The Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War had two sides of conflict that merged into one war. One conflict was between the British and French; the other was between Austria and Prussia.
Britain controlled the American colonies in North America. France controlled Canada and Louisiana Territory. Both Britain and France wanted control of the Ohio River Valley, which was between the American colonies and Canada. France wanted control of this area because it was the only route from Canada to Louisiana Territory (The War That Made America, 2006). Britain wanted control of the valley because it was rich with natural resources. A war began after several attempts by Britain and France to seize the territory from its inhabitants, the Iroquois. During the Seven Years' War, Maria Theresa ruled Austria and Frederick the Great ruled Prussia. Tension between these two rulers preceded the war (World History: Patterns of Interaction, 2005). When Maria Theresa heard of Britain and France's dispute in North America, she made an alliance with France. Frederick the Great made an alliance with Britain in return. Other countries such as Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and Hanover provided support for one of the two major countries, Britain and France (The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, 2004). At first, the French and Austrians were winning virtually every battle. But when William Pitt became the main general for Britain, the French and Austrians suffered disastrous losses (The Kingfisher History |
Click the portraits above
to learn more about the
rulers of the major countries in the Seven Years' War. Encyclopedia, 2004).
The British dominated the battlefield until the end of the war.
The Seven Years' War came to a close when William Pitt resigned and some minor countries withdrew from the war (The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, 2004). When France surrendered, four of the countries met to sign the 1763 Treaty of Paris. |