Seven Years' War
| Seven Years' War | |||||||||
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| Part of the Anglo-French Wars and the Austro-Prussian rivalry | |||||||||
Clockwise from top left:
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
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Total:[3][e] 384,000[f] 518,000 22,000[g] 20,000[h] |
Total:[4][i] 540,000 450,000[j] 536,000 69,000 55,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and Southern Asia. The warring states were Great Britain and Prussia fighting against France and Austria, the respective coalitions receiving assistance from countries including Portugal, Spain, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia. Related conflicts include the Third Silesian War, French and Indian War, Third Carnatic War, Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763), and Spanish–Portuguese War.
Although the War of the Austrian Succession ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), none of the signatories were happy with the terms, and it was generally viewed as a temporary armistice. It led to a strategic realignment known as the Diplomatic Revolution that ended the long running rivalry between Austria and France. The two declared war on Britain after signing the Treaty of Versailles (1756), with a second agreement in 1757 bringing Prussia into the war.
Spain became a French ally in 1762, unsuccessfully invading Portugal, as well as losing Havana and Manila to Britain. Although these were returned under the Treaty of Paris (1763), France lost its possessions in North America, while Britain established its commercial dominance in India.
The conflict in Europe centred on Austrian attempts to recover Silesia, and ended with the Treaty of Hubertusburg in 1763. This confirmed Prussian occupation of Silesia and its status as a great power, challenging Austria for dominance within Germany and altering the European balance of power.
- ^ a b Kohn (2000), p. 417.
- ^ "British History in depth: Was the American Revolution Inevitable?". BBC History. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
In 1763, Americans joyously celebrated the British victory in the Seven Years' War, revelling in their identity as Britons and jealously guarding their much-celebrated rights which they believed they possessed by virtue of membership in what they saw as the world's greatest empire.
- ^ Emma Hart, Marie Houllemare, Trevor Burnard. "The Oxford Handbook of the Seven Years' War." June 2024. Pages 61-62. Essay "Resources" by Peter Wilson, chapter 4.
- ^ Emma Hart, Marie Houllemare, Trevor Burnard. "The Oxford Handbook of the Seven Years' War." June 2024. Pages 61-62. Essay "Resources" by Peter Wilson, chapter 4.
- ^ a b c d e f Danley (2012), p. 524.
- ^ Uralanis (1960), p. 59.
- ^ Uralanis (1960), p. 60.
- ^ Speelman (2012), p. 524.
- ^ Uralanis (1960), p. 56.
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