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Edward Duncan · Public domain
Conflict East Asia

First Opium War

1839 CE – 1842 CE · 3 years

Britain fought China after the Qing government confiscated British opium stocks at Canton. The vastly superior Royal Navy dominated, forcing China to sign the Treaty of Nanking and cede Hong Kong.

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Wikipedia

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First Opium War on Wikipedia.

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Belligerents

The main peoples, kingdoms and states involved.

  • British Empire
  • Qing Dynasty China

Key moments

Defining events in the First Opium War.

  1. 1839 Battle of Chuenpi
  2. 1841 Capture of Canton
  3. 1841 Battle of Amoy
  4. 1842 Capture of Nanking

Elsewhere in East Asia at the time

Records whose own span overlaps this one, found by the same test the canvas draws with. The bar under each card is where it sits inside this one.

See the whole view

Landmark · East Asia

Yakushima

3000 BCE – still standing

Polity · East Asia

Manchu Empire

Attested 1650 CE – 1914 CE

Trade route · East Asia

Tea Horse Road

700 CE – 1950 CE

Conflict · East Asia

Konbaung–Siam Wars

1759 CE – 1855 CE

Landmark · East Asia

Great Wall of China

700 BCE – still standing

Polity · East Asia

Russia

Founded 1263 CE · attested to 2026 CE

Conflict · East Asia

Anglo-Burmese Wars

1824 CE – 1885 CE

Landmark · East Asia

Ha Long Bay

3000 BCE – still standing

Dated moments inside this span

Events the timeline places between 1839 CE and 1842 CE.

1839 CE First Anglo-Afghan War 1839 CE Uruguayan Civil War (Guerra Grande) 1839 CE Russian Conquest of Central Asia 1840 CE Auckland 1841 CE Sino-Sikh War (Dogra-Tibetan War)

And in the rest of the world

Records running through the same years, on the other side of the map.

Auckland Landmark · Oceania 1840 CE – still standing Ecuador Polity · Americas Founded 1840 CE · attested to 2026 CE Mfecane (The Crushing) Conflict · Africa 1815 CE – 1840 CE Atlantic Triangular Trade Trade route · Europe 1600 CE – 1850 CE Andrew Jackson Figure · United States 1767 CE – 1845 CE Papeete Landmark · Americas 1842 CE – still standing
Image credits8 pictures from Wikimedia Commons