The Italian Expeditionary Corps in China (Italian: Corpo di spedizione italiano in Cina) was an expeditionary force the Kingdom of Italy sent to China in the summer of 1900 to assist in the efforts of the Eight-Nation Alliance to put down the Boxer Rebellion. It began to return to Italy in 1901, but some of its elements operated in China until 1905. The Italian participation in the campaign against the Boxers allowed Italy to obtain the Italian concession of Tientsin in 1901.[1]
The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-colonialist and anti-Christian movement of the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (Yìhéquán),[2] known in English as the "Boxers," which took place in China between November 1899 and 7 September 1901. The uprising was a reaction to Western and Japanese imperialist expansion in China that included European opium merchants, political invasion, economic manipulation, and missionaryevangelization. In 1898, local organizations in Shantung (now Shandong) rebelled in response to both imperialist expansion and internal Chinese problems such as the Qing dynasty's fiscal crisis and natural disasters. Initially the Qing dynasty repressed the rebellion, but the dynasty later attempted to take advantage of the rebellion to free China from foreign influence. With the slogan "Support the Qing, destroy the foreigners" ("扶清灭洋"), the Boxers attacked missionary settlements throughout northern China. Many thousands of Chinese Christians were killed[3] because the Boxers considered them responsible for foreign domination in China.
After the first violence in Peking (now Beijing) against Westerners and Japanese, eight countries – Austria-Hungary, the British Empire, France, the German Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, the Japanese Empire, the Russian Empire, and the United States – formed the Eight-Nation Alliance to intervene in the Boxer Rebellion, protect their citizens and interests in China, and suppress the Boxers. Naval vessels of the eight countries arrived at Tientsin (now Tianjin) on the northeastern coast of China by the end of May1900, and on 1June1900 the first contingent of 436 armed sailors (75 British, 75 French, 75 Russian, 60 American, 50 German, 41 Italian, 30 Japanese, and 30 Austro-Hungarian) disembarked from the ships and went by train to Peking to protect Westerners and Japanese who had taken refuge from the Boxers in the Peking Legation Quarter. The Boxers soon began a siege of the International Legations in Peking, and by 15June1900, some Italian and French military personnel were separated from the rest of the contingent, defending the Beitang Church, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Peking,[4] which the Boxers also besieged.
A second force of the eight nations arrived in China, and the Seymour Expedition, consisting of 914 British, 540 German, 312 Russian, 158 French, 112 American, 54 Japanese, 41 Italian – including Italian marines disembarked from the protected cruiserCalabria under the command of ‘’Tenente di vascello" ("Ship-of-the-line lieutenant") Sirianni – and 25 Austro-Hungarian personnel set out from Tientsin on 10 June 1900 to march on Peking while Allied landing forces (including an Italian one under the command of Tenente di vascello Giambattista Tanca) attacked the Taku Forts on the Chinese coast. In the Battle of the Taku Forts, European and Japanese forces captured the forts from Qing Dynasty forces on 16–17 June 1900 in an action which prompted the open intervention of China's ruling Qing Empire in the conflict on the side of the Boxers. Meanwhile, the Chinese repelled the Seymour Expedition with losses and forced it to return to its starting point at Tientsin on 26June1900. A group of 20 Italian sailors commanded by Sottotenente di vascello ("Ship-of-the-Line Sublieutenant") Ermanno Carlotto distinguished themselves in the defense of Tientsin: In clashes with the Boxers, 10 Italian sailors died, including Carlotto himself on 27June1900. The expedition came to an end on 28June1900.
On 5 July 1900, the Italian Parliament decided on a more massive military intervention in China by sending an expeditionary force, the Italian Expeditionary Corps in China, of more than 2,000 men under the command of Colonnello ("Colonel") Vincenzo Garioni of the Bersaglieri ("sharpshooters") . The Expeditionary Corps was recruited mostly on a voluntary basis with an additional salary per day of 8 lire for commissioned officers, 2 lire for non-commissioned officers, and 40 centesimi for troops.
While the Expeditionary Corps was being recruited and prepared, the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy") sent an advance force, the Forza Navale Oceanica ("Oceanic Naval Force"), to Chinese waters under the command of Vice ammiraglio ("Vice Admiral") Camillo Candiani, who also was designated as the overall commander of Italian forces participating in the Eight-Nation Alliance's intervention in China. The naval force consisted of Candiani's flagship, the protected cruiserEttore Fieramosca, as well as the armored cruiserVettor Pisani and the protected cruiser Vesuvio.[1] The three cruisers carried four companies of marine infantry.
