View source for Eight-Nation Alliance

{{Short description|Coalition that invaded China (1900–01)}}
{{Infobox Military Unit
| unit_name                     = Eight-Nation Alliance
| native_name                   = 八國聯軍 {{in lang|zh}}
| image                         = BoxerTroops.jpg
| image_size                    = 300px
| caption                       = The eight nations with their naval ensigns, from top to bottom, left to right: {{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} {{Lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}}, {{flagicon|United States|1896}} [[United States Navy]], {{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[French Navy|French National Navy]], {{navy|Austria-Hungary}}, {{navy|Empire of Japan}}, {{navy|German Empire}}, {{flagicon image|Naval Jack of Russia.svg|23px}} [[Imperial Russian Navy]] and {{navy|UKGBI}}; Japanese print, 1900
| dates                         = 10 June 1900 – 7 September 1901 (1 year, 90 days)
| allegiance                    = None (individual)
| type                          = [[Expeditionary warfare|Expeditionary force]]
| role                          = To relieve a siege of various legations, suppress the Boxer Rebellion, and safeguard privileges of foreign nationals and [[Christianity in China|Chinese Christians]].
| size                          = About 51,755 troops
| country                       = {{flagcountry|Austria-Hungary}}<br/>{{flag|British Empire}}<br/>{{flagcountry|French Third Republic}}<br/>{{flagcountry|German Empire}}<br/>{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}}<br/>{{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}<br/>{{flagcountry|Russian Empire}}<br/>{{flagcountry|United States|1896}}
| current_commander             = 
| garrison                      = 
| ceremonial_chief              = 
| colonel_of_the_regiment       = 
| nickname                      = Coalition
| patron                        = 
| motto                         = 
| battles                       = [[Boxer Rebellion]]
| notable_commanders            = Second: {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Alfred von Waldersee]] (September 1900 – September 1901)<br/>First: {{flagicon|British Empire}} [[Edward Seymour (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Seymour]] (June 1900 – September 1900)
| anniversaries                 = 
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Eight Nation Alliance
| float = <!-- left|right|none  (Default float position is right) -->
| collapse = no
| pic = EightNations in1901.jpg
| piccap = The Eight-Nation Alliance in Beijing following the defeat of the [[Boxer Rebellion]] in 1901; identifiable flags in picture: {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[German Empire|Germany]], {{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]], {{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[French Third Republic|France]], {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Russian Empire|Russia]], {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] and {{flagicon|United States of America}} [[United States of America|United States]]
| picsize = <!-- 200px            (Default is 260px) -->
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| headercolor = <!-- header color     (Default is #b0c4de) -->
| t = 八國聯軍
| s = 八国联军
| p = Bāguó Liánjūn
| w = Pa1-kuo2 Lien2-chün1<!-- Use https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/about/directory/departments/eastasia/find/wade-giles-pinyin-conversion-table/ to generate Wade Giles-->
| c = 
| j = 
| mi = 
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| altname = 
}}
The '''Eight-Nation Alliance''' was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern [[Qing dynasty|China]] in 1900 during the [[Boxer Rebellion]], with the stated aim of relieving the [[Peking Legation Quarter|foreign legations]] in [[Beijing]], which were being [[Siege of the International Legations|besieged]] by the popular [[Boxer movement|Boxer]] militiamen, who were determined to remove foreign imperialism in China. The allied forces consisted of about 45,000 troops from the eight nations of [[German Empire|Germany]], [[Empire of Japan|Japan]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[British Empire|Britain]], [[French Third Republic|France]], the [[United States]], [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]], and [[Austria-Hungary]]. Neither the Chinese nor the quasi-concerted foreign allies issued a formal [[declaration of war]].{{sfnb|Klein|2008|p= 3}}

No treaty or formal agreement bound the alliance together. Some Western historians define the first phase of hostilities, starting in August 1900, as "more or less a civil war",{{sfnb|Klein|2008|p= 3}} though the [[Battle of the Taku Forts (1900)|Battle of the Taku Forts]] in June pushed the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] government to support the Boxers. With the success of the invasion, the later stages developed into a punitive colonial expedition, which pillaged Beijing and [[North China]] for more than a year. The fighting ended in 1901 with the signing of the [[Boxer Protocol]].<ref name="loot">Hevia, James L. "Looting and its discontents: Moral discourse and the plunder of Beijing, 1900–1901" in R. Bickers and R.G. Tiedemann (eds.), ''The Boxers, China, and the world'' Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009 {{ISBN|9780742553958}}</ref>

