The Siege of Khartoum, 1885. Muslim Religious Zeal Cracks the British Empire. British-Muslim Policy Established.

 Gordon’s fall shattered what remained of Egyptian authority in Sudan. The region, once claimed in maps and ledgers, slipped into the hands of the Mahdist state. But in Britain, the loss reverberated beyond strategy. It struck the national psyche... a public accustomed to victory saw one of its most revered officers abandoned and butchered. The outcry wasn’t fleeting. It hardened into a new imperial posture: less hesitant, more aggressive. From that point forward, British ambition in Africa intensified... not merely to reclaim lost territory, but to prove that the empire would never again tolerate humiliation at the hands of those it considered beneath its dominion.

Khartoum. March 12, 1884 - January 26, 1885.
Mahdist (Muslim) Forces: ~ 60,000 Men.
British/Egyptian Forces: ~ 8,000 Egyptian Regulars and ~ 3,000 Sudanese Volunteers.

Additional Reading and Episode Research:

• Neillands, Robin. The Dervish Wars.
• Farwell, Byron. Queen Victoria's Little Wars.
• Royle, Charles. The Egyptian Campaigns, 1882 to 1885.

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