History
What was the shortest war in history?
The short answer
The Anglo-Zanzibar War, fought on 27 August 1896 between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Zanzibar. It lasted somewhere between 38 and 45 minutes. Around 500 people died in that time, almost all of them Zanzibari.
The pro-British Sultan of Zanzibar died suddenly on 25 August 1896. Within hours his cousin, Khalid bin Barghash, had installed himself in the palace and declared himself sultan — a move that required British approval he was never going to get.
The British issued an ultimatum expiring at 9am on 27 August. It passed. The shelling started, and by 09:40 the palace was wrecked, the Sultan's flag was down, and the war was over.
The brevity is the hook and it should not be the whole story. Around 500 people were killed in under three quarters of an hour, overwhelmingly Zanzibari civilians and palace guards. One British sailor was injured. Khalid escaped to the German consulate and was eventually smuggled out of the country.
Sources
- The Shortest War in History - The Anglo Zanzibar WarHistoric UK
- Anniversary of the Shortest War in Human History: the Anglo-Zanzibar WarBritish Online Archives