Klemens von Ketteler
Encyclopedia
Clemens August Freiherr von Ketteler (22 November 1853 – 20 June 1900) was a German
career diplomat
. He was killed during the Boxer Rebellion
.
, Baron von Ketteler was born into a Prussian military family and his uncle Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler was a bishop and a prominent politician. Ketteler was educated for the army, but he resigned his commission and entered the Imperial German
diplomatic corps in 1882. He served in China
, Washington, D.C.
and Mexico
. He married an American
woman, Matilda Cass Ledyard.
at Beijing
, from which he pointed out in vain the dangerous situation for the Europeans. On 12 June 1900, when the Boxers moved to the inner city and burned down church buildings, Ketteler reacted by ordering German embassy guards to hunt them down. On 18 June, German troops captured a Chinese civilian suspected of being a Boxer in the inner city and took him to the Legation Quarter
, where he was detained. The crowd which later gathered to demand his release were fired upon by Austrian
guards; many were wounded. On 14 June, soldiers of the German Marines fended off Boxers trying to break through the barricades and managed to kill approx. 20 of them.
Ketteler brutally attacked a Chinese civilian for no reason, and beat a boy who was with him after taking him to the legations. Ketteler then murdered the boy by shooting him. In response, Thousands of Chinese Muslim Kansu Braves under General Dong Fuxiang
of the Imperial Army and Boxers went on a violent riot against the westerners. The Kansu braves then attacked and killed Chinese Christians around the legations in revenge for foreign attacks on Chinese. Angry at the Chinese Christians for collaborating with foreigners who were murdering Chinese, the Muslims and Boxers roasted some of them alive.
At 8.00 a.m. on 20 June, Ketteler, together with his interpreter and other associates, headed for the Zongli Yamen
(the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) accompanied by armed escorts. At the western end of Xizongbu Hutong
, only one block away from the ministry, the party ran into the Manchu Hushenying
bannerman and were fired upon. Ketteler was killed in the ensuing firefight. Ketteler was specifically targeted by the Manchu captain En Hai for assassination, in revenge for Ketteler murdering the boy. En Hai, later gave himself up to the Allied occupying forces. A Muslim commander from the Kansu Braves then ripped the skin off the Baron and ate his heart.
En Hai was subsequently tried and convicted, and was executed in Beijing on 31 December 1900 by beheading. He showed no emotion during interrogation, and was fully composed and calm, admitting to killing Ketteler, and even requested execution, saying "I received orders from my sergeant to kill every foreigner that came up the street...I am glad to die for having killed one of the enemies of my country." When questioned about whether he had consumed alcohol during the incident, En Hai said he had not "touched a drop". En Hai was praised as "brave and dignified", and called a "hero".
Ketteler was succeeded by Alfons Mumm von Schwarzenstein
as ambassador of the German Empire in Beijing, who signed the Boxer Protocol
on behalf of Germany.
in 1901, treaties
were signed between China and eleven nations (the Eight Nations plus Spain
, Belgium
and the Netherlands
). Prince Chun
, father of the last emperor Puyi
, travelled to Germany in his official capacity as ambassador extraordinary
to express the regrets of Emperor Guangxu
over the death of Ketteler to Kaiser Wilhelm II
. A paifang
or "memorial gate" called Ketteler-Denkmal (German
: "Ketteler Memorial") was erected at the location where he fell. Work on this gate began on 25 June 1901 and was completed on 8 January 1903. On 13 November 1918, two days after Germany signed an armistice
with the Allies
, the Ketteler-Denkmal was officially abolished. The following year, the gate was moved to the present-day Zhongshan Park
and renamed "The Victory of Justice Gate" . In 1953, on occasion of the Asia-Pacific Peace Conference in Beijing, it was renamed once again, this time to "The Protection of Peace Gate".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
career diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He was killed during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
.
Family and early career
Born at PotsdamPotsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Baron von Ketteler was born into a Prussian military family and his uncle Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler was a bishop and a prominent politician. Ketteler was educated for the army, but he resigned his commission and entered the Imperial German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
diplomatic corps in 1882. He served in 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...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He married an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman, Matilda Cass Ledyard.
Death in Beijing
Ketteler returned to China in 1899 as PlenipotentiaryPlenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
at 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...
, from which he pointed out in vain the dangerous situation for the Europeans. On 12 June 1900, when the Boxers moved to the inner city and burned down church buildings, Ketteler reacted by ordering German embassy guards to hunt them down. On 18 June, German troops captured a Chinese civilian suspected of being a Boxer in the inner city and took him to the Legation Quarter
Beijing Legation Quarter
The Peking Legation Quarter was the area in Peking where a number of foreign legations were located between 1861 and 1959. In Chinese, the area is known as Dōng jiāomín xiàng , which is the name of the hutong running through the area...
, where he was detained. The crowd which later gathered to demand his release were fired upon by Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
guards; many were wounded. On 14 June, soldiers of the German Marines fended off Boxers trying to break through the barricades and managed to kill approx. 20 of them.
