1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Frying and I'm Tracy D. Wilson, and we're 4 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: going to talk about a war today. Sort of. It's 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,959 Speaker 1: very very short war, uh. And even though that is 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: how this thing is often described, it actually took a 7 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: lot of history to get to that very brief conflict, 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: which was the Anglo Zanzibar War. And it's one of 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: those things that like pops up sometimes you'll see it 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: on lists of like nutty history facts, and they just 11 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: talk about that without any of the context, which I 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: think is pretty important. Zanzibar is a relatively tiny place, 13 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:49,639 Speaker 1: but it is very significant historically, largely because of its 14 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: geographical position, and there were a lot of a lot 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: of different countries that had an interest in it. So 16 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: we are going to give some context to what was 17 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: happening in Zanzibar in the entries leading up to this 18 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: moment in time known as the Anglo Zanzibar War, so 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: you can kind of understand what led to this conflict. 20 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: This isn't going to be a completely comprehensive history of Zanzibar, 21 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: but it will be an overview that touches on some 22 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: of the most important aspects of its history to explain 23 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: how it got to this one point, literally an hour 24 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: of conflict with Great Britain. Zanzibar is an island that 25 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: sits twenty two miles or thirty five kilometers east of 26 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: Central Africa and the Indian Ocean. The island, normally called 27 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: Zanzibar is actually one of several islands that make up 28 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: the Zanzibar Archipelago, and it's the largest of those islands. 29 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: It's actually named Ungudya in Swahili. The waterway that separates 30 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: Zanzibar from Tanzania on the African continent is the Zanzibar Channel, 31 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: and today Zanzibar is actually part of Tanzania, although it 32 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: does retain a semi autonomous status. Yeah, I gets a 33 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: little confusing when you're doing research because Zanzibar is you 34 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: used to refer to that one island, the archipelago, sometimes 35 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: even in a wider context because of its importance, where 36 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: people will say that, but they're including territory that is 37 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: also on the mainland. So just know that as we go, 38 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: we'll try to mention that it's specifically the island as 39 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: often as possible when that's Germane. But Zanzibar was part 40 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: of a robust trade network long before Europe realized the 41 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: country even existed. There have been humans on Zanzibar since 42 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: prehistoric times. The first permanent settlement is estimated to have 43 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: been established by Bantu people's around one thousand c. But 44 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: for centuries before that, it was a stopping point for 45 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: traders from both the African continent and from around Asia. 46 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: In the late fifteenth century, Vasco da Gama visited Zanzibar, 47 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: and this marks the movement that Europeans realized that the 48 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: island had a lot of potential, and surprisingly, at the 49 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: dawn of the sixteenth century, Portugal forcibly to control of Zanzibar. 50 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: Portuguese captain Ruy Lorenko or Vasco, landed on the island 51 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: and his men commandeer to the islander ships and killed 52 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 1: a number of them. All of this was to try 53 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: to terrorize the country and force their leader, the Winnie Muku, 54 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: to submit to Portuguese rule and also pay a regular 55 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: tribute for Portuguese protection. From there, the Portuguese were able 56 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: to expand their power into continental Africa, and for the 57 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: next hundred and fifty years, Zanzibar was colonized and ruled 58 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: by Portugal. It's kind of interesting because a lot of 59 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: histories of of Zanzibar kind of start with that Vasco 60 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: de Gamma moment when it kind of comes on the 61 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: European radar, and in fact, it had its own complete 62 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: situation going on long before that. I want to make 63 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: that very clear, but there was conflict over Portuguese control. 64 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: Visitors from Asia and Europe continued to stop by the 65 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: island on their trading routes, and the lucrative potential of 66 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: this stopover point that linked African trade to the Indian 67 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: Ocean and Yawned was completely obvious to them, particularly as 68 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: more and more people were using it. The Amani Arabs 69 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: in particular, hopes to make a move that would gain 70 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: them power over this very key access point, and the 71 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:16,679 Speaker 1: relationship between Arabic cultures and Zanzibar had been in place 72 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: for centuries at that point. If you look at a map, 73 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: it makes perfect sense that people from the Arabian Peninsula 74 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,559 Speaker 1: would have made their way south down the eastern coast 75 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: of Africa to Zanzibar in sixteen fifty, the Sultan of 76 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: Oman formed an allegiance with Queen Moana Moima, the sitting 77 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: at Mueni McGoo. The Sultan sent his navy to Zanzibar, 78 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: where they attacked the Portuguese settlement on the large island 79 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: of Nguda, capturing four hundred settlers in the process. They 80 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: also took out a smaller settlement on the nearby island 81 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: in the Zanzibar Archipelago, Pemba, burning it to the ground. 