Trent Affair

E468854

The Trent Affair was an 1861 diplomatic crisis during the American Civil War in which the U.S. Navy’s seizure of two Confederate envoys from a British mail steamer nearly provoked war between the United States and the United Kingdom.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Trent Affair canonical 7
Trent Affair defence mobilization 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf diplomatic crisis
historical event
cause seizure of Confederate envoys from British mail steamer Trent
chronology occurred early in the American Civil War
conflict American Civil War
countryInvolved Confederate States of America
United Kingdom
United States
describedAs one of the most serious Anglo-American crises of the 19th century
diplomaticOutcome avoidance of Anglo-American war
clarification of U.S. position on maritime rights
maintenance of British neutrality
hasEffect British diplomatic protest against the United States
British military preparations in Canada
heightened tensions between Union and Britain
nearly provoked war between the United States and the United Kingdom
release of Confederate envoys Mason and Slidell
temporary surge of Union public support for Captain Charles Wilkes
involvedPerson Abraham Lincoln
Charles Francis Adams Sr.
Charles Wilkes
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
linked to: Lord Palmerston

James Murray Mason
John Slidell
Lord Palmerston
Prince Albert
Queen Victoria
William H. Seward
legalIssue freedom of the seas
neutral rights at sea
status of Confederate commissioners as contraband or diplomats
location Atlantic Ocean
near Cuba
namedAfter RMS Trent
opposingParty British Empire
Confederate States diplomatic mission
Union (United States)
partOf foreign relations of the American Civil War
pointInTime 1861
relatedTo British neutrality in the American Civil War
Confederate diplomacy in Europe
Union blockade of the Confederacy
resolvedBy U.S. disavowal of Wilkes’s actions
diplomatic negotiations
formal apology to the British government
significantShip RMS Trent
USS San Jacinto
startTime 1861-11-08

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Charles Wilkes notableEvent Trent Affair
John Slidell notableEvent Trent Affair
Canadian Confederation influencedBy Trent Affair
Nova Scotia colonial forces significantEvent Trent Affair defence mobilization
linked to: Trent Affair
John Slidell notableEvent Trent Affair
subject linked to: John
James M. Mason notableEvent Trent Affair