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Created page with " The Second Opium War, also known as the Arrow War, was a war fought between the Qing Empire and a number of Western powers from 1856 to 1860. In 1857, Dutch ..."
The Second Opium War, also known as the Arrow War, was a war fought between the [[Qing Empire]] and a number of Western powers from [[1856]] to [[1860]].
In [[1857]], Dutch commissioner resident in [[Nagasaki]] [[Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius]] warned the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] that the British had burned down [[Canton]] and that the shogunate had better take this into account when considering its own interactions with the British.<ref>Ishin Shiryô Kôyô 維新史料綱要, vol 2 (1937), 301.</ref>
In [[1858]], the Qing signed a number of treaties with the various Western powers known collectively as the [[Treaty of Tientsin]] (or the Treaties of Tianjin), which tentatively ended the conflict; however, before the treaties could be ratified, factions within the Qing court raised criticism and opposition to the rather disadvantageous terms of these [[Unequal Treaties]] and ultimately the Court did not ratify the treaties. As a result, violence continued for another two years.
Before the end of the war, British and French armies would invade [[Beijing]], and infamously sacked the [[Old Summer Palace]] (also known as the Yuanmingyuan), stealing or destroying many great imperial treasures.
Following the end of the war (if not also during it), the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryukyuan royal court]] held state rituals praying for China.
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==References==
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[[Category:Events and Incidents]]
[[Category:Bakumatsu]]