The Imperial Decree on events leading to the signing of Boxer Protocol () is an imperial decree issued by the government of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

in the name of the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, wi ...

, as an official imperial statement on historical events such as

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

Eight-Nation Alliance The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, then besieged by the popular Boxer militia, who were determined to remove fo ...

and Battle of Peking and

Siege of the International Legations The siege of the International Legations occurred in 1900 in Peking, the capital of the Qing Empire, during the Boxer Rebellion. Menaced by the Boxers; an anti-Christian anti-foreign peasant movement, 900 soldiers, sailors, marines, and civilian ...

, detailing instructions given to

Prince Qing Prince Qing of the First Rank (Manchu: ; ''hošoi fengšen cin wang''), or simply Prince Qing, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1636–1912). It was also one of the 12 "iron-cap" princely pee ...

and

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

as the full representatives of the imperial court in negotiating a peace treaty with the foreign powers, prior to the official signing of the

Boxer Protocol The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901, between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance that had provided military forces (including Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the Unit ...

on 7 September 1901. This Imperial Decree was officially issued in the name of the Guangxu Emperor and with his official Imperial Seal. The Emperor was actually under

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

at the time, ordered by

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu people, Manchu Nara (clan)#Yehe Nara, Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese nob ...

who held full administrative power.

Background

In the times leading to the signing of the

, the Qing imperial court had issued many decrees in the name of the

, but all the political decisions were made by

. * Imperial Decree on the 10th Day of the 5th Month: the Empress Dowager stressed that, "Regardless of whether they are Christian converts or Boxers, they are all patriots, the Imperial Court treats them as equals, Christian and Boxers are the same." * Imperial Decree on the 19th Day of the 5th Month: On this day, a total of five decrees were issued. Decree No. 1:" I hereby order the

Nine Gates Infantry Commander The Nine Gates Infantry Commander () was a military appointment used in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) of China. The officer holding this appointment was in charge of safeguarding and monitoring traffic, and overseeing the opening times of the nine ...

to command imperial forces, including the

Peking Field Force The Peking Field Force was a modern-armed military unit that defended the Chinese imperial capital Beijing in the last decades of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). The Force was founded in 1862, two years after the humiliating capture of Beijing and ...

, the Tiger Gods Division, with cavalry, in addition to the Wuwei Central Division, to suppress these rebels, to intensify searching patrol; to arrest and execute immediately all criminals with weapons who advocate killing." Again on decree No. 4 of the same day, another imperial order was given to

Ronglu Ronglu (6 April 1836 – 11 April 1903), courtesy name Zhonghua, was a Manchu political and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. He was born in the Guwalgiya clan, which was under the Plain White Banner of the Manchu Eight Banners. De ...

, the Nine Gates Infantry Commander: "Ronglu is to send an efficient troops of Wuwei Central Division swiftly, to the Peking Legation Quarter, to protect all the diplomatic buildings, no errors are to be tolerated." * Imperial Decree on the 24th Day of the 5th Month: In this decree, the Empress Dowager was requesting military and financial assistance from the Viceroys of the southeastern provinces. At the same time, she was also ordering the Viceroys to form a joint military force to launch military attacks against foreigners. This decree was rejected by

and other Viceroys. * Qing Dynasty's Imperial Decree of Declaration of War against the Foreign Powers: This decree was the Qing government's official declaration of war against 11 foreign powers. However, according to Lanxin Xiang: * Imperial Decree on the 8th Day of the 6th Month: This decree was issued one week after the declaration of war when imperial forces were ordered to fight the foreigners, showing that the Qing imperial court was serious about protecting the legation staff, and the chief commander in charge of protection was

Synopsis

The Imperial Decree began with the events in the summer of 1900, when

and

were given the mandate of full attorney to negotiate with the foreign diplomats for a ceasefire and peace treaty, blaming the Boxer rebels for the rebellion which plunged Beijing into total chaos, while the

and

took refuge to the western provinces for a "hunting trip". The Guangxu Emperor then instructed the two attorney: , then went on to state: The Imperial Decree then stated that it was conflicts and disputes between Boxers and Chinese Christians converts that started the disaster, resulting in the Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager feeling "frightened and in danger... extreme confusion, sadness and pain", so much so that they were ready to die for the country, (朕與皇太后誓欲同殉社稷，上謝九廟之靈). In this context, the Decree then argues that it was wrong to accuse the Imperial Court for supporting the Boxer rebels, because the Imperial Court had issued many decrees with orders to offer protection for Chinese Catholics, at the same time to ban and eliminate the rioting Boxers, to stop them from "continue to create chaos that will plunge the country into extinction". (既苦禁諭之俱窮，復憤存亡之莫保)" The Decree then placed the full blame on the Boxer rebels for the upheaval: County magistrates were accused of being biased in dealing with Christians related disputes, and princes and ministers "were jealous of the military might of the foreigners, did not understand their own shortcomings, were taken in by the devils and the fake. Believing in the magic power of the Boxers", they began to provide boxers with rations and weapons, while the Emperor's specific orders to capture the leaders of boxer bandits went unanswered. The Decree then emphasizes on the peace treaty, points out: "On this peace treaty, our sovereignty is kept intact, no territorial land annexation had been requested", reminding the imperial subjects that unlike many other

unequal treaties Unequal treaty is the name given by the Chinese to a series of treaties signed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, between China (mostly referring to the Qing dynasty) and various Western powers (specifically the British Empire, France, the ...

of the past, when there was usually land annexation, though the Imperial Court is: "resentful of (Boxer rebels) ignorant of violent acts, in retrospect, a mix of regret and anger." and also emphasizes on "several decrees were directed at the

Zongli Yamen The ''Zongli Yamen'' (), short for Office for the General Management of Affairs Concerning the Various Countries (), also known as Prime Minister's Office, Office of General Management, was the government body in charge of foreign policy in imp ...

, requesting ministers to go and stop any aggressive attacks and offer solace to the diplomats". The Decree provides an answer to the all important historical question: Why weren't all the foreigners killed in this siege of nearly two months?

References

External links

The Boxer Rebellion Coalition Expeditionary Operations in China Author: Maj Glen G. Butler Originally published in October 2003 Marine Corps Gazette
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperial Decree on Events Leading to the Signing of Boxer Protocol Boxer Protocol Qing dynasty Imperial Decrees

Background

Synopsis

See also

References

External links