While the Expeditionary Corps was at sea, the Eight-Nation Alliance mounted the Gaselee Expedition, a second attempt to reach Peking composed of 10,000 Japanese, 4,000 Russian, 3,000 British, 2,000 American, 800 French, 200 German, 100 Austro-Hungarian, and 100 Italian personnel. Under the command of British Lieutenant GeneralAlfred Gaselee, the expedition began from Tientsin on 4August1900. It defeated the Boxers and lifted the siege of the legation and the Beitang Church in the Battle of Peking in mid-August, and succeeded in conquering Peking by 28August1900, when the forces of the eight nations paraded through the Forbidden City.[1][5]
The Italian Expeditionary Corps in China arrived at Tientsin on 29August1900. Once disembarked, it traveled the 150 kilometres (93 miles) by train from Tientsin to Peking, where it participated in the Allied occupation of the city. The international contingent appointed Imperial German ArmyGeneralfeldmarschall ("Field Marshal") Alfred von Waldersee as its overall commander on 26September1900 despite strong resistance to his selection from France and the United Kingdom and lesser opposition from Italy.
In Peking, the Italian military contingent was assigned to garrison a neighborhood near the Huang Tsun barracks. It also took part in the alliance's actions to counter the last resistance within China, which involved 50,000 men, of whom 2,500 were Italians. On 2September1900, 470 men of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in China organized in three companies, two of Bersaglieri and one of marines, captured the Chan-hai-tuan forts. On another occasion, the French military contingent moved to occupy the village of Paoting-fu in conflict with von Waldersee's orders which provided for a mixed German and Italian contingent to occupy the village. Garioni anticipated the French move and with a force of 330 men instead occupied the town of Cunansien, which the alliance originally had entrusted to the French.
The Expeditionary Corps began to return to Italy in August 1901, and the Boxer Protocol of 7 September 1901 brought the Boxer War to an end. Two companies of Bersaglieri returned to Italy in 1902, and the remaining companies, united in a mixed battalion, remained in China until 1905 and returned to Italy aboard the Florio Rubattino Company steamer Perseo in August 1905. Some Carabinieri, together with specialist troops, subsequently remained in the Italian concession of Tientsin even after the Expeditonary Corps returned to Italy.
Composition
The Expeditionary Force consisted of 83 officers, 1,882 non-commissioned officers and troops, and 178 animals. It was composed of:
One battalion of "Far East" Bersaglieri, 840 men commanded by Maggiore ("Major") Luigi Agliardi of the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment of Rome, composed of:
One company made up of troops of the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Rome) and 9th Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Leghorn), on which the command Staff of the Expeditionary Corps was based;
One company made up of troops of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Naples) and 1st Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Palermo);
One company made up of troops of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Bologna) and 11th Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Ancona);
One company made up of troops of the 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Milan) and 6th Bersaglieri Regiment (stationed in Verona);
In addition to the marines under the command of Carlotto and Sirianni, other contingents of riflemen commanded by Vice ammiraglio ("Vice admiral") Candiani landed shortly thereafter.
Clothing, equipment, and subsistence
The Expeditionary Corps wore a canvas uniform, colonial cork helmet, standard boots, and various types of furs and winter clothing suitable for the harsh climate of North China, where temperatures can drop to as low as −20°C (−4°F). To ensure the troops had enough winter clothing, Minister of WarCoriolano Ponza di San Martino ordered the Italian royal consul in Shanghai to purchase 2,000 furs locally for the troops. He reported:
"Our soldiers left with their complete equipment, which also consisted of new items: those who had old ite,s had left them and others had been distributed to them; therefore a Bersagliere cape, colonial helmet, and then a coat and a greatcoat for everyone, including the Bersaglieri, who do not normally wear it; everyone had a woolen hood like those worn in the Alps, Val d'Aosta-style woolen leggings, woolen socks, flannel gloves, and then a supply of all the equipment materials, cloth jackets and trousers, knitted doublets and so on. […] Admiral Candiani then telegraphed from Peking on 7 November [1900]: 'Provide us with sufficient furs' and Colonel Garioni in his report of 4 December [1900] literally wrote as follows: 'The furs ordered for the military troops in Shanghai correspond very well to the purpose because they can be worn comfortably under the coat.' Each soldier is given a fur coat which serves as a bed covering. Finally, from the reports it appears that after the expedition of Calgan [a Chinese city in the Hopeh [now Hebei] region where the Great Wall meets, the theater of joint Allied operations, in which the Italian Bersaglieri also participated. It was a commercial center of great importance, a depot of tea shipped to Siberia with the use of half a million camels, as well as a production center for 'Kalgan' type furs produced with Tibetan and Mongolian wool. – Ed.] other furs have been requisitioned, so that now the soldiers have all of them and two. By then adapting strips of fur to the fez, a very appropriate headdress was obtained because it also allows you to keep the hood on. This is a sui generis coverage; I don't know if it's beautiful but they tell me it's very comfortable. [...] Colonel Garioni always replied that he was provided for the whole winter and only asked for coats, cloaks, and shoes in case he had to go beyond the spring [...] and the supplies were sent to him."
