Departure of Georg Anton Schäffer

Date: July 19, 1817 • Location: Berlin, Germany

Georg Anton Schäffer was forced to depart for China after his unsuccessful attempt to seize the Hawaiian Kingdom for the Russian Empire.

Georg Anton Schäffer was a German medical doctor in the employ of the Russian-American Company who attempted to conquer Hawaii for the Company and, ultimately, the Russian Empire. The bloodless Schäffer affair (1815–1817) or the Hawaiian spectacular, as it was called by contemporary Russians, became a significant financial blunder for the Company.