Samoan Civil War
Encyclopedia
The First Samoan Civil War refers to the conflict between rival Samoa
n factions in the Samoan Islands
of the South Pacific
. The war was fought roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans though the German
military intervened on several occasions. The United States
and the United Kingdom
opposed the German activity which led to a confrontation
in Apia Harbor in 1887. Hostilities broke out again in 1898 but was quickly ended by a British and American intervention and the partitioning of the island chain at the Tripartite Convention of 1899.
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n factions in the Samoan Islands
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands or Samoa Islands is an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and the wider region of Oceania...
of the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. The war was fought roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans though the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
military intervened on several occasions. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
opposed the German activity which led to a confrontation
Samoan crisis
The Samoan Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, Germany and Great Britain from 1887–1889 over control of the Samoan Islands during the Samoan Civil War. At the height of the confrontation three American warships, Vandalia, USS Trenton and USS Nipsic were wrecked along with the...
in Apia Harbor in 1887. Hostilities broke out again in 1898 but was quickly ended by a British and American intervention and the partitioning of the island chain at the Tripartite Convention of 1899.