Western Expansion in East Asia
East Asian expansion
Western imperialism transformed East Asia during the nineteenth century through economic pressure and military power. Driven by industrial demand for new markets, European powers and the United States dismantled traditional diplomatic and trade systems. Conflicts like the Opium Wars forced China into unequal treaties, ceding territory and opening ports to foreign trade. Meanwhile, gunboat diplomacy forced Japan to end its long isolation, setting off rapid internal modernization to avoid colonization. Across the region, foreign spheres of influence altered traditional governance, reshaped trade, and integrated East Asian economies into global capitalist networks.
People
Birth
Death
Origin
Age (Death)
| 1737 | |
|---|---|
| 1773 | |
| 1789 | |
| 1794 | |
| 1801 | |
| 1804 | |
| 1811 | |
| 1820 | |
| 1833 | |
| 1835 |
Timeline
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Element |
| Year | East Asian expansion |
|---|---|
| 1737 |
Birth of George Macartney (Period: May 3, 1737 (some sources state May 14), Location: Around Loughguile, County Antrim, present-day Northern Ireland. Believed to be at Lisanoure or its vicinity.)
|
| 1756 |
Seven Years' War
|
| 1764 |
Appointment as Special Envoy to Russia (George Macartney)
|
| 1768 |
Marriage (George Macartney, Jane Stuart)
|
| 1769 |
Appointment as Chief Secretary for Ireland (George Macartney)
|
| 1773 |
Birth of William Amherst (Period: January 14, 1773., Location: Bath, England, United Kingdom.)
|
| 1775 |
Appointment as Governor of Grenada and Tobago (George Macartney)
|
| 1779 |
American Revolutionary War
Surrender of Grenada and capture of Macartney
|
| 1780 |
Second Anglo-Mysore War
|
| 1781 |
Education at Westminster School (William Amherst)
Appointment as Governor of Madras (George Macartney)
|
| 1789 |
Admission to Oxford University
Birth of Henry Pottinger (Period: October 3, 1789 (some sources state December 25), Location: Around Mount Pottinger, eastern Belfast, present-day Northern Ireland)
|
| 1792 |
Dispatch of the Macartney Embassy
|
| 1793 |
Travel to Continental Europe (William Amherst)
|
| 1794 |
Creation as Earl Macartney
Birth of Matthew Perry (Period: April 10, 1794, Location: Newport, Rhode Island, United States)
|
| 1795 |
Diplomatic mission to Verona
|
| 1796 |
Appointment as Governor of the Cape of Good Hope (George Macartney)
|
| 1797 |
Prevention of naval mutiny at the Cape of Good Hope
Accession to 2nd Baron Amherst (William Amherst)
|
| 1798 |
Retirement from public office (George Macartney)
|
| 1800 |
Marriage to Sarah Archer
Marriage (William Amherst, Sarah Archer, widow of the 5th Earl of Plymouth and daughter of Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer)
|
| 1801 |
Birth of Charles Elliot (Period: August 15, 1801, Location: Dresden, Germany (then the Electorate of Saxony within the Holy Roman Empire))
|
| 1802 |
Appointment as Gentleman of the Bedchamber (William Amherst)
|
| 1804 |
Enlistment in the East India Company Army (Henry Pottinger)
Birth of Townsend Harris (Period: October 4, 1804 (some sources state October 3), Location: Hudson Falls, New York, United States. Known at the time as Sandy Hill.)
