Second Opium War
Phases
- 1.The Arrow and the fighting at Guangzhou
- 2.Dagu forts and the Treaties of Tianjin
- 3.Repulse at Dagu
- 4.March on Beijing
Sides
United Kingdom (Royal Navy and British Army), Indian regiments under British command, Second French Empire, and 
United States (supporting)
Countries today: 
China, 
France, 
India, 
Pakistan, and 
United Kingdom
What happened
In October 1856 Qing marines at Guangzhou boarded the Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong, and arrested its crew. The British consul Harry Parkes demanded their release and an apology; when the viceroy Ye Mingchen refused to apologise, British warships attacked the forts below the city and shelled it. France joined Britain, citing the execution of a French missionary in Guangxi. In December 1857 British and French troops took Guangzhou, and Ye was captured in January 1858. In 1858 they took the Dagu forts at the mouth of the Hai River, and Qing envoys signed the Treaties of Tianjin. When new envoys arrived with an armed escort in June 1859, Sengge Rinchen's guns at Dagu drove their ships back. In 1860 a larger army of British, Indian and French troops took the forts and Tianjin, defeated Qing forces at Baliqiao and reached Beijing. After Qing troops seized its negotiators, Lord Elgin had the Old Summer Palace burned. Prince Gong signed the Convention of Peking in October 1860. The United States, officially neutral, fought Qing forts near Guangzhou in 1856 and towed British boats at Dagu in 1859; Russia sent no troops and mediated in 1860.
Outcome: In the Convention of Peking (October 1860) the Qing confirmed the Treaties of Tianjin, opened Tianjin to trade, ceded southern Kowloon to Britain and raised the indemnity to 8 million taels each for Britain and France.
Key events
Leaders
- James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin · British envoy and plenipotentiary · Britain and France
- Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros · French envoy and plenipotentiary · Britain and France
- Michael Seymour · British naval commander, 1856–1858 · Britain and France
- Charles Rigault de Genouilly · French naval commander at Guangzhou, 1857 · Britain and France
- James Hope · British naval commander at Dagu, 1859 · Britain and France
- James Hope Grant · Commander of the British army, 1860 · Britain and France
- Charles Cousin-Montauban · Commander of the French army, 1860 · Britain and France
- Harry Parkes · British consul at Guangzhou; held prisoner in 1860 · Britain and France
- Xianfeng Emperor · Emperor of the Qing · Qing China
- Ye Mingchen · Viceroy of Liangguang at Guangzhou; captured in 1858 · Qing China
- Sengge Rinchen · Commander at Dagu and Baliqiao · Qing China
- Prince Gong · Emperor's brother; signed the Convention of Peking · Qing China
Cultures it ended or changed
Sources
- Wikipedia (English). "Second Opium War."
- Wikipedia (español). "Segunda guerra del Opio."
- Wikipedia (中文). "第二次鸦片战争."
- National Army Museum. "Second China War."
- Zhang, Yunqiu. "Second Opium War." EBSCO Research Starters, 2023.
- Wikipedia (English). "Old Summer Palace."
- Wikipedia (English). "Treaty of Tientsin."
- Wikipedia (English). "Convention of Peking."
- Cox, Samuel J. "H-063-1: Battle of the Pearl River Forts, China, 1856." Naval History and Heritage Command, US Navy, 2021.
- Naval History and Heritage Command. "Tattnall, Josiah."
- Wikipedia (English). "Battle of Taku Forts (1859)."
- Wikipedia (English). "Battle of the Barrier Forts."
- Wikipedia (English). "Battle of Canton (1857)."
- Clowes, William Laird. The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, vol. 7. London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1903. Second China War chapter, transcribed by P. Davis.