Siege of the International Legations

Siege of the International Legations
Part of the Boxer Rebellion

I'll Try, Sir!: American troops scale the walls of Peking, with the Fox Tower in flames. Depicted is trumpeter Calvin Titus who first climbed the wall and was later awarded the Medal of Honor.
DateJune 20 – August 14, 1900
(1 month, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Beijing, China
39°54′11″N 116°24′06″E / 39.90306°N 116.40167°E / 39.90306; 116.40167
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Eight-Nation Alliance:
Qing dynasty Chinese Christian refugees		 Qing dynasty Qing dynasty
Boxer movement
Commanders and leaders
Claude MacDonald
Alfred Gaselee
Edward Seymour
Nikolai Linevich
Yevgeny Alekseyev
Alfred von Waldersee
Eugène Darcy
Gorō Shiba
Adna Chaffee
Angelo Klokgieter		 Qing dynasty Empress Dowager Cixi
Qing dynasty Ronglu
Qing dynasty Li Hongzhang
Qing dynasty Prince Yikuang

Qing dynasty Prince Duan
Qing dynasty Dong Fuxiang
Qing dynasty Ma Haiyan
Qing dynasty Ma Haiyan
Qing dynasty Ma Fulu †
Qing dynasty Ma Fuxiang
Qing dynasty Ma Fuxing
Cao Futian
Zhang Decheng †
Strength
51,755
51 warships		 About 160,000 Qing Army and Boxer soldiers
Casualties and losses
190 military casualties, 13 civilians killed approx. 2500[citation needed]

The siege of the International Legations was a pivotal event during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, in which foreign diplomatic compounds in Peking (now Beijing) were besieged by Chinese Boxers and Qing Dynasty troops. The Boxers, fueled by anti-foreign and anti-Christian sentiments, targeted foreigners and Chinese Christians, leading to approximately 900 soldiers, sailors, marines, and civilians from various nations, along with about 2,800 Chinese Christians, seeking refuge in the Legation Quarter. The Qing government, initially ambivalent, ultimately supported the Boxers following international military actions. The siege lasted 55 days, marked by intense combat and a brief truce, until an international relief force arrived from the coast, defeated the Qing forces, and lifted the siege. The failure of the siege and the subsequent occupation of Peking by foreign powers significantly weakened the Boxer Rebellion, leading to its eventual suppression and resulting in increased foreign influence and intervention in China.