82 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: The Portuguese attempted to install a ruler on Pemba who 83 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: would be an ally as well as uh one of 84 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: the native people's, but that ruler was drummed out by 85 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: the zen A Maori people, and Portugal's foothold in the 86 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: region continued to slide from that point until eventually all 87 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: of its settlers were pushed out by the end of 88 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: the sixteen hundreds. By this time, Zanzibar's position on the 89 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: East African coast had made it really valuable to the 90 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: trade interests of a lot of other countries, and the 91 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: island itself was divided in terms of its loyalties. As 92 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: the royal family had transferred the leadership of Zanzibar at 93 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: the end of the sixteen hundreds that had passed that 94 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: leadership to a brother and a sister, King Bakari and 95 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: Queen Fatuma as a split rule, although it still was 96 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: ultimately under Portuguese rule. Even with this leadership split, the 97 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: southern part of the island was ruled by Bakari and 98 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 1: the northern half by Fatuma. Bakari was more aligned with 99 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: the Omani, and Fatuma had backed the Portuguese in the 100 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: last years of the conflict between Portugal and the Oman 101 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: in the area. Fatima had sent aid to the Portuguese 102 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: who were trapped on mainland Africa in what is called 103 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: Fort jess Us, although you would think it would be 104 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: Jesus but apparently not, which had been built at Mombasa 105 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: to the north, and the Omani intercepted the supply ships 106 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: that she sent, burnt them, and then attacked the Queen's territory. 107 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,239 Speaker 1: That siege of Mombasa, also called the Siege of Fort Jesus, 108 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: lasted for two and a half years. It started in 109 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: spring of sixteen six and by the time it was 110 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: over in December of not only had the Amani taking 111 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: control of Zanzibar, but Queen Fatuma had also been exiled 112 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: and taken back to Ahman, where she would live for 113 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: another dozen years. Her son took her position as a 114 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: leader and was loyal to Ohman. Coming up, we're going 115 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: to talk about Zanzibar's history is a territory of Aman. 116 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: But first we're going to take a little sponsor break. 117 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: One of the biggest developments that happened for Zanzibar is it. 118 00:06:55,839 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: Under Omany rule, Zanzibar became frequently used as a STARp 119 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: over point for slave trade. Oman's date industry was growing 120 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: and there was a need for cheap labor to keep 121 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: that industry growing in the plantations profitable, so slavery was 122 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: their solution. Thousands of Africans were enslaved every year and 123 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: since Oman to work, or in some cases were then 124 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: exported from Oman to other countries. Over the course the 125 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: seventeen hundreds, Zanzibar's reputation as a marketplace for chattel slavery 126 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: had spread. Ships from Europe started arriving on the island 127 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: to try to make purchases of their own to help 128 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: supply enslaved labor to places like the Dutch East Indies. 129 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: To be clear, this is absolutely not the advent of 130 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: Africans being captured, enslaved and sold off, and it certainly 131 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: was not the only place that it happened, but Zanzibar 132 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: did become the site of the largest slave market in 133 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: East Africa during this time. It's really difficult to estimate 134 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: hard numbers on just how many people were enslaved in 135 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: the area in the eighteenth century. Generally, most historians will 136 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: say it is in the thousands, but beyond that, getting 137 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: specific is strictly guesswork. It was ultimately through Oman that 138 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: Great Britain became connected to Zansbar. Sultan Iman Ahmed had 139 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: newly come to power in Oman, and he sought to 140 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: fend off challengers both at home and along the Eastern 141 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: African coast. He signed a treaty of commerce and navigation 142 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: with the British. This treaty is all a little bit 143 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: convoluted in terms of who got what out of the deal, 144 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: but this is the very quick and simplified version. Britain 145 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: at or at the time when Debolean Bonaparte knew that 146 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: the French leader was traveling through Persia and Aman's capital 147 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: city of Muscot en route to India, and that they 148 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: Britain really wanted to curtail that effort, and in establishing 149 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: this treaty with Aman, it meant that the French could 150 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: not just stroll through that territory, and it also meant 151 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: that Oman's forces would help to protect British interests in India. 