For logistical support, the Expeditionary Corps relied on 178 animals, mostly mules , because Chinese roads were impassable for other means of transport. The daily food ration for Expeditionary Corps troops included 750 grams (26oz) of bread, 375 grams (13.2oz) of meat, 125 grams (4.4oz) of rice or pasta, 15 grams (0.5oz) of coffee, 20 grams (0.7oz) of sugar, 20 grams (0.7oz) of salt, 0.5 grams (0.02oz) of pepper, and 15 grams (0.5oz) of lard.
Losses
Italian forces suffered 18 deaths in China during the Boxer Rebellion:
During the Seymour Expedition, two columns of Boxers suddenly attacked a small group of Regia Marina personnel on the outskirts of Seymour's column at Langfang on 14June1900. The Italians suffered five dead: A chief petty officer from the protected cruiser Calabria, three gunners, and a trumpeter were killed and, with the exception of one of the gunners, were awarded a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor.
In fighting at Tientsin on 19June1900, a sottotenente (ensign) from the protected cruiser Elba was killed and awarded a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor.
In the defense of the International Legations in Peking, six men were killed: A sailor and a gunner on 24June1900, the latter receiving a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor; a sailor on 1July1900; a gunner on 2July1900 who was awarded a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor; a gunner on 3July1900; and another gunner sometime in July 1900 who received a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor.
In the defense of the Beitang Church six men — four gunners and two sailors — were killed, all on 12August1900, and two of the gunners and one sailor were awarded a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor.
Journalistic coverage
Embarked with the expeditionary corps when it departed Italy in July 1900 were numerous journalists, and others, such as Luigi Barzini, joined the Italian contingent in China in 1901. The Eight-Nation Alliance was responsible for the looting of many historical artifacts of Chinese origin, such as those found in the Summer Palace, and instigated the burning of many important Chinese buildings in an attempt to rout the Boxer rebels,[6] but journalists reported fewer clashes with the Chinese and less looting and repression in the Italian-occupied area of Peking than in other neighborhoods. Two official photographers – medical Lieutenant Giuseppe Messerotti Benvenuti from Modena, who used a Kodak camera, and Lieutenant Luigi Paolo Piovano from Chieri with a Goertz camera – captured an extensive photographic record of the Expeditionary Corps's stay in China. Both also photographed the horrors of repression, namely the shootings, beheadings, looting, and rubble.
Members of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in China were among Italian personnel eligible for the Commemorative Medal of the Campaign in China, established by King Victor Emmanuel III by royal decree on 23June1901.[7]
Italian concession of Tientsin
An Italian naval unit marches behind a British Indian unit in Tientsin (now Tianjin), where both the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Italy had concessions, sometime between 1910 and 1915.
With the Boxer Protocol of 7 September 1901, Italy obtained control of the Italian concession of Tientsin, an area of 45 hectares (111 acres) consisting of a village, land along the river rich in salt marshes, and a large marshy area used as a cemetery. After a period of Italian disinterest in the concession, a cleanup began. The Italian presence lasted until 10September1943, when during World War II Italy surrendered to the Allies and switched sides in the war on 9September1943, prompting Japanese troops to occupy the concession the next day and take Italian civilians and military personnel prisoner.
The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, a group known as the "Boxers" in English due to many of its members having practised Chinese martial arts, which at the time were referred to as "Chinese boxing". It was defeated by the Eight-Nation Alliance of foreign powers.
The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro Ferrero La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which later became the Royal Italian Army. They can be recognized by their distinctive wide-brimmed hats decorated with black western capercaillie feathers, which is worn with the dress uniform. The feathers are also applied to their combat helmets.
The China Relief Expedition was an expedition in China undertaken by the United States Armed Forces to rescue United States citizens, European nationals, and other foreign nationals during the latter years of the Boxer Rebellion, which lasted from 1898 to 1901. The China Relief Expedition was part of a multi-national military effort known as the Eight-Nation Alliance to which the United States contributed troops between 1900 and 1901. Towards the close of the expedition, the focus shifted from rescuing non-combatants to suppressing the rebellion. By 1902, at least in the city of Beijing (Peking), the Boxer Rebellion had been effectively controlled.
The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, which was being besieged by the popular Boxer militiamen, who were determined to remove foreign imperialism in China. The allied forces consisted of about 45,000 troops from the eight nations of Germany, Japan, Russia, Britain, France, the United States, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Neither the Chinese nor the quasi-concerted foreign allies issued a formal declaration of war.