==History==

===Background===
{{Main|Boxer Rebellion|Siege of the International Legations}}
The Boxers, a peasant movement, had attacked and killed foreign missionaries, nationals, and [[Chinese Christians]] across northern China in 1899 and 1900. The Qing government and its Imperial Army supported the Boxers and, under the [[Manchu people|Manchu]] general [[Ronglu]], besieged foreign diplomats and civilians taking refuge in the [[Peking Legation Quarter|Legation Quarter]] in Beijing (then romanized as Peking).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNPFc7kkjwAC&pg=PA88 |title=Imperial masquerade: the legend of Princess Der Ling|author=Grant Hayter-Menzies, [[Pamela Kyle Crossley]]|year=2008|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|page=89|isbn=978-962-209-881-7|access-date=2010-10-31}}</ref>

The diplomatic compound was under siege by the Wuwei Rear Division of the Chinese Army and some Boxers (''Yihetuan''), for 55 days, from 20 June to 14 August 1900. A total of 473 foreign civilians, 409 soldiers from eight countries, and about 3,000 Chinese Christians took refuge in the Legation Quarter.<ref>Thompson, 84–85</ref> Under the command of the British minister to China, [[Claude Maxwell MacDonald]], the legation staff and security personnel defended the compound with small arms and one old cannon discovered and unearthed by Chinese Christians, who turned it over to the allies. It was nicknamed the ''International Gun'' because the barrel was British, the carriage Italian, the shells Russian and the crew American.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=48g116X9IIwC&q=prince+tuan+replaced+prince+qing&pg=PA50 |title=The War of 1898, and U.S. interventions, 1898–1934: An Encyclopedia|author=Benjamin R. Beede|year=1994|publisher=Taylor & Francis|page=50|isbn=0-8240-5624-8|access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref>

Also under siege in Beijing was the North Cathedral, the [[Beitang Church|Beitang]] of the Catholic Church. The Beitang was defended by 43 French and Italian soldiers, 33 foreign Catholic priests and nuns, and about 3,200 [[Chinese Catholics]]. The defenders suffered heavy casualties from lack of food and Chinese [[tunnel warfare|mines]] that exploded in tunnels dug beneath the compound.<ref>Thompson, 85, 170–171</ref>

On 14 August 1900, the allies marched to Beijing from [[Tianjin]] to relieve the Legation Quarter siege.<ref>O'Conner, David ''The Boxer Rebellion'' London:Robert Hale & Company, 1973, Chap. 16. {{ISBN|0-7091-4780-5}}</ref>

===Military engagement, punitive expeditions and looting===
{{See also|Boxer Rebellion#Occupation, looting, and atrocities}}
The allied troops invaded and occupied Beijing on 14 August 1900. They defeated the Qing Imperial Army's [[Wuwei Corps]] in several engagements and quickly brought an end to the siege and also the Boxer Rebellion. [[Empress Dowager Cixi]], the emperor and high government officials fled the [[Forbidden City|Imperial Palace]] for [[Xi'an]] and sent [[Li Hongzhang]] for peace talks with the alliance.<ref name="Dillon2016">{{cite book|author=Michael Dillon|title=Encyclopedia of Chinese History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2UAlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|date=2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-81716-1|page=124}}</ref>
[[File:Boxer Rebellion Execution 1900.png|thumb|German and Japanese soldiers witnessing the street execution of a Chinese boxer]]

As allied troops moved from Beijing into the North China countryside, they executed unknown numbers of people accused or suspected of being or resembling Boxer rebels, which became the subject of an early short film.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0344913/  Beheading a Chinese Boxer]  at IMDB</ref> A [[US Marine|U.S. Marine]] wrote that he witnessed German and Russian troops raping and then bayoneting women.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/warriorsofrising00edge|url-access=registration|title=Warriors of the rising sun: a history of the Japanese military|author=Robert B. Edgerton|year=1997|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/warriorsofrising00edge/page/80 80]|isbn=0-393-04085-2|access-date=25 April 2011}}</ref> While the allies were in Beijing, they looted the palaces, [[yamen]]s, and government buildings inflicting incalculable loss of cultural relics, books on literature and history (including the famous ''[[Yongle Dadian]]'') and damage to cultural heritage (including the [[Forbidden City]], the [[Summer Palace]], Xishan and the [[Old Summer Palace]]).<ref name="loot" /><ref name="978-7500407669">{{cite book |title=剑桥中国晚清史 |year=1985 |publisher=中国社会科学出版社 |isbn=978-7500407669 |edition=}}</ref>

