War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48)
Seven Years’ War (1756-63)
Collectively known as the Great War
of the Mid-Eighteenth Century
War of the Austrian Succession
Origin in conflict of Frederick II (the Great) of
Prussia (r. 1740-86) and Maria Theresa of
Habsburg, Queen of Austria and Hungary
(r. 1740-80)
1740 Death of Charles VI (r. 1711-40)
16 Dec 1740 Frederick II invades Silesia
Rebellion in Bohemia. Maria Theresa summons
aid from Hungarians, who put down rebellion
Map Link: Europe, 1748-66:
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/
Europe_1748-1766_en.png>.
Austria
Russia
Sweden
Piedmont-Sardinia
Denmark
Britain/Hanover
Dutch Republic
vs.
Prussia
France
Spain
Bavaria
1707 Act of Union creates Kingdom of
Great Britain
1742 Peace between Frederick II and Maria
Theresa
French and Bavarians take Bohemia.
Charles VII of Wittelsbach elected Holy
Roman Emperor
1745 French take Austrian Netherlands
(Belgium) and foment Jacobite Rebellion
Charles VII
(r. 1742-45)
Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie
Prince Charlie, 1720-88)
1745 New Englanders and British Navy take
Louisbourg.
British navy eliminates French and Spanish
shipping, blockades French West Indies
Francis I, husband of Maria Theresa,
elected Holy Roman Emperor
1748 Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle
1756 Diplomatic Revolution
Austria
France
Russia
vs.
Count
Kaunitz
Prussia
Britain/Hanover
1756 French/Austrian/Russian alliance attempt
to partition Brandenburg-Prussia
1757 Frederick II defeats French in battle and
wages successful campaign against enemies,
but subjected to Russian/Austrian “sandwich”
1762 Tsar Peter III of Russia withdraws
Russian troops
1763 Peace of Hubertusburg
Before 1756 Fighting between French and
British over Indian and American territories
1755 British force Acadians to emigrate. Many
settle in Louisiana (“cajun”)
1756 Britain and France declare war
William Pitt the Elder (1708-78)
1758 British take Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh)
and Louisbourg
1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham outside
Quebec
James Wolfe (1727-59)
Mughals
Activities of company agents
Joseph-François Dupleix (1696-1763)
- creation of “sepoy” regiments
1754 Dupleix recalled to France
Map Link: India, 1765 and 1805:
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/India1765
and1805b.jpg>.
1756 Siraj al-Dawla expels British from Calcutta
1757 Robert Clive (1725-74) defeats Siraj
al-Dawla, puts puppet ruler on throne of
Bengal. Later Clive is appointed governor of
Bengal by British
British defeat French, then Spanish (from 1761)
Feb 1763 Peace of Paris
British get Canada, much of eastern North
America
French keep territories in Caribbean, Africa,
limited presence in India
Continuation of German dualism
Seeds planted for British Empire
Concerns:
Preservation/expansion of national
interests
Preservation of balance of power
Shifting of alliances, even between traditional
rivals
George III (r. 1760-1820)
King of Great Britain and Duke of Hanover
(King of Hanover from 1814)
The Royal Proclamation, 1763