Boxer Protocol Signed: China's Sovereignty Crushed
China signed the Boxer Protocol on September 7, 1901, agreeing to pay an indemnity of 450 million taels of silver (roughly $333 million, or $10 billion today) to the eight foreign powers whose legations had been besieged during the Boxer Uprising. The payments were spread over 39 years at 4% interest, ultimately costing China roughly $740 million. Foreign troops were stationed permanently in Beijing for the first time. Chinese forts between the capital and the coast were demolished. Government officials who had supported the Boxers were executed or exiled. The humiliation radicalized a generation of Chinese intellectuals and accelerated the collapse of the Qing dynasty, which fell in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911.
September 7, 1901
125 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 7
Roman legions under General Titus breached the walls of Jerusalem, systematically dismantling the Second Temple and ending the Great Jewish Revolt. This destruc…
Louis got the nickname 'the Stammerer' from his contemporaries — and it wasn't metaphorical. He had a pronounced stammer and was reportedly in poor health his e…
Cardinal Rolando Bandinelli's election as Pope Alexander III triggered an immediate split when rivals crowned Cardinal Octaviano Monticelli as Antipope Victor I…
The papal election of 1159 produced two claimants simultaneously. The majority of cardinals chose Orlando Bandinelli, who became Alexander III. A minority backe…
Richard the Lionheart shattered Saladin’s tactical reputation at Arsuf, proving that the Ayyubid army could be defeated in open field combat. By maintaining a d…
Frederick II arrived in the Holy Land already excommunicated by the Pope — the Church had banned him for repeatedly delaying this very trip. So he launched a Cr…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.