Colonial Wars

Colonial Wars 1689--1815

The Brits and the French were the two main contenders in the wars for colonial empires

Period is sometimes called the Second Hundred
Years’ War

1701-1783 wars between the two concerned maritime trade and colonial expansion

France v Brits

France had the largest army on land and was working to build up its naval forces

Brits had the largest navy

The Netherlands and Spain were in decline

BUT France sought Spain’s help against the
Brits as an ally

Wars between 1689-1815

Were considered world wars

They involved fighting in Europe, the high seas, and in the New World

The War of the Spanish
Succession (1701-1713)
The possibility of the Bourbons inheriting the
Spanish throne and merging the French and
Spanish Empires was a major threat to the balance of power in Europe AND a threat to the Brits in North America

In North America
If Spanish and French empires merged, the
British American colonies would be surrounded by New France in the North and Spanish territory in Florida and in the West

The Treaty of Utrecht 1713

France lost Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the
Hudson Bay area to Great Britain

Spain lost the asiento to Britain: the West African
Slave trade to the New World

Spain also agreed to allow one British ship to trade with Panama annually …a real opportunity for the
Brits to gain the Spanish colonial market

The War of Jenkins’ Ear

Began in 1739 and expanded into the War of the
Austrian Succession

Spain believed that the Brits had abused the provision in the Treaty of Utrecht regarding the one ship a year to Panama

Belief that the Brits were trading with Spanish colonies more than once a year

The War of Jenkins’ Ear

Spanish officials boarded a British ship suspected of smuggling goods into Latin America

Spanish officials cut off the ear of the captain
(Jenkins) of the British ship

Jenkins kept his ear in a jar of Brandy and presented it to Parliament 7 years later

The War of Jenkins’ Ear

George II declared war on Spain in response

Led to the War of the Austrian succession the following year (1740)

The War of the Austrian
Succession in North America

1740-1748 Remember Frederick the Great attacked
Austrian possession: Silesia

Also involved battles between England and France in
North America and India

Spain also fought to keep its colonial empire intact

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: no impact on colonies

The Seven Years’ War aka The French and Indian War

1754-1763 Biggest war of the 18 th century

Began in the Ohio Valley

George Washington and troops engaged the
French at Ft. Duquesne

In Europe it was the 7 Years’ War and began after Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 (when
Maria Theresa tried to crush Prussia and regain
Silesia)

William Pitt
(Britain’s Prime Minister)

Changed Britain’s war strategy in the middle of the war by focusing more attention on North
America

Remember…the Brits were allied with Prussia but did not fight much in Europe…gave Prussia
$ and support instead

The French and Indian War

The British Royal navy clobbered the French navy many times during the war

The French had hoped to invade Britain but was impossible due to the many naval defeats

French trade with its West Indian colonies was choked off and Spain suffered similarly as an ally of
France

The Treaty of Paris 1763

Ended the 7 Years’ War

France was no longer a major colonial power

France lost Canada to Britain

France lost all possessions east of the Mississippi to Britain

France lost possessions west of the Mississippi to Spain

The Treaty of Paris

France kept some posts in India but lost much there to the Brits

Spain lost Florida to the Brits

So…Britain became the world’s dominant colonial power

The American Revolution
1775-1783

France and Spain gave significant financial and military support to Americans in order to weaken Britain’s world empire

The 13 American colonies were Britain’s most valuable colonial possessions…for both raw materials and as a market for surplus British goods

By 1775

Over 2.5 million people lived in the American colonies

The British American colonies had the highest standard of living in the world at the onset of the war for independence

Colonial Latin America

By the 18 th Century, Spain’s colonies continued to be an important part of the Atlantic
Economy

Silver mining in Mexico and Peru quadrupled between 1700-1800

Accounted for ½ of the world’s supply of silver

Philip V (the Bourbon Spanish
King)

Spain recovered somewhat under the leadership of Philip V (grandson of Louis XIV)

Spain had the world’s 3 rd largest navy in the world

Spain gained more control over its colonial empire and incorporated administrative and economic reforms under Charles III
(Enlightened Despot)

Creoles

Spaniards born in Latin America

About 20% of the American population

Tried to recreate a European-style aristocracy in
Latin America

Some were wealthy class merchants who prospered from smuggling

Natives went from forced labor to debt peonage


Mestizos
The children born to Spanish fathers and Native
American mothers

Represented about 30% of the population

Amerindians about 70% of population

Most Spanish landowners believed Amerindians should do the hard labor

Black slavery in sugar plantations of Cuba and Puerto
Rico

Portuguese Brazil

Portugal imported massive numbers of slaves to work in the Brazilian sugar plantations

By early 19 th century, ½ of Brazil’s population was of African descent

More intermixed population than in Spanish colonies (Portuguese, Indian, African)