152 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: Britain also got an awful lot of trade rites in 153 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: the Persian Gulf and the surrounding roots in the deal, 154 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: and exchanged for all that Great Britain would help them 155 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: on defeat a rival Arab clan that held Mombassa and 156 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,200 Speaker 1: would continue to support them on settlements and trade interests 157 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,320 Speaker 1: out of Zanzibar. That meant that Sultan ibn Ahmed and 158 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: his son Sultan Said could further expand the business that 159 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: traveled through Zanzibar, and that included ivory and spice. Clothes 160 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,559 Speaker 1: in particular became a really popular export. And while all 161 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: of this was playing out, Great Britain was also in 162 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 1: the early stages of an anti slavery movement forming, and 163 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: that would inform Britain's relationship with Zanzibar. In seventeen seventy two, 164 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: the Somerset versus Stewart case was tried in England and 165 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: it was centered on the question of whether enslaved African 166 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: James Somerset had been illegally imprisoned by Charles Stewart. There 167 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: are a lot of details to that case that we 168 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: may actually get into in a future episode because it 169 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 1: is in Horton, but the basics where the Somerset, who 170 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: had been purchased by Stewart in Boston, had escaped from 171 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: Stewart when he was taken to England, and Stewart then 172 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: had Somerset captured, imprisoned and sent to Jamaica to be sold. Yeah. 173 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: We talked about some of these details in our three 174 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: Astonishing Bells episode in the part about Diedo Elizabeth Bell, 175 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: but like not a full on treatment of it. The 176 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: judge here was William Murray, first Earl of Mansfield, and 177 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: he ruled that the laws regarding slavery and the colonies 178 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 1: did not apply in England and that England had no 179 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: laws that legalized slavery, so Stewart had illegally imprisoned James Somerset. 180 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: This is a landmark moment. It marked the debate over 181 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: enslavement as in Great Britain as being wide open. From 182 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: there that debate progressed and as the anti slavery movement 183 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: became more and more established in Britain. It in turn 184 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 1: impacted the country's relationships with other countries, including Oman and Zanzibar. 185 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,040 Speaker 1: As part of the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation that 186 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,319 Speaker 1: Britain and Oman had signed, there was a British consule 187 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: in Moscot the Oman Seed of Government, and in the 188 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: early eighteen hundreds the Console started putting pressure on Sultan 189 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: Said regarding the Omani slave trade, and this led in 190 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: eighteen twenty two to a treaty agreement that limited Oman's 191 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:24,680 Speaker 1: transport of enslaved people to certain countries. Only enslaved people 192 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: can be shipped from Zanzibar to Oman, but not to 193 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: the Masquerine Islands or to India, and they could not 194 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: be sold to Christians. That seems like an improvement on paper, 195 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: but it just meant that Sultan Said increased the slave 196 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: trade between Zanzibar Animan. It did not really put the 197 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: brakes on chattel slavery in the region in any meaningful way. 198 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 1: When the British Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act of 199 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty three, it abolished slavery and most British colonies 200 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: that compelled the British consule so once again make the 201 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: case to Sultan said that Oman really needed to follow 202 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: the abolitionist example to keep their relationship with Britain as 203 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: frictionless as possible. During the eighteen thirties, Oman made a 204 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: new ally and signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce 205 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: with the United States. As in the initial treaty with Britain, 206 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: the Sultan had asked for assistance from the US in 207 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: its military efforts in Eastern Africa. In an exchange, the 208 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 1: US was able to establish trading centers on Zanzibar and 209 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,719 Speaker 1: on the African continent. This was also intended to get 210 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 1: Britain to back off a little bit with their anti 211 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: slavery nagging. The Omani Sultan wanted Britain to be a 212 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 1: little bit humbled by the u s entry into the dynamic. 