What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sirdar and the Khalifa: Kitchener's Re-Conquest of the Sudan, 1896-98
Perhaps one of the most dramatic events of the late Victorian period was the death of General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon at the hands of the Mahdi's fanatical warriors as they finally broke their way into the Sudanese city of Khartoum.
The story is well known, recounted in numerous books and celebrated in the film 'Khartoum' starring Charlton Heston. However, what is perhaps less well known is the subsequent-and far more successful-campaign fought by the British against the Mahdi's successor, the Khalifa, by General Kitchener, the Sirdar of the Egyptian Army, over a decade later.
'The Sirdar and the Khalifa' examines Kitchener's belated campaign to re-conquer the Sudan and avenge the death of General Gordon: a war that began in 1896 and ended less than two years later with the epic Battle of Omdurman. The true story of the Omdurman campaign is a classic tale of British soldiers battling a fanatical Dervish enemy in the harsh terrain of the desert. It is also the campaign that made Kitchener a household name, one that would last to this very day.
The story is well known, recounted in numerous books and celebrated in the film 'Khartoum' starring Charlton Heston. However, what is perhaps less well known is the subsequent-and far more successful-campaign fought by the British against the Mahdi's successor, the Khalifa, by General Kitchener, the Sirdar of the Egyptian Army, over a decade later.
'The Sirdar and the Khalifa' examines Kitchener's belated campaign to re-conquer the Sudan and avenge the death of General Gordon: a war that began in 1896 and ended less than two years later with the epic Battle of Omdurman. The true story of the Omdurman campaign is a classic tale of British soldiers battling a fanatical Dervish enemy in the harsh terrain of the desert. It is also the campaign that made Kitchener a household name, one that would last to this very day.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published May 11, 2017
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 31, 2020
The history of Kitchener's campaign against the Mahdi’s successor, the Khalifa with some earlier details of the Mahdi rebellion and the fall of the Sudanese city of Khartoum.
The 19th century was Europe's "scramble to Africa" where the British, French Italians, Belgians, Portuguese, Germans and Spanish were trying to get as many colonies as possible, sometimes getting in each others way. For more than 100 years most of Africa was colonized, colonization lasting until 1980.
British campaigns in Egypt and Sudan were, in a very small part, an attempt to stop the slave trade, but mostly to dominate those territories before the Italians and the French.
The book is well researched and at the same time very readable. Historically - regardless of the legal and moral issues of colonization - it is an important chapter in the European and the African history. Mark Simner gives a vivid picture of the period politics and military activity, though I felt that on occasions get a little carried away by the "glory" of the battles.
The 19th century was Europe's "scramble to Africa" where the British, French Italians, Belgians, Portuguese, Germans and Spanish were trying to get as many colonies as possible, sometimes getting in each others way. For more than 100 years most of Africa was colonized, colonization lasting until 1980.
British campaigns in Egypt and Sudan were, in a very small part, an attempt to stop the slave trade, but mostly to dominate those territories before the Italians and the French.
The book is well researched and at the same time very readable. Historically - regardless of the legal and moral issues of colonization - it is an important chapter in the European and the African history. Mark Simner gives a vivid picture of the period politics and military activity, though I felt that on occasions get a little carried away by the "glory" of the battles.
Displaying 1 of 1 review