More than 3,000 gold-plated bronze [[Buddhas]], 1,400 artistic products and 4,300 bronzes in [[:zh:嵩祝寺|Songzhu Temple]] (嵩祝寺) were looted. The gold plating on the copper tanks in front of the Forbidden City palaces was scraped off by allied troops, leaving scratch marks that can be seen even now. The ''[[Yongle Encyclopedia|Yongle Dadian]]'' that was compiled by 2,100 scholars during the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] [[Yongle Emperor|Yongle]] period (1403–1408), with a total of 22,870 volumes, was partially destroyed in the [[Second Opium War]] in 1860. Later, it was collected in the Imperial Palace on Nanchizi Street. It was found and destroyed completely by the alliance in 1900. Part of the ''Yongle Dadian'' was used for the construction of fortifications.<ref name="loot" /><ref name="978-7500407669"/>

The ''[[Complete Library of the Four Treasuries]]'' (or ''Siku Quanshu'') was compiled by 360 scholars during the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] [[Qianlong]] period. It collected 3,461 ancient books, totaling 79,309 volumes. The whole book consisted of seven sets. One set was destroyed in 1860 during the Second Opium War. Another 10,000 plus volumes were destroyed in 1900 by the Eight-Nation Alliance. The [[Hanlin Academy]] houses a collection of precious books, orphans, books of the [[Song dynasty]], literature and history materials, and precious paintings. The Eight-Nation Alliance looted the collections. Some of these looted books remain in the custody of museums in London and Paris.<ref name="loot" /><ref name="978-7500407669"/>

==Member nations==
{{Boxer Rebellion}}

===Austria-Hungary===
Austria-Hungary had a single cruiser, {{SMS|Zenta}}, on station at the beginning of the rebellion, based at the Russian [[Concessions in China|concession]] of [[Lüshunkou District|Port Arthur]].{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=139}} Detachments of sailors from the ''Zenta'' were the only Austro-Hungarian forces to see action.{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=140}} Some were taking part in defending the legations under siege, and another detachment was involved in the rescue attempts.{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=140}}

In June, the Austro-Hungarians helped hold the Tianjin railway against Boxer forces and fired upon several armed [[Junk (ship)|junks]] on the [[Hai River]] near [[Tongzhou District, Beijing|Tongzhou]] in Beijing. They took part in the seizure of the [[Taku Forts]] commanding the approaches to Tianjin, and the boarding and capture of four Chinese [[destroyer]]s by [[Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes|Capt. Roger Keyes]] of {{HMS|Fame|1896|6}}.

The [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] sent the cruisers {{SMS|Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia}}, {{SMS|Kaiserin Elisabeth}}, {{SMS|Aspern}} and a company of marines to China. Arriving in September they were too late since most of the fighting had ended, and the legations had been relieved. The cruisers and the ''Zenta'' were involved in the shelling and capture of several Chinese forts.{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=140}} The Austro-Hungarians suffered minimal casualties during the rebellion. After the Boxer Uprising, a cruiser was maintained permanently on the Chinese coast, and a detachment of marines was deployed at the Austro-Hungarian embassy in Beijing.{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=140}} Lieutenant [[Georg Ludwig von Trapp]], made famous in the 1959 musical ''[[The Sound of Music]]'', was decorated for bravery aboard SMS ''Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia'' during the rebellion.{{sfn|Carr|2006|p=224}}{{sfn|Bassett|2015|p=393}}

===British Empire===
At the outset of the Boxer Rebellion, Britain was engaged in the [[Second Boer War]] in South Africa.{{sfn|Ion|2014|p=37}} Consequently, with the army tied down by the war, the British had to rely on the [[China Squadron]] and troops [[British Indian Army|largely from India]]. The [[Royal Navy]]'s China Squadron, stationed off Tianjin, consisted of the battleships {{HMS|Barfleur|1892|2}} and {{HMS|Centurion|1892|2}}, the cruisers {{HMS|Alacrity|1885|2}}, {{HMS|Algerine|1895|2}}, {{HMS|Aurora|1887|2}}, {{HMS|Endymion|1891|2}}, and {{HMS|Orlando|1886|2}}, and the destroyers {{HMS|Whiting|1896|2}} and {{HMS|Fame|1896|2}}.{{sfn|Harrington|2001|p=28}}

