On August 27, 1896, the sultan of Zanzibar died. Britain had backed him.
Prince Khalid ibn Barghash seized the palace and refused to step aside, even after a British ultimatum.
Why did he refuse?
He believed the British would not follow through. He barricaded himself inside with his supporters.
At 9:00, Rawson ordered HMS Racoon, Thrush, and Sparrow to open fire on the palace.
The wooden building burst into flames almost at once.
The royal yacht, the only ship in the Zanzibar fleet, went down fast.
How long did it last?
It lasted 38 minutes and passes as the shortest war in recorded history, though other accounts put it at 40 or 45 minutes.
About 500 Zanzibaris were killed or wounded.
Britain had one sailor badly wounded.
Khalid ran to the German consulate and sought asylum.
Marines and sailors landed and advanced on the burning ruins of the palace. They met almost no resistance.
Britain installed the successor it had wanted.
The shortest war was not bloodless.
Only one side barely bled.
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