Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers.

About Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers

The Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers was a simultaneous declaration of war by the Qing dynasty on 21 June 1900 against a couple foreign powers which held varying degrees of influence in China: Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The declaration of war was one of the Eight-Nation Alliance's formation, which then led to Boxer Protocol. This Imperial decree was officially issued in the name of Guangxu Emperor, bearing his official Imperial seal. The Emperor of China was in effect under house arrest, ordered by Empress Dowager Cixi at that time, and the full administrative power was in the hand of the Empress Dowager.