213 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: This new treaty worked out really well for Aman. Their 214 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: forces were finally able to end the ongoing challenges to 215 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: their rule in Mombasa and to give the country complete 216 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 1: control of the area. As a consequence, Sultan Say changed 217 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: his title to Sultan of Zanzibar and Oman. He also 218 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: moved the capital of Aman to Zanziba are to ensure 219 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 1: that he ruled from the most prosperous part of his kingdom. 220 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: He also expanded the slave trade, and he made a 221 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: case to Queen Victoria through an envoy that Oman's position, 222 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: which conferred a level of stability to Eastern Africa, really 223 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 1: really required a slave trade. She responded by sending the 224 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: Saltan Lavish gifts and a notice that Britain wished to 225 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: end any slave trade to Oman as well as other 226 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: areas of the Arabian Peninsula, and that was not the 227 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: end of the restrictions that Great Britain wanted. In the 228 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: eighteen forties, Britain once again demanded that enslaved people no 229 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: longer be exported from Zanzibar. They could still be taken 230 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: from parts of Africa and moved to Zanzibar, but they 231 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: could not go any further. Navy patrols of British ships 232 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: monitored the waters around Zanzibar trying to enforce this new agreement, 233 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: but their efforts were really too meager to stop Said 234 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: from continuing the chattel slavery business. Other European countries also 235 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 1: continued to participate in this business as well, and we're 236 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: gonna add some additional context to all of this conflict 237 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,320 Speaker 1: over slavery between Sultan Said and Britain, and we'll also 238 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:14,200 Speaker 1: get into the sultans that came after Said and how 239 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: things played out under their rule. But first we're going 240 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 1: to take a quick sponsor break. When Sultan Said died, 241 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: it set off a rivalry among his three sons, which 242 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: destabilized the Omani's Anzibari Empire and ultimately led to the 243 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: two being separated completely, with Said's son Majid becoming Sultan 244 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 1: of Zanzibar. This decision was broken by the British, and 245 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: of course, breaking apart the Omani territory into two benefited them. 246 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: When Magi died in eighteen seventy, his brother bar Gosh, 247 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: who had twice tried to seize the throne and was 248 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: exiled at one point because of it, became the sultan. 249 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: Bar Gosh initially tried to follow in his father's footsteps 250 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: and expand the slave trade out of Zanzibar, but soon 251 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: he was met with resistance from Britain. Brittain blockaded Zanzibar 252 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 1: and forced bar Gosh to sign a treaty in eighteen 253 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: seventy three that ended the slave markets of Zanzibar. This 254 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 1: treaty also enabled British commercial interests to expand on the 255 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 1: island and the mainland. We should also point out that 256 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:26,240 Speaker 1: just as abolition in the United States did not magically 257 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: end slavery with like the flip of a light switch, 258 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: there were still enslaved people being moved through Eastern Africa 259 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: after this treaty. It was just being done illegally. We 260 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: also need to point out that throughout all of this 261 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: Omani occupation and conflict and bickering with Britain, there was 262 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: still a line of Zanzibari rulers, but the role of 263 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: the Muenni Muku was relegated largely to management of minor 264 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: and local issues, and the power of the position dwindled 265 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: more and more as time went on. The royal line 266 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: actually died out in the eighteen seventies with no air. 267 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: We've talked about the Scramble for Africa several times in 268 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: this podcast, so as a recap, this is the period 269 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: from eighteen eighty one until nineteen fourteen when European countries 270 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: claimed and occupied most of Africa, ignoring the fact that 271 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: all of those places already had peoples and cultures of 272 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: their own without an input from those people's and cultures. 