Samoan Civil War
1886–1894 conflict in the Samoan Islands / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The turbulent decades of the late 19th century saw several conflicts between rival Samoan factions in the Samoan Islands of the South Pacific. The political struggle lasted roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans contesting whether Malietoa Laupepa, Mata'afa Iosefo, or a member of the Tupua Tamasese dynasty would be King of Samoa. While largely a political struggle, there were also armed skirmishes between the factions. The military of the German Empire intervened on several occasions. A naval standoff between the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom ensued.
Samoan conflicts of 1887–1889 and 1893–1894 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
1887–1889 Supporters of Mata'afa Supported by: United States |
1887–1889 Supporters of Tamasese German Empire | ||||||
1893–1894 Supporters of Mata'afa (1893) Supporters of Tamasese Lealofi (1894) |
1893–1894 Supporters of M. Laupepa Supported by: German Empire British Empire United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Mata'afa Iosefo (1886–1893) TT. Lealofi I (1894) |
TT. Titimaea (1886–1889) Laupepa (1889–1894) Eugen Brandeis (1887–1889)[1] |
Malietoa Laupepa ascended to the kingship in 1881. However, relations between him and the German Empire collapsed in 1885–1886, and the Germans arranged his exile from the Samoan Islands in 1887. In Laupepa's absence, the Germans supported Tamasese's claim to leadership while Mata'afa formed a rival government weakly supported by the United States. After the 1889 Apia cyclone destroyed six of the German and American ships stationed at Samoa, the three Western countries decided that the counterproductive fighting should cease, and that Laupepa would be restored to the kingship. The struggle resumed in 1893–1894. Laupepa maintained his position against the challengers of Mata'afa and the new Tamasese heir. Mata'afa was exiled and Tamasese's rebellion was quashed, restoring peace, albeit temporarily.