British forces were the third-largest contingent in the alliance and consisted of the following units: [[Naval Brigade#Royal Navy|Naval Brigade]], 12th Battery [[Royal Field Artillery]], Hong Kong & Singapore Artillery, 2nd Battalion [[Royal Welsh Fusiliers]], [[1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)|1st Bengal Lancers]], [[7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs|7th Rajput Infantry]], [[24th Punjabis|24th Punjab Infantry]], [[51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)|1st Sikh Infantry]], [[Hong Kong Regiment]], [[Weihaiwei Regiment|1st Chinese Regiment]], [[Royal Engineers]], and other support personnel.{{sfn|Bodin|1979|p=34}}{{sfn|Harrington|2001|p=29}}

====Australian colonies====
The Australian colonies did not become a unified federation until 1901. As such, several of the colonies, independently of each other, sent contingents of naval and army personnel to support the British contingent. For example, [[Colonial navies of Australia#South Australia|South Australia]] sent its entire navy: the gunboat [[HMAS Protector (1884)|HMCS ''Protector'']].<ref>Nicholls, B., ''Bluejackets and Boxers''</ref> Australia was not an official member of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and its forces arrived too late to see significant action.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/boxer.asp |title=China (Boxer Rebellion), 1900–01 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=Australian War Memorial |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=22 January 2013 |archive-date=18 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218213606/http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/boxer.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====India====
[[File:Indian soldiers, Sikhs, with guns who participated in Boxer Rebellion.png|thumb|Indian troops during the Boxer Rebellion]]
Britain provided 10,000 troops, many of whom were [[British Indian Army|Indian troops]], made out of units of Baluchis, Sikhs, Gurkhas, Rajputs and Punjabis.<ref>{{cite news |last=Krishnan |first=Ananth |date=8 July 2011 |title=The forgotten history of British India troops in China |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |location=Beijing |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/the-forgotten-history-of-british-india-troops-in-china/article2209465.ece?textsize=large&test=1 |access-date=22 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Raugh |first=Harold E. |title=The Victorians at War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HvE_Pa_ZlfsC&q=%22British%20units%22%20Boxer%20rebellion&pg=PA177 |access-date=22 January 2013 |year=2004 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-925-6 |page=177 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Lee Lanning |first=Colonel Michael |title=Mercenaries: Soldiers of Fortune, from Ancient Greece to Today#s Private Military Companies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bnnIIHaj6LIC&q=%22British%20units%22%20Boxer%20rebellion&pg=PA105 |access-date=22 December 2013 |year=2007 |publisher=Random House Digital, Inc. |isbn=978-0-307-41604-9 |page=105}}</ref> The [[1st Sikh Infantry|1st]], [[4th Sikh Infantry|4th]], and [[14th Sikhs]];<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Joslin |first1=E.C. |url=https://archive.org/details/britishbattlesme0000josl/mode/2up?q=%22China+War+Medal%22 |title=British Battles & Medals |last2=Litherland |first2=A. R. |last3=Simpkin |first3=B. T. |date=1988 |publisher=Spink |isbn=978-0-907605-25-6 |location=London |pages=209}}</ref> [[3rd Madras Native Infantry (Palamcottah Light Infantry)|3rd Madras Native Infantry]], [[4th Gorkha Rifles|4th Goorkas]], [[22nd Bombay Native Infantry|22nd]] and [[30th Bombay Native Infantry]], [[24th Punjab Infantry]], [[61st Pioneers|1st Madras Pioneers]], No. 2 Company [[Bombay Sappers]], No. 3 Company [[Madras Sappers]], No. 4 Company [[Bengal Sappers]], and the [[1st Bengal Lancers]], among other Indian units, all served during the Rebellion.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |author=William Augustus Steward |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49986/49986-h/49986-h.htm#Page_248 |title=War Medals and Their History |publisher=Stanley Paul & Co |year=1915 |location=London |pages=248}}</ref> Numerous Indian soldiers earned the [[China War Medal (1900)|China War Medal 1900]] with the "Relief of Pekin" clasp<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-05-20 |title=Eight-Nation Alliance Bronze China War Medal (Full Size, With Relief of Pekin Clasp) |url=https://www.legends.com.tw/2024/05/20/eight-nation-alliance-bronze-china-war-medal-full-size-with-relief-of-pekin-clasp-%E5%85%AB%E5%9C%8B%E8%81%AF%E8%BB%8D-%E9%8A%85%E8%B3%AA%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E6%AC%A1%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E6%88%B0/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240918160447/https://www.legends.com.tw/2024/05/20/eight-nation-alliance-bronze-china-war-medal-full-size-with-relief-of-pekin-clasp-%E5%85%AB%E5%9C%8B%E8%81%AF%E8%BB%8D-%E9%8A%85%E8%B3%AA%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E6%AC%A1%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E6%88%B0/ |archive-date=September 18, 2024 |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=www.legends.com.tw |publisher=Legends Museum |language=zh-TW, English}}</ref> for contributing to the relief of Peking and the International Legations from June 10 to August 14, 1900.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/medalyearbook0000john/page/166/mode/2up?q=%22China+War+Medal%22 |title=The Medal Yearbook 2014 |date= 14 September 2015|publisher=Token Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-908828-10-1 |editor-last=Mussell |editor-first=John W. |location=Devon, UK |pages=166}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=China War Medal 1900 |url=http://www.onlinemedals.co.uk/medal-encyclopaedia/pre-ww1-medals/china-war-medal-1900 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922230420/http://www.onlinemedals.co.uk/medal-encyclopaedia/pre-ww1-medals/china-war-medal-1900 |archive-date=September 22, 2021 |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=www.onlinemedals.co.uk |publisher=Online Medals}}</ref>

