Sayyid Khalid Bin Barghash, Britain and the throne of Zanzibar

Abstract

Prince Khalid bin Barghash Al BuSa‘idi was an Arabian prince and an offspring of Al-BuSa‘idi family who ruled Muscat and Zanzibar. His father, second ruler of Zanzibar, exerted great effort with the British in order to crown his son as his hire, but his effort met with failure. In 1890 Zanzibar was declared a protectorate and the British influence became more dominating in interfering in the internal affairs, as well as in the throne inheritance issue. Supported by Zanzibar people and coastal inhabitants, Prince Khalid led two attempts to seize the throne, the first of which was in 1893, but the British believed that the coronation should serve the higher British interests, and that the inheritance of the throne would be purely a British matter. At the turn of the twentieth century, he defied the might of imperial Britain at the height of its power and succeeded in the second attempt in 1896 in capturing the ruling castle and declared himself as the Sultan of Zanzibar. The British asked him to abdicate, but he refused. Their sword, therefore, took control and finally settled the questions of internal affairs and the throne inheritance. The Anglo-Zanzibar war, and the bombardment of the ruling castle forced the British deposed Sultan to take shelter in the German Consulate. A British candidate was placed on the throne. Sayyid Khalid was transferred to German East Africa and was not allowed with his family members to come back to Zanzibar. He lived a homeless and a miserable life until he gave up his claims. He was, therefore , allowed to live in Mombasa until his death in 1927.