Download Mid-18th Century Wars

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Mid-18
Century Wars
Continental and Global Conflicts
War of
Jenkins Ear
1739
“Diplomatic
Revolution”
1756
1740-1748
The war of
Austrian
Succession
American
Revolution
1775-1783
1756-1763
The 7 Years
War
Why?
• European Powers looking for continental
dominance
• Conflicts about global trading
• It was in no one’s interest to maintain
peace or prevent war
• Rarely affected civilian populations
(biggest difference with 20th century
warfare)
Continental Conflicts
• War of Austrian Succession:
Prussia vs. Austria, later
Britain and France joined in
• Seven Years War -Prussia vs
alliance of Austria, France,
Russia..
Global Conflicts
• War of Jenkins Ear: opening
shot. Britain vs. Spain about
West Indian trade
• Seven Years War: France and
Britain over North America ,
West Indies and India.
• American Revolution:
Brought in the French to aid
American colonists
War of Jenkins’ Ear (began in 1739)
• Started over issue of Spain’s allegation of British
abuse regarding the Treaty of Utrecht provision
that allowed Britain to send one ship of
merchandise to Central America per year
• Spanish officials boarded a British ship suspected
of smuggling goods into Latin America and cut off
ear of Captain Jenkins, a British officer.
• Jenkins kept his ear in a jar of brandy and
presented it to Parliament 7 years later
• In response, King George II went to war with
Spain.
• Conflict expanded into the War of Austrian
Succession in 1740.
War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
Cause: Frederick invaded and annexed Silesia, part of
the Austrian Hapsburg empire
– Frederick violated Austria’s Pragmatic Sanction (1713)
whereby the Great Powers recognized that Charles VII’s
daughter, Maria Theresa, would inherit the entire
Hapsburg empire
• Prussia efficiently defeated Austria
Result:
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle:
– Prussia gained Silesia (and doubled Prussia’s population
in the process)
• Prussia was now recognized as the most powerful of
all the German states and as one of Europe’s “Great
Powers
War of Austrian Succession (17401748)
• Involved battles between England and France in
North America and India.
• Spain fought effectively in keeping its empire
intact
• The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) essentially
preserved the status quo in the colonial empires
•
Seven Years’ War: Continental Part
• Cause: Maria Teresa sought to regain Silesia from
Prussia and gained Russia and France as allies.
– Goal of Austria, Russia and France was to conquer
Prussia and divide its territories among the winners
• Bloodiest war in Europe since the Thirty Years’ War of the
17th century.
– World war that also included England and France’s
struggle for North America
– Prussia outnumbered by its enemies 15 to 1
– Prussia suffered 180,000 dead and severe disruptions
to its society
– Berlin was twice captured and partially destroyed by
Russian troops
– Prussia was on the verge of a catastrophic defeat
• Russian Czar Peter III (an admirer of
Frederick) pulled Russia out of the
war in 1763)
• This saved Prussia from almost
certain defeat
• Peter was assassinated and replaced
by Catherine II as a result
7 Years War - Colonial Wars
• Britain and France were the two main adversaries in
the colonial wars for empire
• Between 1701 and 1783 both countries engaged in a
series of wars over the issue of maritime trade and
colonial expansion
• France had the largest army on land and was working
to build up its naval forces
• France sought to support Spain
• The Netherlands and Spain were in relative decline
• In effect, these wars were world wars
since they involved fighting in Europe,
the high seas and the New World.
Seven Years’ War (French & Indian
War: 1754-63)
• Began in the disputed Ohio Valley of North
America when a young American officer,
George Washington, engaged a French force
protecting Ft. Duquesne (modern-day
Pittsburgh) in 1754.
• French forces (and their Amerindian allies)
fought British and American colonial forces for
control of North America.
• This war became part of the larger Seven
Years’ War in Europe
• William Pitt, Britain’s new prime minister, changed
Britain’s war strategy in the middle of the war by
focusing more attention on North America.
• Britain’s Royal Navy defeated France’s navy in
various engagements on the high seas
• France planned to invade Great Britain but
devastating naval losses ended such an attempt
• British trade prospered as a result
• France’s trade dropped to 1/16 of its prewar level
• France’s sugar trade with its West Indian colonies
was choked off
• Britain took control of French posts near Calcutta
and Madras in India
• When Spain entered the war on France’s side,
Britain seized Cuba and the Philippines from
Spain
Treaty of Paris (1763)
• Most important peace treaty of the 18th century and most
important since the Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
• Prussia permanently retained Silesia
• France was completely removed from North America
– France lost Canada to Britain as well as all its colonial
possessions east of the Mississippi River.
– As compensation for Spain’s support in the war, France gave the
Louisiana territory (including New Orleans) to Spain
• France had to accept British domination in India, especially
Bengal (although it was allowed to keep its posts there)
– This later proved significant as India became Britain’s most
important colonial possession in the 19th and early 20th
centuries
• Spain ceded Florida to Britain in return for Cuba and the
Philippines
• Britain thus became the world’s dominant colonial empire