|
| 1806 |
Death of George Macartney
|
| 1809 |
Appointment as Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Naples (William Amherst)
Enlistment in the United States Navy (Matthew Perry)
|
| 1810 |
Infiltration survey of Sindh
Survey journey between India and Persia (Henry Pottinger)
|
| 1811 |
Engagement with the USS Little Belt
Birth of James Bruce (Period: July 20, 1811, Location: London, England, United Kingdom (around Park Lane))
|
| 1812 |
War of 1812
|
| 1814 |
Marriage (Matthew Perry, Jane Slidell)
|
| 1815 |
Enlistment in the Royal Navy (Charles Elliot)
Appointment to the Privy Council
|
| 1816 |
Grounding and shipwreck of the HMS Alceste
Appointment as Envoy Extraordinary to the Qing Dynasty (William Amherst)
Diplomatic issues surrounding the kowtow ceremony of the Amherst Embassy
Second Barbary War
Arrival of the Amherst Embassy in China
|
| 1817 |
Meeting with Napoleon Bonaparte
Maratha Wars
|
| 1820 |
Marriage (Henry Pottinger, Susanna Maria Cooke)
Naval support for the Liberia colonization project
Anti-slave trade patrol operations
Commercial activities in New York
Education at Oxford University (James Bruce)
Birth of William Howard Russell (Period: March 28, 1820, Location: Tallaght, near Dublin, Ireland (now part of the Dublin suburban area).)
|
| 1821 |
First independent naval command (Matthew Perry)
|
| 1822 |
Service and promotion in the West Africa Squadron (Charles Elliot)
|
| 1823 |
Appointment as Governor-General of India
|
| 1824 |
Establishment of Sanskrit College in Calcutta
First Anglo-Burmese War
Outbreak of the First Anglo-Burmese War
Barrackpore Sepoy mutiny
|
| 1825 |
Bharatpur succession dispute (William Amherst)
Appointment as Resident at Cutch State (Henry Pottinger)
|
| 1826 |
Capture of Bharatpur Fort
Conclusion of the Treaty of Yandabo
Creation as Earl Amherst
|
| 1827 |
Summer stay in Simla
|
| 1828 |
Marriage (Charles Elliot, Clara Windsor)
Resignation and return of the Governor-General of India (William Amherst)
|
| 1830 |
Appointment as Protector of Slaves in Guiana (Charles Elliot)
|
| 1833 |
Campaign for the establishment of naval educational institutions (Matthew Perry)
Birth of Charles Gordon (Period: January 28, 1833, Location: Woolwich, London, England, United Kingdom)
|
| 1834 |
Appointment as Assistant to the Chief Superintendent of Trade in China
|
| 1835 |
Appointment and cancellation as Governor-General of Canada
Birth of Robert Hart (Period: February 20, 1835, Location: Portadown, Northern Ireland (located in present-day County Armagh).)
|
| 1836 |
Appointment as Chief Superintendent and Plenipotentiary in China (Charles Elliot)
Appointment as Political Agent for Sindh (Henry Pottinger)
|
| 1837 |
Rebellions of 1837–1838
|
| 1838 |
Command of the steam warship Fulton II (Matthew Perry)
Admission to Trinity College, Dublin
|
| 1839 |
First Opium War
First Anglo-Afghan War
Negotiation of transit agreement with the Amirs of Sindh
Lin Zexu's opium suppression and handover of opium
Marriage (William Amherst, Mary Sackville, daughter of John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, and widow of the 6th Earl of Plymouth)
|
| 1840 |
Beginning of activities as a journalist
Creation as Baronet
|
| 1841 |
British occupation and initial governance of Hong Kong
Election as Member of Parliament for Southampton (James Bruce)
Conclusion of the Convention of Chuenpi
Appointment as First Administrator of Hong Kong (Charles Elliot)
Marriage (James Bruce, Elizabeth Mary Cumming-Bruce)
Dismissal of duties in China and return (Charles Elliot)
Dispatch as British Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Qing Dynasty
|
| 1842 |
Appointment as British Chargé d'Affaires to the Republic of Texas (Charles Elliot)
Appointment as Governor of Jamaica (James Bruce)
Conclusion of the Treaty of Nanking
Acquisition of Hong Kong Island via the Treaty of Nanking
|
| 1843 |
Annexation of Sindh
