The Seven Years' War

Lore & Background

The war began with clashes in North America in 1754, including engagements at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity. The Diplomatic Revolution ended the long-running rivalry between Austria and France, leading to the Treaty of Versailles in 1756. Spain became a French ally in 1762, unsuccessfully invading Portugal, and losing Havana and Manila to Britain. The conflict in Europe centred on Austrian attempts to recover Silesia, and ended with the Treaty of Hubertusburg in 1763, confirming Prussian occupation of Silesia and its status as a great power.

In Their Own Story

In a cramped war room in Potsdam, King Frederick II of Prussia studies a map of Europe, his finger tracing the borders of Saxony like a predator eyeing its prey. Outside, the drums of war beat across the continent—Austria, still smarting from the loss of Silesia, sharpens its swords; Russia casts a covetous gaze on East Prussia; and France, ever eager to humble Britain, prepares to strike Hanover. Frederick turns to his generals, his voice cutting through the smoke of tallow candles. 'We strike first,' he says, 'or we are crushed.' Across the Atlantic, a young George Washington, his uniform still smelling of frontier mud, watches French troops raise the fleur-de-lis over Fort Duquesne. He knows the shots fired here—in this wilderness—will echo in the halls of Versailles and London, toppling thrones and lighting fuses that will burn for decades. The world holds its breath as the first cannon fires, and the fate of continents hangs on a powder keg.

Reader's Guide

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Did You Know?

• The war included the Third Silesian War, French and Indian War, Third Carnatic War, Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763), and Spanish–Portuguese War.
• The Treaty of Paris in 1763 returned Havana and Manila to Spain, but France lost its possessions in North America.
• The boundary between British and French possessions in North America was largely undefined in the 1750s.