What was the Boxer Protocol?

The Boxer Protocol was a peace agreement signed on September 7, 1901, between the Qing Empire of China and eleven foreign powers following the defeat of the Boxer Rebellion. It forced China to pay massive financial indemnities, allow foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing, and execute officials who had supported the uprising. Widely regarded as one of China's unequal treaties, it significantly weakened the Qing dynasty and its control over the country.

What we know

• The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901, in Beijing between the Qing Empire and eleven foreign nations, including the Eight-Nation Alliance, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. [2]
• The protocol required the Qing dynasty to pay an indemnity of 450 million taels of silver over 39 years to the invading nations. [5]
• The agreement mandated the execution of Chinese government officials who had supported the Boxer movement. [5]
• The protocol allowed foreign troops to be stationed within Beijing. [5]

Where to go next

• what caused itHow did the Boxer Rebellion start?
• what followedWhat were the consequences of the Boxer Indemnities?
• a case in pointWho were the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists?
• how it workedHow did the Eight-Nation Alliance intervene in China?
• the bigger pictureWhat other unequal treaties were signed by Qing China?
• an unexpected connectionWhy did natural disasters help trigger an international war?Severe droughts and Yellow River flooding in 1898 fueled local grievances that birthed the Boxer movement, ultimately leading to an international military intervention and the Boxer Protocol.

Sources

• [1]Boxer Protocol (Wikidata Q672556) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Boxer Protocol · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Boxer Indemnities · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Boxer movement · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Boxer Rebellion · CC BY-SA 4.0