2nd Opium War - Storming of the Taku Forts (Part1of 2)
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- Опубліковано 27 чер 2024
- Part 1 of 2 videos about the Storming of the Taku Forts, durinmg the Second Opium War in China (1856-60).
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in this part 1 episode, I want to share with you why the war even happened, an audacious plot to poison all the British in Hong Kong, and a humiliating British military defeat - also at the Taku Forts.
This is a story of bravery, treachery, gunboat diplomacy and humiliation.
And through there two episodes you will meet a series of incredible characters, some of whom are largely forgotten such as General Sir Hope Grant and Sir John Bowring, whilst others who would go on to greater things such as Field Marshal Sir Garnet Wolseley, Admiral John “Jackie” Fisher, and General Charles Gordon (“Gordon of Khartoum”).
Welcome to part 1 in my story of the storming of the Taku Forts.
1st Opium War
• First Opium War Explai...
The Boxer Rebellion 1900
• The Real Story Of "55 ...
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:51 Simmering Tensions
1:36 The Arrow Incident
2:10 Harry Parkes
2:46 Sir John Bowring
3:53 Admiral Seymour
4:56 Hong Kong Poison Plot
6:00 Palmerston Wants War
7:13 French Allies
7:44 Lord Elgin
9:42 Canton Captured
10:31 1st Attack on Taku Forts
11:59 Treaty of Tientsin
14:20 Chinese Repudiate Treaty
15:34 Admiral Hope
17:08 Josiah Tattnall
19:44 British Defeat
22:39 The Next Stage
Timeline of the 2nd Opium War & Storming of the Taku Forts
1842 - Treaty of Nanking ends First Opium War
Oct 1856 - Arrow seized by Chinese (Arrow Incident)
23rd Oct 1856- Admiral Seymour bombards Chinese forts in Pearl River
15 Jan 1857 - Chinese baker slips arsenic into bread in Hong Kong
28 Dec 1857 - British & French bombard Canton
5 Jan 1858 - British & French enter Canton
20 May 1858 - Admiral Seymour seizes Taku Forts.
26 June 1858 - Treaty of Tientsin
24 June 1859 - Admiral Hope arrives at Taku Forts
25 June1859 - Chinese defeat Admiral Hope at Taku Forts
May 1860 - British - French expeditionary force arrives at Shanghai
12 Aug 1860 - General Hope Grant lands up river from Taku Forts
21 Aug 1860 - Taku forts successfully stormed by British & French forces.
18 Sep 1860 - Harry Parkes and his escort ambushed & captured by Chinese
21 Sep 1860 - Battle of Palikao
13 Oct 1860 - General Napier enters Peking (Beijing)
24 Oct 1860 - Lord Elgin arrives in Beijing to conduct peace treaty (Convention of Peking)
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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.
History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or UA-cam animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.
My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"
Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
I must admit upon hearing 11000 British and 200 frigates were inbound, i hoisted the colours and sounded the bugle. Great video as always
Hope you enjoyed the end music.
Chris, a new master piece for me as a british military history starter, kind of. I love the blood and water saying and the anglo saxons relationship between British and United states cousins. Yeh was all but never a han Chinese! Waiting for part 2 of this fine lesson, all the best from Northern Germany Ludwig.
Thanks for watching my video & your comments. If you have not already, please subscribe to my channel so that you do not miss vuture videos.
Having only a tepid interest in British involvement with China, I decided to watch anyway. However Chris has worked his usual magic on a topic and I now can't wait for part two of the Taku forts. Yet another part of British history brought to life by the History Chap. Well done Chris!
Very kind words. Thank you Jen.
I see Flashman books on the bookshelf! I like! Flashman and the Dragon is a great take on these events, full of historical notes on what happened.
Thanks for watching my video. If you haven't already, please subscribe to my channel so you don't miss future videos.
