The Battle of Sagallo: Downfall of Russia's African Colony

Upon his return from Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Nikolai Ivanovich Achinov sought a meeting with Tsar Alexander III of Russia. And, while this never occurred, the Cossack adventurer seemingly received an unofficial green light from Saint Petersburg for his venture in East Africa.
Achinov soon went on a fundraising tour with backing from Grand Duke Sergei Aleksandrovich, the tsar's brother. What's more, he would receive material support - including a ship - from Minister of the Navy, Admiral Ivan Shestakov. Slowly, but surely, the idea of a Russian colonial outpost in what nowadays is Djibouti gained more support, with the Governor General of Nizhny Novgorod, Nikolay Baranov, even suggesting that Achinov establish a "Russian African Company."
Despite this, many still questioned both Achinov's character and the feasibility of the project itself, most notably Russia's foreign minister, Nikolay Giers.
These critics were ultimately proven right, when, following a series of blunders, Achinov - along with the 150 Cossacks and other would-be colonists who joined him - found themselves under attack by the French. In what was the first and last Battle of Sagallo, the upstart colony fell to a unrelenting naval bombardment. Putting a close to a strange, but often forgotten chapter of European colonialism in Africa.
#russia #russianempire #africa #djibouti #history #ghostcountries
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:22 Gathering Support in Russia
03:27 Alexander III's Contingency Plan and the French Connection
04:13 Achinov Sets Off for Africa
05:42 Sagallo, New Moscow, and the Making of Russia's African Colony
07:33 Things Fall Apart and the Battle of Sagallo
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Intro Animation / Character Design: Emily Clearwater (iamprettyawesome.co.nz)

[@GhostCountries]

Just a bit of context here: the black-yellow-white flag of Russia was in use between 1858 and 1896; however, the white-blue-red flag, such as the one used at Sagallo, was still used as a civil/merchant ensign during this period of time as well. It later fully replaced the black-yellow-white flag when it became the official national flag in 1896.

[@BlueBuckJS]

Was just looking that up on Wikipedia. Bit of a back and forth from like the 17th to 20th century there.