===Germany===
[[File:German and Indian troops, Boxer Rebellion, China, 1900.jpg|thumb|German and Indian troops, [[Peking Legation Quarter]], 1900]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R19096, Boxeraufstand, 1. Ostasiatisches Infanterie-Regiment.jpg|thumb|German troops with captured Boxer flags]]

Germany had gained a presence in China after the [[Juye Incident]] in which two German missionaries had been murdered in November 1897. The [[Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory|concession in Jiaozhou Bay]], with the port of [[Qingdao]], was used as a naval base for the [[East Asia Squadron]] and a trading port. The German concession was governed and garrisoned by the [[Imperial German Navy]]. At the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion in June 1900, the garrison of the concession was composed of the ''III. [[Seebataillon]]'', with 1,126 men, a marine/naval artillery battery, about 800 men of a ''Kommando'' Detachment and sailors from the East Asian Squadron.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=23}}

With the increasing threat of the Boxers, a small armed group from the ''III. Seebatallion'' was sent to Beijing and Tianjin to protect German interests there while the majority of the remaining forces stayed behind to prevent attacks against Qingdao. The siege of the foreign legations in Beijing soon convinced Germany and the other European powers that more forces were needed to be sent to China to reinforce the allied forces. The first troops dispatched from Germany were the marine-''Expeditionskorps'' which consisted of the ''I.'' and ''II. Seebatallions''.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=23}}

They were soon followed by the ''Ostasiatisches Expeditionskorps'' (East Asian Expeditionary Corps), which was a force of about 15,000 of mostly volunteers from the regular Army under the command of General [[Alfred von Waldersee|Alfred Count von Waldersee]]. It comprised initially four and later six two-battalion infantry regiments and a [[Jäger (infantry)|''jäger'']] company, single regiments of cavalry and field artillery and various support and logistics units.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=23}} On arrival in China, it incorporated the marine-''Expeditionskorps'' that had preceded it to China by a few weeks.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=23}}

Most of the German forces arrived too late to take part in any of the major actions.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=23}} The first elements of the ''Expeditionskorps'' arrived at Taku on September 21,{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=23}} after the legations had been relieved. As a result, most of the ''Expeditionskorps'' was mainly employed for garrison duties. They fought a number of smaller engagements against pockets of remaining Boxers.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=24}} The ''Expeditionskorps'' was disbanded and recalled to Germany in early 1901.{{sfn|de Quesada|Dale|2013|p=24}}

===France===
[[File:French Colonial Infantry Marching through the French Concession, Tientsin.jpg|thumb|French colonial infantry marching through the French concession, Tianjin]]
Three battalions of marines, the II/9th, and the I and II/11th RIMa which were stationed in [[French Indochina]] were sent to China. They joined the 1st Brigade commanded by General [[Henri-Nicolas Frey]]. In July 1900, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of infantry embarked from [[Toulon]] but did not reach China until September. In October, following losses and rotations of duty, the first three battalions sent were included in the 16th regiment of marines by order of General [[Régis Voyron]], commander in chief of the French Expeditionary Corps in China. On 1 January 1901, the 16th RIMa was renamed the 16th Regiment of colonial infantry. At the end of the campaign, it moved to a new base in Tianjin, with its headquarters in the former buildings of the Chinese admiralty.<ref>{{cite web|title=Insignes des Troupes Françaises en Chine|url=http://www.symboles-et-traditions.fr/articles-anciens/chine/page-tcf-chine.htm|website=www.symboles-et-traditions.fr|access-date=2 September 2017|archive-date=11 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211065627/http://www.symboles-et-traditions.fr/articles-anciens/chine/page-tcf-chine.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Italy===
[[File:Graf Waldersee inspiziert die Italiener 1901.jpg|thumb|Postcard showing Waldersee inspecting Italian troops]]
In 1898, the Italians had demanded San Mun Bay as a concession, but the Chinese refused.{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}} The [[Regia Marina|Italian Navy]] then dispatched a squadron to San Mun Bay, but no further action was taken. The squadron remained there, and in the summer of 1900, when the Boxer Rebellion broke out, detachments from Italian cruisers were sent to Beijing. Italian forces were initially made up of sailors from warships.{{sfn|Bodin|1979|p=29}} Some of them helped the French defend the Pei Tang Catholic cathedral, and another defended the European Legations in Beijing during the 55-day siege.{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}} Italian sailors also took part in the attacks on the Taku forts and in capturing Tianjin.{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}}

