François de Casembroot (

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, 26 July 1817 –

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, 14 April 1895) was an officer of the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

. Casembroot was named Commander of the 16-gun warship ''Medusa'', which patrolled the Japanese coast from 1862 to 1864. On July 11, 1863, the ship was attacked in the Strait of Shimonoseki by the ships and the batteries of the ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' of Chōshū,

Mōri Takachika was the 13th daimyo of Chōshū Domain. His domain was a traditional enemy of the Tokugawa shogunate, and he became a key player in its downfall during the Bakumatsu period. He was also the first daimyo to return his lands to the Emperor during ...

, who was following an Imperial "

Order to expel barbarians The was an edict issued by the Japanese Emperor Kōmei in 1863 against the Westernization of Japan following the opening of the country by Commodore Perry in 1854. The order The edict was based on widespread anti-foreign and legitimist sentim ...

" (攘夷実行の勅命 – ''Jōi jikkō no chokumei'').Polak, p.95 Casembroot managed to respond and escape, although with significant damage. Four sailors were killed in action, and 5 other were wounded. The following year, in September 1864, Casembroot participated to the Allied retaliations against Chōshū, again on the ''Medusa'', in the

Bombardment of Shimonoseki The refers to a series of military engagements in 1863 and 1864, fought to control the Shimonoseki Straits of Japan by joint naval forces from Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States, against the Japanese feudal domain of ...

. Back in the Netherlands, Casembroot was complimented for his actions in Japan, was knighted and was decorated together with his men. In 1865, Casembroot wrote an account of his adventures in Japan, entitled ''De medusa in wateren van Japan'' ("The ''Medusa'' in the waters of Japan").

Notes

References

* Polak, Christian. (2001). ''Soie et lumières: L'âge d'or des échanges franco-japonais (des origines aux années 1950).'' Tokyo: ''Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Française du Japon,''

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachett ...

Fujin Gahōsha (アシェット婦人画報社). * __________. (2002). 絹と光: 知られざる日仏交流100年の歴史 (江戶時代-1950年代) ''Kinu to hikariō: shirarezaru Nichi-Futsu kōryū 100-nen no rekishi (Edo jidai-1950-nendai).'' Tokyo: Ashetto Fujin Gahōsha, 2002. ;

External links

Account of the battle of Shimonoseki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casembroot, Francois De 1817 births 1895 deaths Dutch sailors Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Third Class of the Military Order of William Military personnel from Liège Politicians from Liège Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands)