The name "Naval Brigade" was defined in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the British Royal Navy, separated units composed of soldiers of the Royal Marines and sailors trained in the tactics and methods of operation of the infantry, which separated units carried out tasks on the land. Theoretically, such units were also supposed to carry out boarding operations on a larger scale, but such operations were rare and in the period 1850-1914 they were something absolutely unique. Naval Brigades were used in many operations and conflicts during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is worth mentioning first of all the Crimean War (1853-1856), the Zulu War (1879), the war with Egypt (1882), the Second Boer War (1899-1902) or the suppression of the boxer uprising in China in 1900. It is worth adding that during this last operation, the British Naval Brigade had about 2,000 people.
The Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1899 in the then Chinese Empire, mainly in its north-eastern part. Its main initiators were numerous secret Chinese fraternities and organizations, among which the Compliant and Just Brotherhood deserves special attention. The main goal of the uprising was to shed China's political and economic dependence on European countries, but also on Japan and the United States. The uprising also had an anti-Christian dimension in some parts of China, as this religion was perceived as purely European and "influx". The rebellion quickly gained fairly wide support from the Chinese peasants and was directed against European diplomats, merchants, entrepreneurs and missionaries. In the early summer of 1900, insurgents entered Beijing and seized the western embassies located in the city. On the news of the events in China, European powers, Japan and the US decided to send their expeditionary forces to China, which landed in Tianjin in July 1900, and a month later went to Beijing. On August 14, 1900, the Chinese capital was taken over by expeditionary forces, which, thanks to overwhelming technical superiority, dealt with the boxers relatively quickly. The uprising officially ended in 1901 after the signing of treaties between China and the Western powers and Japan. As a result, the dependence of the Middle Kingdom on foreign powers increased even more. It is worth adding that the empire in China collapsed shortly thereafter.