It’s always amazing to me how confident the British forces and other colonial powers were in these sorts of engagements. Outnumbered and outgunned? Never mind we are British!
Thanks for watching my video.
Two empires, both full of themselves....but only one of them had the military strength to put their money where their mouth was, while the other was too arrogant to realize they were severely overmatched, even after defeat after defeat.
Thanks for watching my video & for your comments
Definetly full of something
and they've still learned absolutely nothing to this day
Can't wait for part 2, splendid job as always. God save the King, rule Britannia!
Should be out on Tuesday
Exciting stuff! Looking forward to Part 2.
Thanks for watching my video and if you haven't already, [lease subscribe to my channel so that you don't miss future videos.
Brilliant Chris!!!! Thank you!
Many thanks. Look out for part 2.
Another outstanding video Chris, well done and thank you for your content!
Thanks for your support.
Another splendid episode!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
One can hardly blame the Chinese for not trying to follow the unequal treaties considering the circumstances. It is also always somewhat sobering to see how much the actions of the Century of Humiliation still impact China to this day.
theyll never live it down. Theyll be screaming about it for thousands of years to come.
Thanks for watching my video & and also your comments
How about Vladivostok? It was ceded to Russia under unequal treaty in Qing dynasty, but never returned .
Why didn't CCP feel humiliated? CCP doesn't dare to ask Russia to return Vladivostok and even finds many excuses to justify it.
Excellent video
Wait for part two
Glad you enjoyed it.
Another excellent presentation. Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video and very interesting, thank you and stay well.
Thanks, you too!
Another great video!
Glad you enjoyed it.
This was such an interesting story I was captivated by it. I am looking forward to the second installment and the result of the second Opium War. Muy bien, amigo y gracias! 😊
Thanks for watching my video and your comments.
Lets crak on to part 2, part 1 is great, thanks for sharing.
Pleased you enjoyed my video. If you haven't already, please subscribe to my channel so that you don't miss future videos.
Very nice.
Thank you, sir ❤
Thanks for watching my video.
Very well presented, really looking forward to part II.
It's nice to now be getting a clearer picture of the lives of the Victorian Generals, Wolseley & Gordon in particular.
Here's hoping that you one day do a video about Charies Gordon and exactly what he did to earn that yellow jacket.
Glad you enjoyed it. If you haven't already already, please subscribe to my channel so you don't miss futre videos.
Thanks Chris, I was a bit tardy getting to this video, But I need uninterrupted time to take in the whole story and as usual it was brilliant. Cheers
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks so much Chris
My pleasure. Watch out for part 2.
Such a great Teller you are. Love your Content so much. Greetings from a Kraut.
Glad you enjoy it! What would you love to hear about in the future?
The Chinese who looked at themselves as the Middle Kingdom, looked at the Europeans as pirate barbarians and did not really contemplate the powers they were up against. The defeat was an extreme shock to them, they have not forgiven the West for this till this day.
Thanks for watching my video and your comments
@@TheHistoryChap You are welcome.
How about Vladivostok? It was ceded to Russia under unequal treaty in Qing dynasty, but never returned .
Why didn't CCP feel humiliated? CCP doesn't dare to ask Russia to return Vladivostok and even finds many excuses to justify it.
A cracking tale!
Many thanks. Look out for part 2.
This and a hot plate for dinner is all I need tonight! You didnt get to answer my question last time Chris, in short I was wondering whether you script your videos or improvise the dialog?
Thanks for your content!
Thanks for the question. In these videos I script.
Great story telling skills by The History Chap.
Glad youo enjoyed it.
The opium wars are often used as a stick to bash the old British Empire with, when the opium trade was a side show and shared by other nations, including China itself, at the time.
Have you watched my video about the First Opium War?
@@TheHistoryChap Yes I have. it was very interesting thanks.
Amazing history that I had only heard about but did not have a great understanding of.
Thanks for watching my video
"What could possibly go wrong?" - Famous last words... #184
How many times could that have been mentioned in History?
