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Canton War: Difference between revisions
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* {{flagdeco|NED}} [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
* {{flagdeco|QNG}} [[Great Qing]]
* [[Tauland|Dutch Formosa
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* {{flagdeco|FRA }} [[France]]
* {{flagdeco|CNT}} [[Wahhah_Republic#Kingdom_of_Canton_(1857-1931)|Kingdom of Canton]]
* Other dissenters
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The '''Canton War''' (1850-1857; Chinese: ''瓜分中國''), also known as the '''Partition of China,''' was a destructive proxy war that took place in East Asia. The [[Great Qing|Qing]]-[[Netherlands|Dutch]] alliance was provoked by the [[France|Franco]]-British coalition, resulting in the division of China. The war lasted seven years and is considered to be one of the bloodiest wars of the 19th century. The level of destruction wasn't matched until the [[East Indies Crisis (1960-1976)|East Indies Crisis]] that occurred a hundred years later. The conflict is also seen as a second iteration of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Three_Feudatories Revolt of the Three Feudatories] that took place almost two centuries prior to the Canton War.
The war led to a dramatic power shift in East Asia which allowed for the rise of [[Wahhah Republic#Kingdom of Canton (1857-1931)|Canton]], [[Corea]] and [[Taulandt|Tauland]] as major Asian powers. The Dutch empire consequentially lost much influence in Asia and in the Americas, enduring much loss in the [[2nd Dutch-Spanish War|Second Dutch-Spanish War]].
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Britain and France had long desired to break the Dutch monopoly on Asian trade. In the early 1800s, Britain had started to establish trading posts in southern China, particularly targeting 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.
=== Social and cultural conditions in China ===▼
== The insurgents ==
==== The Ming claimant ====
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 ====
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.
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.
▲===== Hongmen Society =====
▲===== White Lotus Sect =====
==Progression of the War==
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==== Initial Revolt ====
The unrest in
==== Key Battles ====
* Capture of Canton and Independence Declaration (1848)
* Sieges of Puerh and Changsha (1850)
* Disaster at Yangchow (1851)
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.
▲===== Dutch attacks on Amoy and Canton (1849) =====
▲===== Poyang Lake Incident (1849) =====
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.
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.
▲===== Assault on Taichow (1853) =====
== Concurrent events ==▼
▲===== Tungjen Uprising (1853) =====
==== Inter-European conflict ====▼
▲===== Conquests of Shanghai and Yencheng (1854-1855) =====
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
▲===== Fall of Nanking (1856) =====
====
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]].
▲== 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 1 March 1850, when a Dutch admiral had sunk a British ship carrying gunpowder to Canton - an open act of aggression.
▲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 Dutch [[Tussenland]] in America. Dutch Formosa was now being attacked on all sides, by Britain and France from Canton and the Spanish from Manila.
==Aftermath==
==== 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.
== See also ==
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