Appointment as Commander of the Africa Squadron (Matthew Perry)
Appointment as First Governor of Hong Kong (Henry Pottinger)
|
| 1844 |
Appointment to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
|
| 1845 |
Involvement in the development of the educational system at the United States Naval Academy (Matthew Perry)
|
| 1846 |
Appointment as Governor of Bermuda (Charles Elliot)
Mexican-American War
Fleet command in the Mexican-American War (Matthew Perry)
Participation in the New York City Board of Education (Townsend Harris)
Marriage (William Howard Russell, Mary Burroughs)
Appointment as Governor of the Cape of Good Hope (Henry Pottinger)
Marriage (James Bruce, Louisa Lambton)
|
| 1847 |
Establishment of the Free Academy
Appointment as Governor General of Canada (James Bruce)
Appointment as Governor of Madras (Henry Pottinger)
|
| 1848 |
Admission to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich (Charles Gordon)
First Schleswig War
|
| 1849 |
Trading journey to Asia (Townsend Harris)
Assent to the Rebellion Losses Bill
Creation as peer of the United Kingdom
Montreal riots surrounding the Rebellion Losses Bill
|
| 1850 |
Planning of the Japan Expedition and appointment as Commander of the East India Squadron (Matthew Perry)
Taiping Rebellion
Admission and graduation from Queen's College, Belfast (Robert Hart)
Early war reporting in Denmark
|
| 1852 |
Commissioning into the Royal Engineers
Execution of the Japan Expedition
|
| 1853 |
Crimean War
Perry Expedition to Japan
|
| 1854 |
Appointment as Governor of Trinidad (Charles Elliot)
Retirement and migration to Malta (Henry Pottinger)
Appointment as Consul to Ningbo
Service at the Ningbo Consulate
Problems of supply and medical systems of the British army in the Crimean War
Extended coverage of the Crimean War
Appointment as war correspondent for The Times
Conclusion of the Treaty of Kanagawa
Recruitment as a British consular interpreter in China
Conclusion of a reciprocity treaty with the United States
Conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and the Ryukyu Kingdom
Siege of Sevastopol
Battle of Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade
|
| 1855 |
Commercial treaty negotiations with Siam
Service in the Crimean War
Publication of Crimean War coverage in book form
Appointment as First US Consul General to Japan
|
| 1856 |
Award of Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Publication of the Narrative of the Expedition to Japan
Second Opium War
Commercial negotiations after the Treaty of Kanagawa
Border survey between Russia and the Ottoman Empire
Award of honorary degree from the University of Dublin
Death of Henry Pottinger
Arrival in Shimoda and establishment of the consulate at Gyokusen-ji
|
| 1857 |
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Appointment as Plenipotentiary Envoy to China
Coverage of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Death of William Amherst
Death
Conclusion of the Treaty of Shimoda
Occupation of Canton and negotiations for the Treaty of Tianjin
Audience with Shogun Tokugawa Iesada
Audience with the Shogun at Edo Castle
|
| 1858 |
Occupation and administrative duties by the Eight-Nation Alliance in Guangzhou
Service on the Joint Commission in Guangzhou
Conclusion of the Treaty of Tianjin
Dispatch of a diplomatic mission to Japan and conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between Great Britain and Japan
Conclusion of the Treaty of Tianjin
|
| 1859 |
Promotion to First US Minister Resident to Japan
Appointment as Postmaster General (James Bruce)
Transfer to the Chinese Maritime Customs Service
Appointment as Deputy Commissioner of Customs in Guangzhou (Robert Hart)
|
| 1860 |
Beijing Expedition and conclusion of the Convention of Beijing
Service in the Second Opium War
Nationwide organization of the customs system
Development of lighthouses and maritime facilities
