Canton War

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 Qing-Dutch alliance was provoked by the 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 that occurred a hundred years later.

Canton War
Part of Wars of Dutch Humiliation (1850-1857)
Map of the parties involved
Date March 1st 1850 - April 17th 1857 Location Southern China Result Independence of the Kingdom of Canton Loss of Dutch monopoly over Europe-China commerce Eventual collapse of the Qing in 1936
Belligerents
Kingdom of the Netherlands Great Qing Dutch Formosa (Tauland)	British Empire France Kingdom of Canton
Commanders and leaders
Liu Chenhung Dan Vedelaar Lennerdt Middendorp	Sir Dennis Houghton Fabien Garreau Yang Kenghsin
Strength
250,000	400,000
Casualties and losses
125,600	101,000

The war led to a dramatic power shift in East Asia which allowed for the rise of Canton, Corea and Tauland as major Asian powers. The Dutch empire consequentially lost much influence in Asia and in the Americas, enduring much loss in the Second Dutch-Spanish War.

Background

Origin of European Connivance

The Dutch established a base on Tauland in the 1620s, stabilizing their rule in the 1660s. Although not universally welcomed, they fostered a good but informal relationship with the Ming on the mainland. With the Qing conquest of southern China, the Dutch of Formosa cut their ties with the Ming and established a strong relationship with the Qing and Corea. By the 18th century, the Dutch almost monopolized European trade in southern China.

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

Yellow River Floods

The 1850s Yellow River floods caused immense destruction in northern China, displacing millions of people and destroying vital infrastructure.

The insurgents

Progression of the War

Impacted regions

The regions of Leunggwong, Kiangnan, and 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 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 rebels were well-equipped with British and French army.

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)

International recognition

The war ended in disaster for the Dutch and the Qing. The Kingdom of Canton was formally recognized by all nations, taking most of the southern Qing territory.

Treaty ports to the English and French

Multiple treaty ports were opened, specifically Tchangtcheou (France), Foochow, Taichow, Ningpo, and Shanghai (Britain).

See also

• Tauland
• Corea
• 2nd Dutch-Spanish War (1850-1855)