Eulenburg Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Eulenburg Expedition was a diplomatic mission conducted by Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg
on behalf of Prussia
and the German Customs Union in 1859-62. Its aim was to establish diplomatic and commercial relations with China
, Japan
and Siam
The major participants of the expedition were Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg, Lucius von Ballhausen (doctor), Max von Brandt
(attaché), Wilhelm Heine
(painter), Karl Eduard Heusner
, Fritz von Hollmann, Werner Von Reinhold, Ferdinand von Richthofen
and Gustav Spiess.
The expedition was provided with three warships from the Prussian East Asian Squadron, the SMS Arcona, the SMS Thetis and the SMS Frauenlob.
Before the treaty was signed Count Eulenburg suffered another setback. During the negotiations with the Bakufu, Count Eulenburg had been assisted by Henry C.J. Heusken, a Dutch-American interpreter who usually worked for the US consul Townsend Harris
. After having dinner with Count Eulenburg on the night of 15 January 1861, Heusken repaired to the American Legation at Zenpuku Temple
in Edo. He was accompanied by three mounted officers and four footmen bearing lanterns. The party was suddenly ambushed by seven shishi
from the Satsuma clan. Heusken suffered mortal wounds to both sides of his body in the fight. He mounted a horse and galloped about 200 yards to the American Legation, where he was taken inside and treated. Later that night Heusken died of his wounds.
This setback did not derail the treaty negotiations, and after four months of negotiations, Count Eulenburg and representatives from the Bakufu signed the "Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation" on 24 January 1861. The treaty was based on other commercial treaties that Japan had signed with other Western powers and it would later count as one of the serial "unequal treaties
" that Japan had been forced to sign in the late Tokugawa period.
, where Count Eulenburg initiated negotiations with the Zongli Yamen
for a commercial treaty with the Qing Empire. This was not at a very good time for China, since Britain and France had just invaded Beijing
in the Second Opium War
and the Xianfeng Emperor was still exiled in Chengde
. The negotiations took three months and the Emperor died in late August. Finally on 2 September 1861, Count Eulenburg and Qing representative Chonglun signed a commercial treaty with the Qing Empire, which was modeled on the French Treaty of Tianjin. In the treaty, Prussia represented the whole German Customs Union
and the treaty would govern Sino-German relations
until World War I
, when the treaty was repudiated by China.
for a year. He "expressed his delight and inquired about the number and size of the warships, immediately thereafter he asked if the Prussians maintained colonies or had the intention to acquire them." The question answered in the negative "consoled him: he was all the more delighted to gain new unselfish friends as the old ones just became difficult" (Fritz Count of Eulenburg). After a long stay, on February 17, 1862 Fritz Count of Eulenburg signed a Treaty in the name of Prussia, the States of the Customs Union and Mecklenburg
.
Several participants in the expedition, including Count Eulenburg himself, wrote accounts of the East Asian expedition. Ferdinand von Richthofen
later remarked that of the 64 Naval officers who took part in the expedition, 23 went on to have substantial rank in later years.
The photographic record of this visit to Japan opens a window which becomes unique reference source.
Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg
Count Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg was a Prussian diplomat and politician. He led the Eulenburg Expedition and secured the Prusso-Japanese Treaty of 24 January 1861, which was similar to other unequal treaties that European powers held Eastern Countries to.-Biography :Eulenburg was born in...
on behalf of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and the German Customs Union in 1859-62. Its aim was to establish diplomatic and commercial relations with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Siam
Background
In 1859, King Prince William, who was acting as Regent for his seriously ill brother Friedrich Wilhelm IV, appointed Friedrich Albrecht Count of Eulenburg Extraordinary Envoy to a Prussian Mission to Eastern Asia.The major participants of the expedition were Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg, Lucius von Ballhausen (doctor), Max von Brandt
Max von Brandt
Maximilian August Scipio von Brandt was a German diplomat, East Asia expert and publicist.- Biography :...
(attaché), Wilhelm Heine
Wilhelm Heine
Peter Bernhard Wilhelm Heine, better known as Wilhelm Heine was a German-American artist, world traveller and writer.-Early life:...
(painter), Karl Eduard Heusner
Karl Eduard Heusner
Karl Eduard Heusner was a Vice-Admiral of the German Imperial Navy ....
, Fritz von Hollmann, Werner Von Reinhold, Ferdinand von Richthofen
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen was a German traveller, geographer, and scientist.-Biography:He was born in Carlsruhe, Prussian Silesia, and was educated in Breslau and Berlin. He traveled or studied in the Alps of Tyrol and the Carpathians in Transylvania...
and Gustav Spiess.