A larger contingent was later dispatched from Italy, including 83 officers, 1,882 troops, and 178 horses. The contingent included a battalion of [[Bersaglieri]], which was formed from one company each from the [[2nd Bersaglieri Regiment]], [[4th Bersaglieri Regiment]], [[5th Bersaglieri Regiment]], and [[8th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. In addition, the 24th Infantry Regiment of the [[Brigade "Como"]], volunteers from the [[Alpini]], a battery of machine guns, and some engineers were also sent to China.{{sfn|Bodin|1979|p=29}} A battery of field guns was also supplied by the Italian Navy.{{sfn|Bodin|1979|p=29}} The total force of 1,965 officers and men, which composed the Italian expeditionary force against the Boxers, was officially referred to as the [[Italian Royal Troops in China]].{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}} In August 1900, when the larger force reached the capital, the Italians had seven cruisers and 2,543 men in the country. They were involved in numerous operations along the coast and in the interior of northern China.{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}}

The larger part of the approximately 2,000 Italian soldiers and officers who fought in the campaign against the Boxers were recalled from Beijing after the end of the conflict. Italy obtained a {{convert|151|acre|adj=on}} concession area in Tianjin and the right to occupy the [[Shanhai Pass]] fort.<ref name="Smith2012">{{cite book|author=Shirley Ann Smith|title=Imperial Designs: Italians in China 1900–1947|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zNs51BGkrfQC&pg=PA19|year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-1-61147-502-9|page=19}}</ref>{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}} A small naval squadron and a naval garrison were maintained in China to protect Italian interests there.{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|page=280}}

===Japan===
[[File:BoxerJapaneseMarines.jpg|thumb|Japanese marines who served under the British commander [[Edward Hobart Seymour]]]]
Japan provided the largest contingent of troops; 20,840, as well as 18 warships. Of the total number, 20,300 were [[Imperial Japanese Army]] troops of the [[5th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|5th Infantry Division]] under Lieutenant General [[Yamaguchi Motomi]]; the remainder were 540 naval ''rikusentai'' (Marines) from the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

At the beginning of the Boxer Rebellion, the Japanese had only 215 troops in northern China stationed at Tianjin, nearly all of whom were naval ''rikusentai'' from the {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kasagi||2}} and the {{ship|Japanese gunboat|Atago||2}}, under the command of Captain [[Shimamura Hayao]].{{sfn|Ion|2014|p=44}} The Japanese were able to contribute 52 men to the [[Seymour Expedition]].{{sfn|Ion|2014|p=44}} On 12 June the advance of the Seymour Expedition was halted some 30 miles from the capital, by mixed Boxer and Chinese regular army forces. The vastly-outnumbered allies withdrew to the vicinity of Tianjin and had suffered more than 300 casualties.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=97}}

The [[Imperial Japanese Army General Staff|army general staff]] in Tokyo had become aware of the worsening conditions in China and had drafted ambitious contingency plans,{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} but the government, in the wake of the [[Triple Intervention]] five years earlier, refused to deploy a large contingent of troops unless it was requested by the western powers.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} Three days later a provisional force of 1,300 troops, commanded by Major General [[Fukushima Yasumasa]], was deployed to northern China. Fukushima was chosen because he spoke English, which let him communicate with the British commander. The force landed near Tianjin on 5 July.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}}

