Consulate Politics in the Scramble after Sa‛īd: How Did the British Consulate Secure Superiority over the Sultan of Zanzibar?

Abstract

This chapter is, in a sense, a supplement to Chap. 6. In order to understand why the coastal society emerged as a new slave ground, one factor that must never be overlooked is the differences in the policies of local sultans. Chapter 7 explores the background to the complex political scramble that characterized the period following the death of Sa‛īd b. Sulṭān. This scramble was triggered by a succession struggle between several of Sa‛īd’s sons. When tracing its development in detail, it is revealed that the British Consul played a significant contribution to conclude the struggle. This was the point when the British Consulate began to influence Zanzibar sultans and their slave trade policy. In short, pro-British policy against the slave trade triggered frequent slave raids.