273 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: Zanzibar was caught up in this as well. Germany and 274 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: France started claiming land and what Britain thought was rightly 275 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: its peace of Africa. These three European nations decided among 276 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: themselves which land should still be Sultan Bargash's and which 277 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: each of them should take. At this point, bar Gosh 278 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: had gained control over a significant amount of territory on 279 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: the mainland, and most of that territory ended up parceled 280 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 1: out among the three other countries, with island lands and 281 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: a strip of the coast being what was kept aside 282 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 1: for Zanzibar in under Bargash's rule. This was all laid 283 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 1: out in the Anglo German Agreement of eighteen eight the 284 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: Six and bar Gosh, backed into a corner by these 285 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: other countries, kind of had to agree to it. Two 286 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 1: years later, bar Gosh died at the age of fifty one. 287 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: He was succeeded by his brother Khalifa. Even said Khalifa 288 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,440 Speaker 1: worked with Britain in order to further expand abolitionist laws 289 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,199 Speaker 1: and Zanzibar. Although he died not long after all of 290 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: this started. His brother Ali ibn Said was the next sultan, 291 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: and he also signed a treaty with Britain that essentially 292 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: shut down all slave movement through Zanzibar. As the scramble 293 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 1: for Africa continued and Germany attempted to lay claim to Uganda, 294 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: Britain threatened jumped in to negotiate a new treaty in 295 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: eight ninety known as the Treaty of Zanzibar, and the 296 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: second agreement between the two European countries also involved concessions 297 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,639 Speaker 1: on the part of Zanzibar, namely that it would seed 298 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: territory on the mainland to Germany and that it would 299 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: become a protectorate of Great Britain. The Sultan of Zanzibar remained, 300 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,679 Speaker 1: but just as the Omani rule had minimized the power 301 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:09,119 Speaker 1: of Zanzibar's Malini mccou, Britain reduced the sultan's role to 302 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: practically an honorific position. While slavery was significantly reduced to 303 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: this point, it was not completely eradicated. The British put 304 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: the blame for that squarely on the sultan. He was 305 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:25,439 Speaker 1: perceived as being resistant and stubborn and unwilling to follow 306 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,159 Speaker 1: through on the agreements that he had signed. Part of 307 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: this was because the British labor and tax laws that 308 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 1: were in place made it impossible for the plantations that 309 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 1: had been a large source of income for Zanzibar to 310 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: continue unless they were illegally using enslaved labor. So this 311 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:45,359 Speaker 1: is definitely a case of two wrongs. Slavery is obviously wrong, 312 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: but a big part of the British move to push 313 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 1: the sultans to abolished slavery in Zanzibar over the decades 314 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: had really been part of a vested interest in destabilizing 315 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: the economy there so Britain could gain power, and did 316 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 1: not offer a plan or aid to transition the economy's 317 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 1: dependence on enslaved labor to a structure that could have 318 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: survived without it. They were hoping it would kind of 319 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:12,480 Speaker 1: all fall apart and these plantations would fold so they 320 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: could just snatch all that land up for Britain. When 321 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 1: Ali ibn Said died in eightee, Britain made its move 322 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,440 Speaker 1: to try to install a sultan that they believed would 323 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,479 Speaker 1: be easier to influence. That was Hammad Ibben Dwaian, and 324 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 1: that was the son of the former Sultan of Ahman 325 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: from back when it was separate from Zanzibar. Despite an 326 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: early challenge to this plan by Bargash's son Khalid ibben 327 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: bar Gosh, Hammad did become sultan and things initially went 328 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: well for Britain as they had hoped. Over time, though 329 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:48,679 Speaker 1: Hammad grew less and less submissive to British authority. In 330 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: Hammad attempted to take the city of Muscat in Oman 331 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: in an effort to reunite Oman was Zanzibar. He had 332 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 1: privately funded the invasion force, and he was being that 333 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: a consolidation of power again relinking these two countries into one, 334 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 1: might enable him to get out from under British control. 335 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: But that effort failed. On August Hamad died and a 336 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: battle for the Sultan's throne began. Britain's agents and Zanzibar 337 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 1: had selected Hamed ibbin Mohammed to succeed Hammad. Khalid ibbin Bargash, 338 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: who had made several attempts to take the throne, just 339 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: saw this as his chance. There are also historians who 340 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: claimed that Hammad had sent for Khalid while he was 341 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,479 Speaker 1: on his deathbed and asked Khalid to take the throne 342 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: and regain control of Zanzibar regardless. In any case, Khalid 343 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 1: did manage to occupy the palace and declared himself Sultan, 344 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 1: and then this led to a series of events that 345 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: became a very short war. So when Khalid took the palace, 346 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:53,439 Speaker 1: which he did by climbing in through a window and 347 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: then barring the doors so British consulate staff could not enter, 348 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: he surrounded it with an army of supporters. It started 349 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 1: it's small, but it grew very quickly as people came 350 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 1: to his side. It's estimated to have ended up being 351 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: between twenty hundred and three thousand men, and this force 352 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: also had a royal yacht nearby. At the time as 353 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: this was playing out, Arthur Henry Hardinge was Britain's consul 354 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: general in Zanzibar. His deputy was a man named Basil Cave, 355 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: and Basil Cave responded to the sultan claimants militia with 356 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: one of his own. One was made of the British 357 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: military and Zanzibari men who were loyal to the British throne. 