the seven years war

The Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) was a global conflict that spanned five continents, though it was known in America as the “French and Indian War.” After years of skirmishes between England and France in North America, England officially declared war on France in 1756, setting off what Winston Churchill later called “the first world war.” 

While the French, British, and Spanish battled over colonies in the New World, Frederick the Great of Prussia faced off against Austria, France, Russia and Sweden. 

The Seven Year’s War ended with two treaties. The Treaty of Hubertusburg granted Silesia to Prussia and enhanced Frederick the Great’s Power.

 The Treaty of Paris between France, Spain and Great Britain drew colonial lines largely in favor of the British, an outcome that would later influence the French to intervene in the war for American Independence. 

THE SEVEN YEARS WAR like most wars was a continuance of the WAR OF THE AUSTRIAN SUCCESION . To understand the SEVEN YEARS WAR we have to understand this previous war . The Pretext for the previous war was the death of EMPEROR CHARLES VI of the HABSBURG MONARCHY . 

The pretext was that Maria Theresa his daughter had no right to inherit the crown.Her claim was backed by Britain and Holland and Hanover . The war lasted about 8 years from beginning to end

 . Basically at the end of the war new alliances had been made but very few governments were happy with the outcome.The relationship between Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I was a goodf one . They not only appreciated each other, but felt a deep love for one another - and had 16 children together. The marriage was considered a happy one, although Francis I was said to have had numerous affairs. When the emperor died unexpectedly in 1765 after 29 years of marriage, Maria Theresa wrote: "I lost a husband, a friend, the only object of my love."What was the origin of women’s "unfitness" to rule? The idea that women were incapable of ruling was connected to their supposedly "inferior" intellectual and physical condition. Without a grandson, the Habsburg emperor Leopold I amended the law of succession so that the daughters of his eldest son Joseph I would be allowed to reign. By that act, he authorised succession by females. His younger son, Charles VI, subsequently betrayed the pact by amending the Pragmatic Sanction to allow his own daughters to take precedence over his nieces. Although Maria Theresa was destined to reign by law. In the eighteenth century, women became mathematicians, astronomers and physicists. Others played a leading role in intellectual and social life. Women began to enjoy these more prominent roles in several European countries, from England to Italy, via France. In Austria and Prussia, however, women still had a more traditional status. Furthermore, these new roles were the preserve of women from the privileged classes. Moreover, although the domain of knowledge was open to women, not that of power. Maria Theresa was an absolute monarch but did not renounce her status as a wife and a mother. Maria Theresa of Austria stands out as a major figure in women’s history. She reigned as an absolute monarch for forty years over one of the largest empires in Europe. Immediately after her accession, a number of European sovereigns who had recognised Maria Theresa as heir broke their promises. Probably the idea that a woman could not rule was merely a pretext for war to gain territory . Also the army of Austia habsburg was in a very poor state. In December, Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Duchy of Silesia and requested that Maria Theresa cede it, threatening to join her enemies if she refused. Maria Theresa decided to fight for the mineral-rich province. As Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshall Neipperg, who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War.[43] Neipperg took command of the Austrian troops in March. The Austrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741.[44] France drew up a plan to partition Austria between Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain: Bohemia and Upper Austria would be ceded to Bavaria, and the Elector would become emperor, whereas Moravia and Upper Silesia would be granted to the Electorate of Saxony, Lower Silesia and Glatz to Prussia, and the entire Austrian Lombardy to Spain.[45] Marshall Belle-Isle joined Frederick at Olmütz. Vienna was in a panic, as none of Maria Theresa's advisors had expected France to betray them. Francis Stephen urged Maria Theresa to reach a rapprochement with Prussia, as did Great Britain.[46] Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations.[47] The Treaty of Breslau of June 1742 ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia. With the First Silesian War at an end, the Queen soon made the recovery of Bohemia her priority. French troops fled Bohemia in the winter of the same year. On 12 May 1743, Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia in St. Vitus Cathedral suo jure.[64] Prussia became anxious at Austrian advances on the Rhine frontier, and Frederick again invaded Bohemia, beginning a Second Silesian War; Prussian troops sacked Prague in August 1744. The French plans fell apart when Charles Albert died in January 1745. The French overran the Austrian Netherlands in May. The war ended with very few people happy at the result and like WW1 The Seven Years War was solely a continuance of the previous war . WW1 had left the Germans unbeaten and still in the field but they had had to accept what was more or less a surrender because they had run out of men and food and their leaders saw that it was only a matter of time before they lost in the field. The fact remained that no German army had ever been defeated or pushed back . Hence the sentiment of Vendetta and hence the reason for WW2 .The Seven Years War was no different but for different reasons. The battle of Kolin, 1757 Frederick of Prussia's invasion of Saxony in August 1756 began a Third Silesian War and sparked the wider Seven Years' War. Maria Theresa and Kaunitz wished to exit the war with possession of Silesia. On 1 May 1757, the Second Treaty of Versailles was signed, whereby Louis XV promised to provide Austria with 130,000 men in addition to 12 million gulden yearly. They would also continue the war in Continental Europe until Prussia could be compelled to abandon Silesia and Glatz. In return, Austria would cede several towns in the Austrian Netherlands to the son-in-law of Louis XV, Philip of Parma, who in turn would grant his Italian duchies to Maria Theresa. The Battle of Kolin that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Frederick lost one third of his troops, and before the battle was over, he had left the scene. Subsequently, Prussia was defeated at Hochkirch in Saxony on 14 October 1758, at Kunersdorf in Brandenburg on 12 August 1759, and at Landeshut near Glatz in June 1760. Hungarian and Croat light hussars led by Count Hadik raided Berlin in 1757. Austrian and Russian troops even occupied Berlin for several days in August 1760. However, these victories did not enable the Habsburgs to win the war, as the French and Habsburg armies were destroyed by Frederick at Rossbach in 1757. After the defeat in Torgau on 3 November 1760, Maria Theresa realised that she could no longer reclaim Silesia without Russian support, which vanished after the death of Tsaritsa Elizabeth in early 1762. In the meantime, France was losing badly in America and India, and thus they had reduced their subsidies by 50%. S Finally, the war was concluded by the Treaty of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763. Austria had to leave the Prussian territories that were occupied. Although Silesia remained under the control of Prussia, a new balance of power was created in Europe, and Austrian position was strengthened by it thanks to its alliance with the Bourbons in Madrid, Parma and Naples. Maria Theresa herself decided to focus on domestic reforms and refrain from undertaking any further military operations. Maria Theresa had shown herself to be one of the best rulers of Europe in that time especially in the way that she had used her feminine qualities . The Seven years war provoked the war of Independence in America (in reality a civil war) and drew the lines up for the Napoleonic wars where Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to create a glorious France after their losses in the Seven years war . No war ever fought finishes with a last battle . Sentiment ferments and turns into poison such is the world of men . Questions 1.Why was Maria Theresa a good monarch? 2.What did women still have a more traditional life? 3.Why do we have to understand the previous war 4. What did Maria Theresa do that showed her femine qualities of less inherent aggression 5.Why did she have 16 children. Give your own reasons 6. Why does a sentiment of Vendetta arise. Give your own reasons