Great Content as usual. It would be good to find out if any of the forts still exist ?
Yes they do. I have seen photos of them (well, the ruins).
I’m originally from Eastbourne so will have to check out Rasons memorial next time I’m there.
Hope you find it in the church.
I see one of your books is called They also served is that about the Dickins Medal winners ?
Hi, thanks for the question. No, it is actually about camp followers .
Brilliant stuff. BTW "Plover" pronounced "pluvver".
Really pleased you enjoyed it. And thank you for taking the time to help me pronounce. Plover
As well as being an Admiral of the Fleet, Jackie Fisher was First Sea Lord from 1904 to 1910.
Thanks for watching
Have you done anything on Jackie Fischer ?
Not yet. I will add to my ever-growing list.
The Second Opium War had little to do with opium itself. The main purpose was treaty revision, involving not only Britain and France but also the United States and Russia. The US did not send troops due to the ongoing Civil War. Ye Mingchen, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, might have been arrogant but not xenophobic. He is criticized by later generations for not fighting, not negotiating peace, not defending the city, not surrendering, not dying in battle, and not fleeing. At that time, the mentality among the ministers of the Qing dynasty was still that of China being the celestial empire, superior to all, with other countries being vassal states. As the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Ye Mingchen was legally the only official who could negotiate with foreign envoys. When Guangzhou fell, and he was captured, he thought he was being taken to Britain to negotiate with the Queen. Instead, he was taken to Calcutta, India, where he eventually starved to death after refusing to eat anything beyond his own supply of rice brought from China.
Thank you for adding your perspective. History is all about view points.
I've heard a lot of references to the Taku forts, now I know why.
PS The assauslt is reminiscent of a lot of the Marine landings in WWII. MacArthuir's "hit 'em where they ain't" saved a lot of soldiers, Australian and American.
Thanks for taking the time to watch my video & also for your comments.
Ah yeah dug out Doug!
Do you know where I could find info on Americans serving in the British military prior to the U.S. joint the war (WWI and WW2). Would like to know more about these commissions and how they worked without citizenship. Kermit Roosevelt being an example.
thanks for watching my video. How about trying the War Office or the National Archives in London
@@TheHistoryChap thank you that is a great idea!
As an American we too fight in other countries over drugs. It always ends up badly. We should have learned our lesson by now!
Interestingly, the Americans were involved in the opium trade in Xhina - including FDR's maternal grandfather.
@@TheHistoryChap interesting. Our War on Drugs has failed miserably!
@michael hurley "As an American we t..." The differences are that the Brits
(a) fought their war over drugs in someone else's country;
(b) benefitted. It ended well for them, they were able to keep the Royal Marines match fit, offset the tea trade imbalance, obtain trading rights into China and and picked up a nice little colony.
Need to reed the Harry Flashman book Flashman and the Dragon
Great book! All the Flashman novels worth reading.
Thanks for watching my video. Think my father read every Flashman book.
Josiah Tattnall studied in England before being appointed a midshipman.
Thanks for watching my video and your comment.
Where there french foreign Legion was involved?
Not sure.
Hat Friends in the Legion when i was a Soldier and wantet to joyn after my Abitur. But 5 years of Service frightened me as a 19 year old. Now i recret with 51.
with his help she sit curtsin for 60yrs 1850-1910
Thank you for adding to the story
Speak one hundred languages? I think not. The gentleman would have gone insane.
That’s the claim that I read in my sources. If you have different info please do share.
@@TheHistoryChap if that's what your source says then that's what it claims. But think on it. Do you think the brain is equipped to 'decode' for that's literally what a language is.......100 different languages? A language is not a few words.....but literally thousands of words. Picture french,spanish,Portuguese, German, russian,itallian,swiss,hungarian,English, so many European languages plus transpacific and African and you'll probably have an idea of the scale he would have to decipher and then languages are a learnt behavior, even the mother tongue. The thought is mind boggling to me.