On 17 June naval ''Rikusentai'' from the ''Kasagi'' and ''Atago'' had joined British, Russian and German sailors to seize the Taku forts, near Tianjin.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} The British, in light of the precarious situation, were compelled to ask Japan for additional reinforcements since the Japanese had the only readily available forces in the region.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} Britain at the time was heavily engaged in the Boer War, and so much of the British Army was tied down in South Africa. In addition, deploying large numbers of troops from its [[British Indian Army|garrisons in India]] would take too much time and weaken internal security there.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}}

Overriding personal doubts, Foreign Minister [[Aoki Shūzō]] calculated that the advantages of participating in an allied coalition were too attractive to ignore. Prime Minister [[Yamagata Aritomo|Yamagata]] likewise concurred, but others in the cabinet demanded that guarantees from the British in return for the risks and costs of the major deployment of Japanese troops.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} On 6 July the 5th Infantry Division was alerted for possible deployment to China, but no timetable was set for its deployment. On 8 July, with more ground troops urgently needed to lift the siege of the foreign legations at Beijing, the British ambassador offered the Japanese government one million [[pound sterling]] in exchange for Japanese participation.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}}

Shortly afterward, advance units of the 5th Division departed for China, bringing Japanese strength to 3,800 members of the 17,000-strong allied force.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} The commander of the 5th Division, Lieutenant General Yamaguchi Motoomi, had taken operational control from Fukushima. Japanese troops were involved in the [[Battle of Tientsin|storming of Tianjin]] on 14 July,{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}} and the allies later consolidated and awaited the remainder of the 5th Division and other coalition reinforcements. The siege of legations was lifted on 14 August; the Japanese force of 13,000 was the largest single contingent, making up about 40% of the approximately 33,000-strong allied expeditionary force.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=98}}

Japanese troops involved in the fighting had acquitted themselves well although a British military observer felt that their aggressiveness, densely-packed formations, and overly aggressive attacks cost them excessive and disproportionate casualties.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=99}} For example, during the Tianjin fighting, the Japanese suffered more than half of the allied casualties, 400 out of 730, but made up less than one quarter (3,800) of the force of 17,000.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=99}} Similarly at Beijing, the Japanese accounted for almost two thirds of the losses, 280 of 453, but constituted slightly less than half of the assault force.{{sfn|Drea|2009|p=99}}

===Russia===
[[File:Russian soldiers during the boxer rebellion.jpg|thumb|Russian troops during the Boxer Rebellion]]
Russia supplied the second largest force, after Japan, with 12,400 troops consisting mainly of garrisons from Port Arthur and [[Vladivostok]].<ref>{{cite book|title=To the Harbin Station: The Liberal Alternative in Russian Manchuria, 1898–1914| date=May 1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eqWaAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA67|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-6405-6|page=67}}</ref> On 30 November 1900, Admiral [[Yevgeni Ivanovich Alekseyev]] compelled the Chinese military governor of [[Shenyang]], Zeng Qi, to sign an agreement that effectively ended Chinese sovereignty over [[Manchuria]] and placed it under Russian control.<ref name="March1996">{{cite book|author=G. Patrick March|title=Eastern Destiny: Russia in Asia and the North Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nq18znjAE5YC&pg=PA171|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95566-3|page=171}}</ref>