The expedition was provided with three warships from the Prussian East Asian Squadron, the SMS Arcona, the SMS Thetis and the SMS Frauenlob.
Japan
Before the expedition even reached Japan, the Frauenlob was lost in a typhoon outside Yokohama on 5 September 1860, losing its entire crew of five officers and 42 men, and the two remaining ships decided to anchor in Edo bay. The negotiations with the Bakufu were protracted and would last for several months.Before the treaty was signed Count Eulenburg suffered another setback. During the negotiations with the Bakufu, Count Eulenburg had been assisted by Henry C.J. Heusken, a Dutch-American interpreter who usually worked for the US consul Townsend Harris
Townsend Harris
Townsend Harris was a successful New York City merchant and minor politician, and the first United States Consul General to Japan...
. After having dinner with Count Eulenburg on the night of 15 January 1861, Heusken repaired to the American Legation at Zenpuku Temple
Zenpuku-ji
Zenpuku-ji , also known as Azabu-san , is a Jōdo Shinshū temple located in the Azabu district of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the oldest Tokyo temples, after Asakusa.Founded by Kūkai in 824, Zenpuku-ji was originally a Shingon temple...
in Edo. He was accompanied by three mounted officers and four footmen bearing lanterns. The party was suddenly ambushed by seven shishi
Shishi (organization)
Shishi was a term used to describe Japanese political activists of the late Edo period...
from the Satsuma clan. Heusken suffered mortal wounds to both sides of his body in the fight. He mounted a horse and galloped about 200 yards to the American Legation, where he was taken inside and treated. Later that night Heusken died of his wounds.
This setback did not derail the treaty negotiations, and after four months of negotiations, Count Eulenburg and representatives from the Bakufu signed the "Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation" on 24 January 1861. The treaty was based on other commercial treaties that Japan had signed with other Western powers and it would later count as one of the serial "unequal treaties
Unequal Treaties
“Unequal treaty” is a term used in specific reference to a number of treaties imposed by Western powers, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, on Qing Dynasty China and late Tokugawa Japan...
" that Japan had been forced to sign in the late Tokugawa period.
China
In May 1861, the Eulenburg expedition arrived in TianjinTianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, where Count Eulenburg initiated negotiations with the Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen was the government body in charge of foreign affairs in imperial China during the late Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking. It was abolished in 1901 and replaced with a Foreign Office of ministry rank.The former site of the...
for a commercial treaty with the Qing Empire. This was not at a very good time for China, since Britain and France had just invaded Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
and the Xianfeng Emperor was still exiled in Chengde
Chengde
Chengde , previously known as Jehol or Re He , is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China, situated northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by the Qing emperors as summer residence...
. The negotiations took three months and the Emperor died in late August. Finally on 2 September 1861, Count Eulenburg and Qing representative Chonglun signed a commercial treaty with the Qing Empire, which was modeled on the French Treaty of Tianjin. In the treaty, Prussia represented the whole German Customs Union
Zollverein
thumb|upright=1.2|The German Zollverein 1834–1919blue = Prussia in 1834 grey= Included region until 1866yellow= Excluded after 1866red = Borders of the German Union of 1828 pink= Relevant others until 1834...
and the treaty would govern Sino-German relations
Sino-German relations
Sino-German relations were formally established in 1861, when Prussia and the Qing Empire concluded the first Sino-German treaty during the Eulenburg Expedition. Ten years later, the German empire was founded and the new state inherited the old Prussian treaty...
until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when the treaty was repudiated by China.
Siam
When the expedition reached Siam, the delegation, had been expected by King MongkutMongkut
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut , was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...
for a year. He "expressed his delight and inquired about the number and size of the warships, immediately thereafter he asked if the Prussians maintained colonies or had the intention to acquire them." The question answered in the negative "consoled him: he was all the more delighted to gain new unselfish friends as the old ones just became difficult" (Fritz Count of Eulenburg). After a long stay, on February 17, 1862 Fritz Count of Eulenburg signed a Treaty in the name of Prussia, the States of the Customs Union and Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
.
Legacy
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen was a German traveller, geographer, and scientist.-Biography:He was born in Carlsruhe, Prussian Silesia, and was educated in Breslau and Berlin. He traveled or studied in the Alps of Tyrol and the Carpathians in Transylvania...
later remarked that of the 64 Naval officers who took part in the expedition, 23 went on to have substantial rank in later years.
The photographic record of this visit to Japan opens a window which becomes unique reference source.