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The Seven Years War, lasting from 1754 to 1763, was a pivotal global conflict fought on multiple continents and oceans. Often regarded as the prelude to World War One, this war saw major powers like France, England, Austria, Prussia, and Russia vying for colonies and influence. The tangled alliances, battles in North America, Caribbean, India, Africa, South America, Pacific, and Europe, and the subsequent peace settlements had far-reaching consequences, leading to significant geopolitical shifts and the rise of revolutions.
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The Seven Years War* * But lasted NINE years
The Seven Years War • 1754 -1763 • First global conflict – fought on 5 continents and 3 oceans • Some historians argue that THIS war is the real “World War One” • In America, we often refer to it as the French & Indian War
Causes of War • France and England were competing for colonies in America, Africa, and India • Austria and Prussia were competing for influence in the German microstates of Central Europe • Russia wanted to limit Prussian aggression in Eastern Europe
Tangled Alliances • In Europe • England allied with Prussia • France allied with Austria and Russia • In North America • France allied with Native American tribes • English enlisted help from their American colonists • In India • English allied themselves with one set of minor princes • French allied themselves with a different set of minor princes
The World at War • Blue = England & Allies • Green = France & Allies
War in North America • Early English attacks on French forts in the Ohio River Valley failed, but thanks to English naval superiority, the English were eventually able to capture Canada • The fighting in North America, also known as the French & Indian War, is where a young George Washington gained his first military experience
War in the Caribbean • English captured the French sugar islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, as well as the Spanish city of Havana, Cuba • English, French, and Spanish fleets did battle multiple times in the Caribbean, but the English nearly always won
War in Africa • English raiders captured numerous French trading posts along the West African coast
War in India • English and their local allies captured French forts and trading posts, eventually pushing the French out of India altogether
War in South America & Pacific • Spanish (allied with the French) and Portuguese (allied with the English) raided back and forth between Spanish South American colonies and Portuguese Brazil • English captured the Spanish colonial capital of Manila in the Philippines (an archipelago in the Western Pacific Ocean)
War in Europe • Prussia fought off attacks from the French, Austrians and Russians with practically no military help from the English (except at sea) • Just as Prussia was starting to falter, Russia’s tsarina died and the new tsar (Peter III) pulled Russia out of the war • Peter was assassinated just 6 months later, leaving his wife Catherine, a PRUSSIAN PRINCESS as tsarina of Russia
Peace Settlements • Treaty of Paris • France gave Canada to England and agreed to English control of India and several former French colonies in Africa; France also gave Spain Louisiana • England returned Caribbean sugar islands to France • Spain gave Florida to England • Treaty of Hubertusburg • Returned all boundaries in Europe to where they were before the war • Native American tribes were excluded from all peace talks
Costs of War • Over 1 million dead • France and England both nearly bankrupt from overspending on the war, a situation which led directly to both the American and French Revolutions • Native American tribes, unhappy with their situation, stepped up attacks against English settlers • England now faced with having to pay for soldiers to defend their new colonies, especially in America
