What war lasted 2 hours?

The Shortest War in History

History is full of lengthy conflicts that dragged on for years, but the title of the shortest war ever recorded belongs to the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which lasted roughly 38 to 45 minutes.

Fought on August 27, 1896, the conflict erupted between the British Empire and the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The crisis began when Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini died unexpectedly, and his cousin, Khalid bin Barghash, seized the throne without British approval. Britain preferred a different candidate who was more favorable to their imperial interests.

The British issued a strict ultimatum demanding that Khalid step down and clear out of the royal palace by 9:00 AM. When Khalid refused and barricaded himself inside with his supporters, Royal Navy warships anchored in the harbor opened fire right on schedule.

The bombardment completely devastated the palace and quickly sank Zanzibar's tiny armed yacht. Realizing the total hopelessness of the situation, Khalid fled to seek asylum at the German consulate. Hostilities ceased in under an hour, resulting in around 500 casualties on the Zanzibari side, while only a single British sailor was injured.