Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala

Who was Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala?

Field Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, FRS was a Indian Army officer. He fought in the First Anglo-Sikh War and the Second Anglo-Sikh War before seeing action as chief engineer during the second relief of Lucknow in March 1858 during the Indian Mutiny. He also served in the Second Opium War as commander of the 2nd division of the expeditionary force which took part in the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860, the entry to Peking in September 1860 and the destruction of the Old Summer Palace in October 1860. He subsequently led the punitive expedition to Abyssinia July 1867, defeating the Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia with minimal loss of life among his own forces but looting many historical and religious artifacts; these artifacts still reside in collections in the UK, despite representations by various parties for their return.