Item number: M186

Year: AD 1901-1945

Material: Silver

Size: 53.7 x 17.6 x 1.5 mm

Weight: 35.6 g

Provenance: J. Collins Medals 2023

This miniature medal set comprises five British medals, arranged from left to right as follows: the Eight-Nation Alliance China War Medal, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal of the Second World War, the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Edward VII version), and the George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

The left most medal is the miniature silver “Eight-Nation Alliance China War Medal,” awarded by the British government in AD 1902 to individuals involved in the AD 1900 Boxer Rebellion, with the clasp bearing “Relief of Pekin.” Depending on their role, combatants received a silver medal, while other participants received a bronze medal.

The obverse of the medal features a half-length portrait of Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch of Britain at that time. It was designed by the British medallist George William de Saulles. Surrounding the portrait is a Latin inscription that translates to “Victoria Queen and Empress.”

On the reverse side of the medal, the design follows the pattern of the previous two “China War Medals” (AD 1842, AD 1861). It was designed by William Wyon, who served as the Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint. The design depicts a central oval shield with the royal coat of arms, symbolising the joint protection of the army’s cannon and the navy’s anchor. Behind the shield is a palm tree as a backdrop. At the bottom edge, the medal is inscribed with “China 1900” in English, and at the top edge, there is a Latin inscription that translates to “They demanded peace by force of arms.”

The medal has a swivel straight bar suspension with claw which connects to the ribbon and the clasp, with the disk of the medal secured to the claw by a rivet. The ribbon has a crimson red base colour with yellow stripes on each side for decoration. Depending on the battles participated in, there are three types of clasps: “Relief of Pekin,” “Taku Forts,” and “Defence of Legations.” According to the relevant regulations, the medal is limited to two clasps. This medal is accompanied by a clasp of “Relief of Pekin”. As it is a miniature version of the medal, the inscription on the clasp is abbreviated to “REL. OF PEKIN”.

The table below shows the total number of clasps awarded for this medals:

Since the late Qing Dynasty, Christianity has spread throughout various regions of China alongside the unequal treaties signed with foreign powers. Due to the varying degrees of missionaries’ and believers’ activities, conflicts between the populace and churches have been increasingly escalating. Particularly in the Shandong region, grassroots organisations like the Boxers emerged, combining folk beliefs with martial arts. Initially, the Boxers were somewhat restrained under the governance of Shandong Governor Yuan Shikai. However, as the Boxers expanded into neighbouring provinces, they became a tool of contention between the factions of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu. Cixi approved the Boxers’ entry into Beijing, which intensified their attacks on Christian believers and foreigners.

At this time, most foreigners had gathered in the Legation Quarter of Dongjiaominxiang seeking refuge. After a formal meeting on May 20th, the ambassadors of various countries in China decided to request military support from their respective governments. The situation escalated dramatically on June 20th when German Minister Clemens von Ketteler was assassinated, marking a turning point in the events. In the afternoon of that day, with the tacit approval of Empress Dowager Cixi, the regular troops of the Qing Empire and Boxers launched a formal attack on the Legation Quarter. Embassy personnel from various countries elected the British Minister to China, Claude Maxwell MacDonald, as the overall commander, marking the beginning of the 56-day defence of the Legation Quarter. Ultimately, on the morning of August 14th, the relief of the Legation Quarter was declared as the Allied forces successfully entered Beijing.

物件編號: M186

年代: 公元 1901-1945 年

材料: 銀

尺寸: 53.7 x 17.6 x 1.5 mm

重量: 35.6 g

來源: 克林獎章 2023

此迷你版獎章套組包含五個英國獎章，由左至右依序分別為:八國聯軍第三次中國戰爭獎章、英國戰爭獎章、第二次世界大戰勝利獎章、愛德華七世版本的陸軍長期服役和良好行為獎章、以及喬治五世銀禧獎章。

最左側的是公元1902年英國政府頒予參加公元1900年八國聯軍一役相關人士的迷你版銀質「第三次中國戰爭獎章」，附「解圍北京」的銘牌。按照參與者的差異，戰鬥人員獲得銀質獎章，其餘人士則是銅質獎章。

獎章正面是時任英國維多利亞女王的半身像，由英國的獎牌製造師：喬治·威廉·德·索雷斯設計。獎章周圍環繞的拉丁銘文意思是「維多利亞女王暨女皇」。獎章背面的圖案沿用前兩次頒發的「中國戰爭獎章」(1842、1861)設計，由曾擔任皇家鑄幣廠首席雕刻師的威廉·維恩設計，象徵陸軍的大砲和海軍的船錨共同護衛中央刻有皇室家徽的橢圓盾牌，背後以一株棕梠樹作為襯托。於下緣以英文刻有「中國 1900」，上緣則是拉丁文銘文「透過武力訴諸和平」。

獎章上方以帶有鉚釘的帶爪旋轉直桿懸掛連接著其綬帶和「解圍北京」的銘牌，綬帶是赤紅為底色，兩側各有一道黃色條紋作為裝飾。依據參與的戰役差異，分別有「解圍北京」、「大沽口要塞」和「保衛使館」三種銘牌，按照相關的法規該獎章以兩個銘牌為限。此枚獎章上附的是「解圍北京」的銘牌，由於是迷你版獎章，名牌上的銘文是縮寫「REL. OF PEKIN」。

下方表格為這枚獎章所頒發的銘牌總數:

清末以來，基督信仰伴隨列強簽訂的不平等條約深入中國各地，由於傳教士和信眾的程度參差不齊，使得民眾和教堂的衝突日益激增。特別是在山東一帶，出現結合民間信仰和武術的草根組織義和團。起先義和團在山東巡撫袁世凱取締下有所節制，但隨著義和團擴張到鄰近省分，成為慈禧太后和光緒皇帝兩派勢力的角力工具。慈禧批准義和團進入有外國人和使館的北京，使得義和團對基督信徒和外國人的攻擊加劇。

此時多數的外國人已經聚集到東交民巷的使館區尋求庇護，5月20日各國駐華大使館經過正式會議後，決定向本國政府調度在華的部隊支援。隨著6月20日，德國公使克林德遭到殺害標示事件的白熱化。當日下午四時在慈禧默許下，清帝國的正規軍和拳民對使館區發動正式攻擊。各國使館人員推舉英國駐華公使竇納樂為總指揮，標示使館56天保衛戰的開端。最終於8月14日清晨，以聯軍成功進入北京宣告使館區解圍。