358 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: This totaled somewhere less than a thousand, and number estimates 359 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: veer around from a few hundred to nine hundred but 360 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: Cave also summoned to the Royal Navy, which soon had 361 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: five ships in the waters off Zanzibar, and they were 362 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: heavily armed. Rear Admiral Harry Rawson from the h M 363 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:54,920 Speaker 1: S St. George issued an ultimatum Khalid could surrender by 364 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: nine am on the morning of August or be fired 365 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: upon by British forces. Khaled did not surrender. He did 366 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:08,120 Speaker 1: offer Cave the chance to acknowledge him as sultan, which 367 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,920 Speaker 1: was refused. In turn, Cave had already warned the European 368 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: conflicts that they should move their people to safety. At 369 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: seven am on August, one more warning was sent to Khalid, 370 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: offering him and his people's safety if they would just 371 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: leave the palace and surrender at the customs house, and 372 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,639 Speaker 1: he said he would rather fight. An hour later, Khalid 373 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: sent a messenger to Cave explaining that Khalid believed he 374 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,480 Speaker 1: was the rightful heir to the throne, and Cave told 375 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 1: the messenger that things were past negotiation. Khalid could surrender 376 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 1: or he could face shelling, and nobody wanted to make 377 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: a deal at this point, so with reassurance that the 378 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: Crown supported a military action, Cave's forces opened fire on 379 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,880 Speaker 1: the waterfront palace of the Sultan at nine o two 380 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: a m. The HMS Thrush, HMS Raccoon and hm S 381 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: Sparrow all fired upon the target. At the same time 382 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,920 Speaker 1: the palace was set on fire. The Sultan's yachts, after 383 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:11,080 Speaker 1: firing several times on British vessels, was fired upon and sank. 384 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: The exact length of time of this war has been 385 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: reported slightly differently over the years. Most modern accounts say 386 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,679 Speaker 1: that a flag of surrender was raised and the bombardment 387 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,439 Speaker 1: ceased at ninety a m. That would make it a 388 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:28,240 Speaker 1: thirty eight minute conflict. It's not one certain that that 389 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: time is correct, though, and you are just as likely 390 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: to see forty five minutes or even fifty reported even 391 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: in the newspapers of the day. It kind of veered 392 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: all over the place between thirty and fifty. Part of 393 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: the confusion is because the clock tower in Zanzibar town 394 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 1: was one of the first things it was hit by artillery, 395 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,439 Speaker 1: so the thing that would have determined the time for 396 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: most people was not in play. But it is generally 397 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,360 Speaker 1: accepted that the Anglos and Zabar war lasted less than 398 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: an hour. This is as we referenced earlier. Often touted 399 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:02,160 Speaker 1: as the shortest war in history, but that doesn't mean 400 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: that it was without consequences. While the manpower on the 401 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,920 Speaker 1: ground initially makes it sound like Khalid had the edge, 402 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,720 Speaker 1: the navy force from Britain made a totally lopsided fight. 403 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: An estimated five hundred men from Khalid's forces were wounded 404 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: or killed, and in sharp contrast, only one British soldier 405 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: sustained any injury, and of course the palace was completely trashed. 406 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: Khalid fled and he eventually made his way to the 407 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: German consulate and he was given asylum there as British 408 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: forces were hunting for him, and once he was tracked 409 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,639 Speaker 1: down by British forces, Germany did not hand Khalid over 410 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: to Britain. They promised that he would not ever again 411 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: set foot on Zanzibar, and instead they sent him to 412 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: Dus Salam, which was part of Germany's territory in Africa 413 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: at the time, and so he went there as an 414 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: exile and he remained there until World War One, and 415 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: at that point he was actually arrested by British forces. 416 00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: He died in Mombassa at the age of fifty three 417 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: thirte years after this mini war, the afternoon of August seven, 418 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 1: the British choice Hammed ibn Muhammad was installed as Zanzibar's sultan. 419 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 1: He was totally acquiescent to Great Britain's requests and all matters. 