Foundation of the Army and Navy Gazette
Destruction of the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)
Conclusion of the Convention of Beijing
|
| 1861 |
Establishment of the Tongwen Guan
American Civil War
Assassination of interpreter Henry Heusken
Coverage of the American Civil War
First Battle of Bull Run
|
| 1862 |
Return from Japan (Townsend Harris)
Appointment as Viceroy and Governor-General of India (James Bruce)
Battle of Cixi
|
| 1863 |
Appointment as Governor of Saint Helena (Charles Elliot)
Command of the Ever Victorious Army and suppression of the Taiping Rebellion (Charles Gordon)
Coordination of relations between the Ever Victorious Army and the Qing forces
Marriage (William Howard Russell, Anna Katherine Oelrichs)
Appointment as commander of the Ever Victorious Army (Charles Gordon)
Appointment as Inspector General of Maritime Customs (Robert Hart)
Death of James Bruce
|
| 1864 |
Capture of Changzhou
|
| 1865 |
Military engineering work and charitable activities in Gravesend
Marriage (Robert Hart, Ayao)
Proposals for administrative reforms to the Qing government
|
| 1866 |
Marriage (Robert Hart, Hester Jane Bredon)
Austro-Prussian War
Coverage ofile the Austro-Prussian War
Death of Matthew Perry
Death and reburial in Newport
|
| 1868 |
Accompanying the Prince of Wales on his Middle East tour
|
| 1869 |
Involvement in the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal
Opening ceremony of the Suez Canal
|
| 1870 |
Involvement in Qing diplomatic negotiations and financial management
Franco-Prussian War
Coverage of the Franco-Prussian War
Siege and fall of Paris
|
| 1871 |
Participation on the European Commission of the Danube
|
| 1873 |
Service to the Khedive of Egypt and appointment as Governor of the Equatoria (Charles Gordon)
|
| 1874 |
Diplomatic crisis surrounding the Taiwan Expedition
Involvement in Qing diplomacy concerning the Taiwan Expedition
|
| 1875 |
Accompanying the Prince of Wales on his tour of India
Death of Charles Elliot
|
| 1877 |
Appointment as Governor-General of the Sudan (Charles Gordon)
|
| 1878 |
Death of Townsend Harris
|
| 1879 |
Anglo-Zulu War
Coverage of the Anglo-Zulu War
|
| 1880 |
Appointment as private secretary to the Viceroy of India (Charles Gordon)
|
| 1881 |
Mahdist War
|
| 1882 |
Military service in Mauritius
British military intervention in Egypt
Retirement as a war correspondent (William Howard Russell)
|
| 1884 |
Re-dispatch to Egyptian Sudan
Sino-French War
Marriage (William Howard Russell, Antoinette Malvezzi)
Siege of Khartoum
Defense and siege of Khartoum
|
| 1885 |
Death of Charles Gordon
Fall of Khartoum and death of Gordon
Death in action at Khartoum
|
| 1894 | |
| 1895 |
Conferment of knighthood
|
| 1899 |
Boxer Rebellion
|
| 1900 |
Damage to customs facilities due to the Boxer Rebellion
Siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion
|
| 1901 |
Conclusion of the Boxer Protocol (Xinchou Treaty)
|
| 1902 |
Award of the Royal Victorian Order
|
| 1907 |
Death of William Howard Russell
Death and burial at Brompton Cemetery
|
| 1908 |
Resignation from Inspector General and return home (Robert Hart)
|
| 1911 |
Conferment of special honorary titles from the Qing Dynasty
Death of Robert Hart
|
| Unknown |
Involvement in the modernization of the postal system (Period: Late 19th – early 20th century, Location: Various parts of China, Beijing.)
Marriage (Charles Gordon, None, Period: Lifelong single, Location: None.)
Marriage (Townsend Harris, None, Period: Said to have been unmarried throughout life., Location: None.)
|
Map
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Element |
Asia
World
Related Links
| Group | List |
|---|---|
| East Asia | The Qing Dynasty Court First Sino-Japanese War East Asian expansion |
| West Asia | The Ottoman Court Iranian religious movement Zionist movement |
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