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Canton War: Difference between revisions
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| date = March 1st 1850 - April 17th 1857
| place = Southern China
| result = * Independence of the [[Wahhah_Republic#Kingdom_of_Canton_(1857-1931)|Kingdom of
* Loss of Dutch monopoly over
* Eventual collapse of the [[
| combatant1 = {{indented plainlist|indent=2.2em|
* {{flagdeco|NED}} [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
* {{flagdeco|QNG}} [[Great Qing]]
* [[Tauland|Dutch Formosa
}}
| combatant2 = {{indented plainlist|indent=2.2em|
* {{flagdeco|GBR}} [[British Empire]]
* {{flagdeco|FRA }} [[
* {{flagdeco|CNT}} [[Wahhah_Republic#Kingdom_of_Canton_(1857-1931)|Kingdom of Canton]]
* Hongmen Society
* White Lotus Sect
* Other dissenters
}}
| commander1 = {{indented plainlist|indent=2.2em|
Line 34 ⟶ 37:
| casualties2 = 101,000
}}
The '''Canton War''' (1850-1857; Chinese: ''瓜分中國''), also known as the '''
The war led to a dramatic
==Background==
===<small>Origin of European Connivance</small>===
The Dutch established a base on [[History of Taulandt|Tauland]] in the
Britain and France had long desired to break the Dutch monopoly on Asian trade. They had continuously chased any opportunity that came knocking at their door. In the early 1800s, Britain had started to establish a small presence in the southern regions of China (particularly Canton). The Qing, however, were not receptive to this. They started to enact more restrictive trade policies in Canton, leading to the disgruntlement of British and Chinese merchants alike. The influx of Christian missionaries in Canton did not help the situation either, only further alienating the populace from the ruling Qing. An insurrection was brewing in Canton, and this was exactly the opportunity the British and French had longed for.▼
The unrest in Canton grew into an open revolt by 1847. The Qing were slow to respond and faced multiple defeats at the hands of the rebels. The Canton rebels were well-equipped and well-supported by British and French arms, while the Qing army was languishing in their antiquated systems of fighting. By early 1848, the rebels were able to take substantial portions of the southern China region.▼
▲Britain and France had long desired to break the Dutch monopoly on Asian trade
== The insurgents ==
==== The Ming claimant ====
Britain and France nervously watched as the Dutch crushed the rebels marching towards the north. Although not officially in the war, they continued to provide logistical support to Canton. However, they are still looking for an opportunity to intervene in the war and turn the tides. An opportunity came on 1 March 1850, when a Dutch admiral had sunk a British ship carrying gunpowder to Canton: an open act of aggression.▼
In the late 1790s in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceroy_of_Liangguang Viceroyalty of Liangguang], economic and social discontent was brewing across China. Several rebellions were occurring across the country led by underground Chinese sects, peasant leaders, and rebel politicians. It was reported to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhanjiang Chankiang Prefecture] in 1797 that a merchant named Wong Cinfan (王千帆) claimed direct descent from the [[Wahhah Republic#Fate of the House of Zhu|Zhu dynasty]]. This drew attention from the Viceroy, the Dutch, the Christian community, and the local rebels. Whilst involved in subversive activities, Wong eventually gained recognition of his ancestry from the Archdiocese of Canton in 1803 and revealed documentation proving his descent from Crown Prince Constantine, who died in 1720.
==== Affiliation with traditional Chinese sects ====
As soon as Europe got word of the incident, Britain hastily declared war on the Dutch Empire. France soon joined on the side of Canton and the British. This quickly developed into a global conflict, with British and Dutch colonies being pitted against each other in the Americas, and multiple naval battles being fought on the English channel. In China, the Anglo-British-Cantonese alliance was slowly pushing back the Dutch and the Qing. Things started to look tragic for the Dutch, especially when the Spanish Empire declared a separate war against the distracted Dutch Empire in late 1850, hoping to take some of the territories from the Dutch [[Tussenland|Colony of Tussenland]] in America. Dutch Formosa was now being attacked on all sides, by Britain and France from Canton and the Spanish from Manila.▼
An ancient religious and political movement founded during the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Dynasties Six Dynasties] period, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lotus White Lotus sect] participated in major upheavals and revolutions - often stemming from economic hardship - since the Mongol era. It is the spiritual ancestor of many Ming restorationist sects (反清復明, lit. ''oppose Qing, restore Ming'') since the dynasty's downfall.
===Aftermath===▼
The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiandihui Hongmen], a secret society and descendant of the White Lotus, was founded in the mid-to-late 18th century as a mutual aid society. It quickly gained traction as a pro-Ming organization across China and in the Chinese diaspora.
==== Factoring in Christianity ====
== See Also ==▼
==Progression of the War==
* [[Taulandt]]▼
==== Impacted regions ====
The regions of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liangguang Leunggwong], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangnan Kiangnan], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minzhe Minzhe] sustained the majority of the damage throughout the war. Cities such as Canton, Shanghai, Foochow, and Kunming suffered extensive destruction as well.