Forcing a country to legalize the importation of a dangerous drug to even out a trade imbalance you have with said country rises above a "morale dilemma". I have no love lost for modern China but I can understand why the Opium Wars and the unequal treaties China was forced to sign would sour them on Western nations.
You are right. I am also struck by the fact that the Chinese still think their way is the best way. Maybe the Celestial Empire lives on.
@markayres "Forcing a country to legalize the importation o..." Turkey first traded opium into what we now call China in the 7th Century. Portuguese merchants traded opium in the 18th Century and locals both imported and distributed before the East India Company came along. The Manchu dynasty collected taxes on the trade from the locals but the British refused to pay so access to ports was closed to them, thus the wars. Whilst British interests took it to a whole new level, they didn't initiate the trade and didn't force legalisation, if anything they caused the Manchus to make the trade illegal.
5:10
Nationalist fervour or reward ?
FROM THE CHINESE POINT OF VIEW
What did the Chinese say to each other? We don’t know.
The Chinese have seen the Europeans had conquered India, East Indies, Africa, South America and North America.
They stopped the Russian Czar on the river in Siberia.
Now the British, French, Americans, Russians and Germany was coming after the Chinese mainland.
So they limited the Western countries to costal enclaves.
The Chinese resistance was confusing to the Western powers and then the Japanese came and spoilt the party. 🎉😂
Thanks for watching my video
Wonder why they did not tell this history in schools?
If you think China and British had animosity just think of today with China and Japan still having issues from what happened to China in WW2.
It even affects today's car production and zero-emission cars - the rest of the world is using batteries whereas Japan thinks China has too much of the stronghold over the raw materials and production so instead invested in hydrogen vehicles because that can not be interfered with or blocked by China.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about how history still shapes the world
@@TheHistoryChap I found about this while doing research for a youTube channel I work with about green technology and developments and zero emissions cars - also if the CCP needs a boast because it becoming unpopular it kicks off about Japan and Japanese companies ever few years
@QALibraryonder why they did not tell ...The National Archives have prepared lesson plans on the Opium Wars, which suggests that the topic has appeared in education in Britain. You can't blame Japan for insuring against CCP's weaponising of trade, the rest of the world are doing the same perhaps not quite as dramatically.
China could have won if they reserved their fleet for night action and logistics.
Thanks for watching my video
Butbutbutbut.....what about Flashy being rent boy to the Dowager Empress????? (lashman and the Dragon)
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
zizi and prince kong nhi hoang gia
Many thanks for contributing
100 languages from that fellow from Exeter! I wonder if he could speak Jive? Surely he was friends with Seymour Butts….
Thanks for watching my video
It sounds an awful lot like you’re pro British exploits during the British empire etc
I tell stories from British history, which happens to include the Empire. If you look on my channel, you will also see that hotel stories from Anglo-Saxon, England, and from the Roman invasion of Britain.
@@TheHistoryChap I understand that, it’s just the way you word it. You talk about accomplishments of military forces and personnel, when some of these feats were literal barbarism. It just seems you don’t objectively view these events and are instead very pro British minded. Which is fine, we just have some very shameful history
‘Chinese as arrogant as 19 th Century English …’ ? What would the easybeats Chinese have to be arrogant about ? The sun never sets on the Empire as opposed to a people the British used as coolies on plantations and in mines. Ignorant rather than arrogant.
I think you need to study Chinese history before making rash comments
@@TheHistoryChap "I think you need to study Chin..." Don't assume that a person who doesn't boast of or display his obsession with British History doesn't know enough about the history of other parts of the World to be able to make accurate, if generalised, comments.
Xenophobic?
Yes. Did you think Chinese can’t be?
If they don't want the British, then they don't want the British. Doesn't mean we define what happened through our modern lense of "xenophobic" or "racist". Emperor didn't want to fuc with Brits. Plain and simple...