The foreign concessions in Tianjin were concession territories ceded by Qing China to a number of European countries, the United States and Japan within the city of Tianjin. There were altogether nine foreign concessions in old Tianjin on the eve of World War II. These concessions also contributed to the rapid development of Tianjin from the early to mid-20th century. The first foreign concessions in Tianjin were granted in 1860. By 1943, all the foreign concessions, except the Japanese concession, had ceased to exist de facto.
Sergeant Alexander Joseph Foley was a member of the United States Marine Corps who was awarded the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for having distinguished himself during the Boxer Rebellion.
France Silva was the first United States Marine of Mexican-American and Hispanic heritage to receive the Medal of Honor. He received the Medal of Honor for his meritorious conduct in China during the Boxer Rebellion.
The Battle of Tientsin, or the Relief of Tientsin, occurred on 13–14 July 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in Northern China. A multinational military force, representing the Eight-Nation Alliance, rescued a besieged population of foreign nationals in the city of Tianjin by defeating the Chinese Imperial army and Boxers. The capture of Tianjin gave the Eight-Nation Alliance a base to launch a rescue mission for the foreign nationals besieged in the Legation Quarter of Beijing and to capture Beijing.
Clarence Edwin Sutton was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Boxer Rebellion.
The Gansu Braves or Gansu Army was a unit of 10,000 Chinese Muslim troops from the northwestern province of Kansu (Gansu) in the last decades of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Loyal to the Qing, the Braves were recruited in 1895 to suppress a Muslim revolt in Gansu. Under the command of General Dong Fuxiang (1839–1908), they were transferred to the Beijing metropolitan area in 1898, where they officially became the Rear Division of the Wuwei Corps, a modern army that protected the imperial capital. The Gansu Army included Hui Muslims, Salar Muslims, Dongxiang Muslims, and Bonan Muslims.
The Battle of Langfang took place during the Seymour Expedition during the Boxer Rebellion, in June 1900, involving Chinese imperial troops, the Chinese Muslim Kansu Braves and Boxers ambushing and defeating the Eight-Nation Alliance expeditionary army on its way to Beijing, pushing the Alliance forces to retreat back to Tientsin (Tianjin). The Alliance force at Langfang consisted of Germans.
The Gaselee Expedition was a successful relief by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks in 1900. The expedition was part of the war of the Boxer Rebellion.
The Italian concession of Tianjin was a small territory (concession) in central Tianjin, China, controlled by the Kingdom of Italy between 1901 and 1943, officially ceded to China in 1947.
Vincenzo Garioni was an Italian general who saw combat in the Boxer Rebellion, Italo-Turkish War, and World War I. He was the governor of Tripolitania from 1913 to 1914 and later served as the governor of both Tripolitania and Cyrenaica from 1918 to 1919.
The 1st Bersaglieri Regiment is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Cosenza in the Calabria region. The regiment is part of the Italian infantry corps' Bersaglieri speciality and operationally assigned to the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The Regiment is among the most experienced units of the Italian Army in missions abroad, and is the regiment with the highest number of decorations for military Valor of the army.
The 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Teulada in Sardinia. The regiment is part of the army's infantry corps' Bersaglieri speciality and operationally assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Sassari". The regiment is the highest decorated unit of the Italian Army with three Gold Medals of Military Valor, two of which the regiment earned during the Italian campaign in Ukraine and Russia in World War II.
Luigi Agliardi was an Italian Major General during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his extensive service, participating in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, the Boxer Rebellion and the Italo-Turkish War before his promotion to major general in 1914. He was also known as a figure during the Red Week as he was taken prisoner by the socialists which caused a controversy within his military career.
Concessions of Italy in China were territories that the Kingdom of Italy controlled in China during the first half of the 20th century. After participating with other colonial powers in the war against China in the second half of the 19th century, Italy obtained a concession in Tianjin (Tientsin) with full colonial rights and some minor areas in the defeated China.
The Commemorative Medal of the Campaign in China was a decoration granted by the Kingdom of Italy to personnel who served in 1900–1901 in the military campaign of the Eight-Nation Alliance, which intervened in the Boxer Rebellion in China to relieve the siege of the International Legations in Peking, and its immediate aftermath. A "China" variant of the medal later was created to recognize service on occupation duty in China between 1902 and 1908. Both variants of the medal were abolished in 2011 after the Italian Republic deemed them obsolete.
Camillo Candiani, Count of Olivola, Lord of Montù de' Gabbi, was an Italian admiral, diplomat, and politician. He is best known for his command of Italian forces during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, and he also served as a Senator of the Kingdom of Italy.
↑ Royal Decree Number 338 of 23 June 1901, Col quale viene istituita una medaglia commemorativa della campagna nell'Estremo Oriente (Cina) ("With which a commemorative medal for the campaign in the Far East (China) is established"), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia ("Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Italy") Number 172 of 19 July 1901.
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Commemorative Medal of the Campaign in China 