==== Initial Revolt ====
▲The unrest in
==== Key Battles ====
* Battles of Kweilin and Moichu (1847)
* Capture of Canton and Independence Declaration (1848)
* Dutch attacks on Amoy and Canton (1849)
* Poyang Lake Incident (1849)
* Sieges of Puerh and Changsha (1850)
* Disaster at Yangchow (1851)
* Assault on Taichow (1853)
* Tungjen Uprising (1853)
* Conquests of Shanghai and Yencheng (1854-1855)
* Fall of Nanking (1856)
==== Damage to the Grand Canal ====
In [[Canton War#Disaster at Yangchow (1851)|Yangchow in 1851]], rebel and Qing forces destroyed a part of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_(China) Grand Canal] during battle. This was as the Yellow River Floods began and as the Chinese commercial economy nosedived. Trade and transportation between northern and southern China was severely disrupted, with imports and exports heavily affected. Most notably, rice shortages took hold in the north while grain shortages plagued the south. Several towns were flooded, incurring over 10,000 deaths. Irrigation systems in the North China Plain reached a miserable level of disrepair, disrupting everyday life and agricultural activities in the region.
This event was crucial to the success of the rebels as it also stemmed the flow of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Banners Banner soldiers] from the north and violently divided the economies of the northern and southern regions of China.
== Economic and social conditions ==
==== Yellow River Floods ====
The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1851%E2%80%931855_Yellow_River_floods 1850s Yellow River floods] caused immense destruction in northern China, displacing millions of people and destroying vital infrastructure. Northern Chinese [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_salvationist_religions salvationist religions], initially hesitant to support a full-blown rebellion against the Qing dynasty, changed their mind. Sects like the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luo_teaching Luoists] began to rally their followers and substantial numbers of the Chinese public.
==== Currency destabilization ====
The Spanish - and later Mexican - silver coin was popular in southern China since the 1720s. Silver (coins and ingots) were imported from [[Mexico]], [[Tussenland]], and [[Peru]] for over a century, often through [[Tauland|Taulander]] merchants who dominated the intermediate trade. The continuous exportation of Chinese goods such as silk and tea via Tauland to several Western colonies prevented any silver shortfalls.
Starting in 1847, as soon as major unrest began, the demand for American silver coins skyrocketed. One dollar could buy 3,600 of the cheapest copper cash - a 50% premium. This led to massive copper inflation in China, leading to a revival in the traditional barter system and the worsening of the psychological state of the Chinese people in the 1850s. This allowed the British to sell abundant amounts of opium from colonial India, which assisted them greatly in capturing several Chinese ports during the war.
== Concurrent events ==
==== Inter-European conflict ====
▲Britain and France nervously watched as the Dutch crushed the rebels marching towards the north. Although not officially in the war, they continued to provide logistical support to Canton. However, they are still looking for an opportunity to intervene in the war and turn the tides. An opportunity came on
▲As soon as Europe got word of the incident, Britain hastily declared war on the Dutch
==== Chinese emigration to Mexico and Tussenland ====
The Mexican Gold Rush of the mid-19th century, coinciding with the Canton War, caused the emigration of no less than 50,000 Chinese to New Spain. In Tussenland, conflict caused disruption in silver exports to China, leading to a few thousand Chinese to establish themselves in Westerzee province. Eventually, this created large trans-Pacific Chinese commercial networks.
Anti-Chinese sentiment and political conflict over the Mexican gold industry would lead 10,000 or so Chinese workers to migrate further inland to the Misuri provinces, [[South Tussenland]], and the future [[Opdamsland]].
==== Treaty of Tchangtcheou (1857) ====
# The Kingdom of Canton was formally recognized by the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], and several other nations as a sovereign state.
# Canton cedes to the United Kingdom Foochow, Taichow, Ningpo, and Shanghai - all of which had a British military presence by 1855 - together with all fortifications, arsenals, and public property.
# Canton cedes to France Tchangtcheou - which had a French military presence by 1855 - together with all fortifications, arsenals, and public property.
# French and British citizens have extraterritorial rights in the Kingdom of Canton.
# The Kingdom of Canton will grant most favored nation status, in respect to foreign trade, to the United Kingdom and France.
# Dutch consuls and trading posts in the Kingdom of Canton will be disestablished.
==== Consequences for the Dutch ====
For the Dutch, the war is one of many [[Wars of Dutch Humiliation (1850-1857)|Wars of Dutch Humiliation]] that took place throughout the 19th century.
▲* [[Taulandt|Tauland]]
*[[Corea]]
*[[2nd Dutch-Spanish War|2nd Dutch-Spanish War (1850-1855)]]
{{Timeline and Lore}}
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