Siege of Khartoum

E40070

The Siege of Khartoum was an 1884–1885 military encirclement and capture of the Sudanese capital by Mahdist forces, culminating in the death of British General Charles Gordon and a major imperial defeat for Britain.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military engagement
siege
attackerForce Mahdist Ansar forces
belligerent Khedivate of Egypt
Mahdist Sudan
United Kingdom
commander Charles George Gordon
Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi
Rudolf von Slatin
conflictIn Mahdist War
countryAtTime Khedivate of Egypt
defenderForce Egyptian garrison
Sudanese loyalist troops
endDate 1885-01-26
followedBy Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of Sudan
Battle of Abu Klea
Battle of Metemma
Gordon Relief Expedition
hasCasualties heavy losses among Egyptian garrison
high civilian casualties in Khartoum
hasCause British decision to evacuate Egyptian garrisons from Sudan
Mahdist revolt against Egyptian and British rule
historicalRegion Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
keyEvent breach of Khartoum’s defenses on 1885-01-26
killing of Charles Gordon by Mahdist fighters
storming of the governor-general’s palace
locatedIn Khartoum
Sudan
locatedOn Nile River
notableFor failure of British relief expedition
martyrdom image of General Gordon in British culture
prolonged siege conditions
symbolic imperial defeat for Britain
opposingLeader Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Muhammad Ahmad
partOf Scramble for Africa
precededBy Battle of El Obeid
relatedWork film "Khartoum" (1966)
numerous Victorian-era paintings of Gordon’s death
result Mahdist victory
death of Charles George Gordon
fall of Khartoum
significance consolidation of Mahdist control over central Sudan
influenced British public opinion on imperial policy
prompted later Anglo-Egyptian reconquest under Kitchener
startDate 1884-03-13
supportedBy British Empire
timePeriod 19th century

Referenced by (5)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Mahdist Sudan
majorBattle
Lord Kitchener ("Relief of Khartoum campaign")
notableBattle
Siege of Khartoum ("fall of Khartoum")
result
Mahdist War
significantEvent
Khartoum
wasSceneOf

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