420 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:20,840 Speaker 1: So Zanzibar at that point was a British protectorate until nineteen. Yeah, 421 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 1: there's certainly a lot more nuanced that goes on between 422 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: this and when it ceased being a protectorate. But it's 423 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: an interesting thing because, like I said at the top, 424 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: you often see this listed as like this one nutty 425 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: thing that happened, and it's like, no, it was centuries 426 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:38,600 Speaker 1: of build up of like occupations and clashes and negotiations 427 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: and those things that happened in the course of human history. 428 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: And because they all happened on this one tiny part 429 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: of land on on the Indian Ocean, it's kind of 430 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: fascinating that it did culminate in this one weird event. 431 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 1: It is interesting to to look at how this history 432 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: is written depending on who's writing it. We'll probably talk 433 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: about that a little bit on Friday, but hopefully that's 434 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,439 Speaker 1: a little bit more of an expanded sense of what 435 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: is often kind of talked about in a jokey way, 436 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: like it's a thirty eight minute war, which uh sounds funny, 437 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: but it was really There was so much conflict in 438 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,120 Speaker 1: the mix that went to that moment, and so many 439 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: people trying to control one another. I have listener mail, 440 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,359 Speaker 1: but this is a listener mail where I'm paraphrasing a 441 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:27,879 Speaker 1: little bit, just because this listener mentioned some personal stuff 442 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: that I don't know that she would want to have 443 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:32,120 Speaker 1: shared on air. But I really liked a couple of 444 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,159 Speaker 1: really darling aspects of her letter, so I wanted to 445 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 1: one just thank her for sending it into talk about those. 446 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,159 Speaker 1: This is from our listener Ali. She says, today I 447 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 1: am sending She talks to us occasionally on Twitter, but 448 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: she says, but today I'm sending a real letter to 449 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:52,440 Speaker 1: you as part of my participation in Naco Ramo for February. 450 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: It's like Nano Ramo, which is National Novel Writing Month, 451 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: but the co is correspondence. I will be writing letters 452 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 1: every day in February, and this is your day. I 453 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: love this idea so good. It is really good, and 454 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: it's one of those things where I remember when I 455 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: used to write letters, and I don't anymore in the 456 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: digital age, but it's often so wonderful to get a tactile, 457 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: physical letter. So she mentions that you know, she has 458 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 1: listened to the show for a long time, uh, and 459 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:21,720 Speaker 1: that we are very much like friends to her, and 460 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: they've gotten her through some rough rough times. And I 461 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: really really appreciate that. It is always such an honor 462 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:28,879 Speaker 1: to me when somebody tells us that that we have 463 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 1: helped them through anything. Um, it is a great honor 464 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 1: and a privilege. She also mentions that her seventy two 465 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: year old dad is now a fan because he started 466 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: listening with her. Uh, So I love it. He especially 467 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:44,159 Speaker 1: loved our greensborow Sitying episode. Uh. And then she mentions, uh, 468 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 1: trying to get a local a local group to invite 469 00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:49,160 Speaker 1: us to come and visit. I mostly just wanted to 470 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,680 Speaker 1: thank Ali for writing us. Like I said, it's always 471 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: a privilege to be part of people's lives, especially when 472 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 1: we're something that helps them when times are troubled. And 473 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: I love the idea of a correspondence months, So I'm 474 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 1: trying to if if I know I cannot commit to 475 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:04,919 Speaker 1: a month, I just know who I am and what 476 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: my schedule is like, but I could maybe do a week, 477 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,000 Speaker 1: So I got to think about it and pick a week. 478 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,919 Speaker 1: So thank you so much for writing to us, Ali Uh, 479 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,119 Speaker 1: we really appreciate it. I also wanted to let people 480 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: know that if you want to write to us via email, 481 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: you can do that at History Podcast at i Heeart Radio. 482 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 1: We're also everywhere on social media as missed in History. 483 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:25,680 Speaker 1: If you want to subscribe to the show, we want 484 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:27,399 Speaker 1: you to absolutely do that, and you can do that 485 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:29,919 Speaker 1: on the I heart radio app, at Apple Podcasts, or 486 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: wherever it is you listen. Stuff you Missed in History 487 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 1: Class is a production of I heart Radio. For more 488 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:43,120 Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 489 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.