Hamoud bin Mohammed of Zanzibar


Sayyid Sir Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Busaidi, GCSI (c. 1853 – 18 July 1902) (ruled 27 August 1896 - 18 July 1902) (Arabic: حمود بن محمد البوسعيد), was the 7th Sultan of Zanzibar.

Sir Hamoud bin Mohammed
حمود بن محمد (Arabic)
Sultan of Zanzibar
Reign27 August 1896 - 18 July 1902
PredecessorKhalid bin Barghash
SuccessorAli bin Hamud
Bornc. 1853
Died18 July 1902(1902-07-18) (aged 48–49)
IssueAli II bin Hamoud
FatherSayyid Mohammed bin Said
Portrait on a Zanzibar 1899 issue stamp

Biography

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Hamoud became sultan with the support of the British consul, Sir Basil Cave, upon the death of Sayyid Hamad bin Thuwaini. Before he could enter the palace, another potential contender for the throne, Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash, seized the palace and declared himself sultan. The British responded the next day, 26 August 1896, by issuing an ultimatum to Khalid and his entourage to evacuate the palace by 9:00 am on 27 August. When he refused, Royal Navy warships fired on the palace and other strategic locations in the city, causing Khalid and his group to flee. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the resultant Anglo-Zanzibar War was the shortest war in history, and the same day Hamoud was able to assume the title of sultan, more indebted to the British than ever.[citation needed]

Hamoud demanded that slavery be abolished in Zanzibar and that all the slaves be manumitted except in the case of concubines (manumitted in 1909.[1]).

On his death in 1902, he was succeeded by his oldest son, Sayyid Ali bin Hamud.[citation needed]

Legacy

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By his wife, Sayyida Khanfora bint Majid Al-Busaid (daughter of the first Sultan of Zanzibar), he had ten children:

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ The End of Slavery in Africa. (1988). USA: University of Wisconsin Press. 23
Preceded by Sultan of Zanzibar
1896–1902
Succeeded by