===United States===
[[File:BoxerAmericanTroops.jpg|thumb|American troops during the Boxer Rebellion]]
In the United States, the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion was known as the [[China Relief Expedition]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/boxer/index.html |title=Documents of the Boxer Rebellion (China Relief Expedition), 1900–1901 |date=13 March 2000 |work=Naval History & Heritage Command |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=22 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202044351/http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/boxer/index.html |archive-date=2 February 2013}}</ref> The United States was able to play a major role in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion largely because of the presence of American forces deployed in the [[Philippines]] since the U.S. annexation after the [[Spanish–American War]] in 1898.<ref name="USNBRFAQ">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq86-1.htm |title=The Boxer Rebellion and the U.S. Navy, 1900–1901 |publisher=U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command |access-date=20 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102122825/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq86-1.htm |archive-date=2 January 2013 }}</ref> Of the foreigners under siege in Beijing, there were 56 American sailors and Marines from the [[USS Oregon (BB-3)|USS ''Oregon'']] and [[USS Newark (C-1)|USS ''Newark'']].<ref name="USNBRFAQ" /> The main American formations deployed to relieve the siege were the [[9th Infantry Regiment (United States)|9th Infantry]] and [[14th Infantry Regiment (United States)|14th Infantry]] regiments, elements of the [[6th Cavalry Regiment|6th Cavalry regiment]], the [[5th Field Artillery Regiment|5th Artillery]] regiment, and a Marine battalion, all under the command of Colonel [[Adna Chaffee]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/army_flag/cre.html |title=U.S. Army Campaigns: China Relief Expedition |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=19 November 2010 |work=United States Army Center of Military History |publisher=United States Army |access-date=22 January 2013 |archive-date=7 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907100916/http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/army_flag/cre.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Plante |first1=Trevor K. |year=1999 |title=U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion |journal=Prologue Magazine |volume=31 |issue=4 |publisher=United States National Archive |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1999/winter/boxer-rebellion-1.html |access-date=22 January 2013}}</ref> [[Herbert Hoover]] and [[Lou Henry Hoover]] were living in the foreign compound during the siege when Mr. Hoover was working for the [[Chinese Engineering and Mining Company]]. Mr. Hoover helped erect barricades and formed a protective force of the able-bodied men. Mrs. Hoover helped set up a hospital, nursed the wounded, set up a dairy, took part in the night watch, took tea to sentries and carried a [[Mauser]] .38 semi-automatic pistol.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Lou Henry Hoover: Activist First Lady|last=Beck Young|first=Nancy|publisher=University Press of Kansas|year=2004|isbn=0-7006-1357-9|location=Lawrence|pages=15–16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Presidential Wives|last=Boller| first=Paul F. Jr. |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1988|isbn=0-19-505976-X|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/presidentialwive00boll/page/271 271–273]|url=https://archive.org/details/presidentialwive00boll/page/271}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War]]
* [[Foreign concessions in China]]
* [[Scramble for China]]
* [[The Great Game]]
* [[Great power]]
* [[Mutual Protection of Southeast China]]
* [[Twain–Ament indemnities controversy]]
* [[Alfred von Waldersee]]
* [[Tai chi|Tai chi chuan]]
* [[G7]]
* [[G8]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|40em}}

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bassett|first=Richard|title=For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army, 1619–1918|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-0-300-17858-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Bodin|first=Lynn|others=Chris Warner (illustrator)|title=The Boxer Rebellion|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=1979|isbn=0-85045-335-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Carr|first=Charmian|title=Forever Liesl: My the Sound of Music Story|publisher=Pan Books|year=2006|isbn=0-330-45100-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=de Quesada|first1=Alejandro|last2=Dale|first2=Chris|title=Imperial German Colonial and Overseas Troops 1885–1918|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2013|isbn=978-1-78096-165-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Drea|first=Edward J.|author-link=Edward J. Drea|year=2009|title=Japan's Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall, 1853–1945|publisher=[[University Press of Kansas]]|location=Lawrence, Kansas|isbn=978-0-8032-1708-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Harrington|first=Peter|title=Peking 1900: The Boxer Rebellion|year=2001|publisher=Osprey|location=Oxford|isbn=1-84176-181-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Ion|first=Hamish|title=British Naval Strategy East of Suez, 1900–2000: Influences and Actions|chapter=The Idea of Naval Imperialism: The China Squadron and the Boxer Uprising|publisher=Routledge|year=2014|isbn=978-1-135-76967-3}}
* {{cite journal|last=Klein|first=Thoralf|title=The Boxer War-the Boxer Uprising|journal=Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence |date=2008|url=https://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/en/document/boxer-war-boxer-uprising.html|issn=1961-9898}}
* {{cite book|last=Paoletti|first=Ciro|title=A Military History of Italy|edition=illustrated|year=2008|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-98505-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Shirley Ann|title=Imperial Designs: Italians in China 1900–1947|edition=illustrated|year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-1-61147-502-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Sondhaus|first=Lawrence|title=The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918: Navalism, Industrial Development, and the Politics of Dualism|publisher=Purdue University Press|year=1994|isbn=1-55753-034-3}}
* Thompson, Larry Clinton. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5K9BN96p1hcC ''William Scott Ament and the Boxer Rebellion'']. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009.
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-last = Li |editor-first=Xiaobing |chapter= Eight Foreign Armies Invasion of China |last= Xu |first=Guangqiu |year = 2012 |title = China at War: An Encyclopedia |publisher = ABC-CLIO |location = Santa Barbara, CA |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jhPyvsdymU8C |isbn = 978-1598844153 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Eight-Nation Alliance}}
* [http://www.hinhanhlichsu.org/2018/03/bat-quoc-lien-quan-1899-1901_2.html Pictures of Eight-Nation Alliance]

{{Qing dynasty topics}}

[[Category:20th-century military alliances]]
[[Category:Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:Military expeditions]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving France]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving the German Empire]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving Italy]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving Japan]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving Russia]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving the United States]]