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.
Date June 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: United Kingdom  Russia  France  Japan  United States  Italy  German Empire  Austria Hungary  Netherlands  Belgium Spain Chinese Christian refugees	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	Empress Dowager Cixi Ronglu Li Hongzhang Prince Yikuang Prince Duan Dong Fuxiang Ma Haiyan Ma Haiyan Ma Fulu † Ma Fuxiang 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, causing approximately 900 soldiers, sailors, marines, and civilians from various nations, along with about 2,800 Chinese Christians, to seek 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 increased foreign influence and intervention in China.