Ketteler brutally attacked a Chinese civilian for no reason, and beat a boy who was with him after taking him to the legations. Ketteler then murdered the boy by shooting him. In response, Thousands of Chinese Muslim Kansu Braves under General Dong Fuxiang
Dong Fuxiang
Dong Fuxiang , a Chinese, was born Gansu, China. He commanded an army of Chinese Muslim soldiers, which included the later Ma clique generals Ma Anliang and Ma Fuxiang. According to the Western calendar, his birth date is in 1839.- Religion :Conflicting accounts are given about his religion and...
of the Imperial Army and Boxers went on a violent riot against the westerners. The Kansu braves then attacked and killed Chinese Christians around the legations in revenge for foreign attacks on Chinese. Angry at the Chinese Christians for collaborating with foreigners who were murdering Chinese, the Muslims and Boxers roasted some of them alive.
At 8.00 a.m. on 20 June, Ketteler, together with his interpreter and other associates, headed for 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...
(the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) accompanied by armed escorts. At the western end of Xizongbu Hutong
Hutong
Hutongs are a type of narrow streets or alleys, most commonly associated with Beijing, China.In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one...
, only one block away from the ministry, the party ran into the Manchu Hushenying
Hushenying
The Hushenying were a unit of 10,000 Manchu Bannermen under the command of Zaiyi during the Boxer Rebellion.-Summary:Hushenying can be translated as "Tiger and Divine Corps", "Tiger Spirit Division", or "Tiger Spirit Battalion"....
bannerman and were fired upon. Ketteler was killed in the ensuing firefight. Ketteler was specifically targeted by the Manchu captain En Hai for assassination, in revenge for Ketteler murdering the boy. En Hai, later gave himself up to the Allied occupying forces. A Muslim commander from the Kansu Braves then ripped the skin off the Baron and ate his heart.
En Hai was subsequently tried and convicted, and was executed in Beijing on 31 December 1900 by beheading. He showed no emotion during interrogation, and was fully composed and calm, admitting to killing Ketteler, and even requested execution, saying "I received orders from my sergeant to kill every foreigner that came up the street...I am glad to die for having killed one of the enemies of my country." When questioned about whether he had consumed alcohol during the incident, En Hai said he had not "touched a drop". En Hai was praised as "brave and dignified", and called a "hero".
Ketteler was succeeded by Alfons Mumm von Schwarzenstein
Alfons Mumm von Schwarzenstein
Alfons Mumm von Schwarzenstein was a diplomat of the German Empire. He succeeded the murdered Baron Clemens von Ketteler as ambassador in Beijing in 1900....
as ambassador of the German Empire in Beijing, who signed the Boxer Protocol
Boxer Protocol
The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901 between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance that had provided military forces plus Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands after China's defeat in the intervention to put down the Boxer Rebellion at the hands of the...
on behalf of Germany.
The Ketteler-Denkmal in Beijing
After China's loss to the Eight-Nation AllianceEight-Nation Alliance
The Eight-Nation Alliance was an alliance of Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States whose military forces intervened in China to suppress the anti-foreign Boxers and relieve the siege of the diplomatic legations in Beijing .- Events :The...
in 1901, treaties
Boxer Protocol
The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901 between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance that had provided military forces plus Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands after China's defeat in the intervention to put down the Boxer Rebellion at the hands of the...
were signed between China and eleven nations (the Eight Nations plus Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
). Prince Chun
Zaifeng, 2nd Prince Chun
The 2nd Prince Chun was born Zaifeng , of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan . He was the leader of China between 1908 and 1911, serving as regent for his son Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor.His courtesy name was Yiyun...
, father of the last emperor Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
, travelled to Germany in his official capacity as ambassador extraordinary
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to express the regrets of Emperor Guangxu
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
over the death of Ketteler to Kaiser Wilhelm II
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
. A paifang
Paifang
Paifang, also called pailou, is a traditional Chinese architectural gating style as an archway.The word paifang originally was a collective term used to describe the top two levels of administrative division and subdivisions of ancient Chinese city. The largest division within a city in ancient...
or "memorial gate" called Ketteler-Denkmal (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: "Ketteler Memorial") was erected at the location where he fell. Work on this gate began on 25 June 1901 and was completed on 8 January 1903. On 13 November 1918, two days after Germany signed an armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
with the Allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
, the Ketteler-Denkmal was officially abolished. The following year, the gate was moved to the present-day Zhongshan Park
Zhongshan Park (Beijing)
The Zhongshan Park , is a former imperial garden and now a public park that lies just southwest of the Forbidden City in the Dongcheng District of central Beijing....
and renamed "The Victory of Justice Gate" . In 1953, on occasion of the Asia-Pacific Peace Conference in Beijing, it was renamed once again, this time to "The Protection of Peace Gate".
External links
- On the murder of Clemens von Ketteler (in German, with illustrations)