties of marines. Despite last-minute efforts of the Sultan to negotiate for peace via the American representative on the island, the Royal Navy ships began shelling the island on the morning of August 27, after the British ultimatum had run out. Having no means to effectively defend himself against a naval bombardment, the Sultan surrendered after only 45 minutes. Bargash fled to the island's German consulate and lived in exile for the next 15 years.
While the war is often seen as a comic episode in military history, it nevertheless exemplifies the late-19th century colonial policies of the British Empire, including a disregard for local traditions and legitimate governments, a willingness to carry out conflicts with its German rival on the backs of the local population, and a willingness to use its firepower on civilian populations to reach its aims.
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