The 38 Minute War

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The shortest war in history began at 09:02 on 27th August, 1896 - and was over 38 minutes later - when The British Empire, at the peak of its power, flexed its military might over the African island of Zanzibar.

The drama began when the pro-British Sultan Hamad suddenly died, and his cousin Khalid bin Barghash decided to seize the throne without British approval. The British, who technically managed Zanzibar as a protectorate, issued an ultimatum: leave the palace or face the consequences. Khalid, full of confidence (or denial), refused. He barricaded himself inside with about 2,800 defenders, a handful of artillery, and a single yacht serving as the entire navy.

When the Royal Navy opened fire, the beautiful wooden palace quickly turned into splinters. The Sultan’s forces were completely outgunned, and by the end of the barrage, over 500 defenders were killed or wounded, the palace was in ruins, and the "navy" had been sunk. On the British side, one sailor sprained his shoulder.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal what happened to Barghash after he slipped out of a back door; explain why the War proved a turning point in Zanzibar’s relationship to slavery; and ask whether the wannabe Sultan had poisoned his predecessor…

Further Reading:

• ‘The Shortest War In History: How Long Was The 1896 Anglo-Zanzibar War?’ (HistoryExtra, 2024): https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/shortest-war-history

• ‘Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964)’ (BlackPast, 2016): https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/sultanate-zanzibar-1856-1964/)

• ‘Coast and Conquest - History Of Africa with Zeinab Badawi [Episode 12]’ (BBC News Africa, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hKeMgH6A34

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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