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Seven Years War

Lsn 4
ID & SIG:
central position, Frederick the Great,
French and Indian War, oblique order,
Quebec, Quiberon Bay, Rossbach-
Leuthen, Seven Years War, Wolfe
Agenda
Causes
Frederick the Great
British Navy
French and Indian War
Results
Seven Years War: Causes
After the explorations of the 15
th
, 16
th
, and 17
th

Centuries, the European powers protected their interests
by building a series of fortified trading posts throughout
the maritime regions
Boundaries in the new colonies were disputed
Commercial competition ultimately generated violence
In 1746 French forces seized the English trading post at Madras,
India
In the Caribbean English pirates attacked Spanish vessels and
French and English forces fought over the sugar islands
The violence culminated in the Seven Years War (1756-
1763)

Seven Years War: Causes
On one side was
France, Austria,
Saxony, Sweden,
and various
German states
On the other was
Britain, Prussia,
and Hanover
In the 18
th
Century, Britain was the
dominant naval power while
France had a powerful army
Seven Years War: Causes
A global war
In Europe, Britain and Prussia
fought against France, Austria,
and Russia
In India, British and French allied
with local rulers and fought each
other
In the Caribbean, the Spanish
and French fought the British
In North America, the Seven
Years War merged with the on-
going French and Indian War
(1754-1763) which pitted the
British and French against each
other
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
Became king of Prussia in 1740 when he was 28
Had spent much of his life training as a soldier,
visiting battlefields, and studying political history
and politics
Believed every man had an obligation to serve
his state and that it was the kings particular duty
to develop policies that increased the power and
standing of the state
Strong lust for military glory
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
Had inconsistent leadership
characteristics
His success lay in his
purposeful use of authority
and unwavering determination
to make Prussia a European
power
Led the Prussians in the
Silesian Wars (Silesia was
comprised of parts of current
Poland, Germany, and the
Czech Republic)
Gained experience with limited
war, the oblique attack, attrition
warfare, and combined arms
(cavalry, infantry, and artillery)
operations
In the oblique order the
commander strengthens one
wing of his army and employs it
to attack the enemy flank, while
holding back another, smaller
wing to threaten the enemys
main force and keep it from
changing position
A
B
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
Frederick used the period of peace after the War
of Austrian Succession to prepare his country
and army for another war
Strengthened bureaucracy and treasury
Enlarged army to 143,000 men (it had been 83,000 in
1740)
Anticipating having to fight against larger armies, he
trained his officers to attack in the oblique order and
seek a rapid decision
Issued orders and conducted maneuvers to get ready
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
In August 1756, Frederick launched a
preemptive attack against Saxony and Austria,
hoping to force them to sue for peace before
another country could intervene
Was unable to achieve a quick, decisive victory
and was now faced with fighting a coalition of
powerful states
French, Russian, and Austria forces began
converging on Prussia
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
Fredericks only
hope was to exploit
his central position to
meet his principal
enemies separately
and prevent them
from joining forces
against him
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
On November 4, 1757, he defeated the
French and Germans near Rossbach
Although outnumbered nearly two to one
(41,000 to 22,000) Frederick suffered just
500 casualties while killing, wounding, or
capturing more than 10,000 French and
German troops
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
Then on
December 5,
Frederick
defeated the
Austrians at
Leuthen
First he created
a diversion on
his left flank
which drew
Austrian
reserves to the
northern portion
of their line
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
This allowed
Frederick to
turn the
Austrians and
concentrate
his forces on
the Austrians
southern flank
Classic
example of
the oblique
order
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
When all was
ready, he
made a
carefully
coordinated
combined
arms attack to
roll up the
Austrian flank
Seven Years War: Frederick the
Great
Inflicted 22,000 casualties (33%) while suffering
only 6,382 (18%)
The Rossbach-Leuthen Campaign is the finest
example of Frederican warfare
Afterwards, Frederick became overly
contemptuous of his enemies and his
generalship suffered
Still his dogged determination allowed him to
secure Prussias boundaries of 1756 and gain a
satisfactory negotiated peace
Seven Years War: British Navy
Fredericks success was largely a result of his
own and his peoples extraordinary efforts, but
he also benefited greatly from Britains ability to
support Prussia by defeating the French at sea
and overseas
The British had the most powerful fleet and
expeditionary forces of any of the combatants
Furthermore, the British could rely on the
Prussian army to do most of the fighting on the
continent
This allowed the British to bring overwhelming
pressure against the French at sea
Seven Years War: British Navy
The British Navy blockaded the French
ports to contain commerce raiders,
intercept forces bound for the colonies,
and forestall an invasion of England
They raided the French Atlantic coast to
destroy shipping and stores and to divert
French forces from Germany
They defeated the French Navy at
Louisbourg, Lagos, and Quiberon Bay
Seven Years War: British Navy
Quiberon Bay lay off the
coast of France near St.
Nazaire
A storm forced the British
to briefly lift their
blockade, allowing a
French fleet of 21 ships to
slip out
The British returned from
their safe refuge and
pursued the French
Lord Edmund Hawke
commanded the British fleet
of 23 ships at Quiberon Bay
Seven Years War: British Navy
The British caught up
with the French just as
they were preparing to
enter the dangerous
waters of Quiberon Bay
where the French
planned to embark their
army
In a risky move the
British followed the
French to the shore and
destroyed them thanks
to excellent seamanship
and powerful cannon
Seven Years War: British Navy
Mahan wrote, The
battle of 20
November 1759 was
the Trafalgar of this
war, and the
English fleets were
now free to act
against the colonies
of France, and later
of Spain, on a
grander scale than
ever before.
The Battle of Quiberon
Bay by Nicholas Pocock
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
The British,
French, and
Spanish all had
colonial interests in
North America and
this competition led
to war in 1754
The French and
Indian War merged
with the Seven
Years War
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
As the British secretary of
state, William Pitt viewed
America as the place
where England and
Europe are to be fought
for
Consequently, he let
Prussia bear the brunt of
the fighting in Europe,
while concentrating British
military resources in
America
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
Early on the British had
troubles
Their colonists proved to be
ineffective and difficult allies
In 1755, the French were able
to run two fleets through the
British blockade and reach
Canada with reinforcements of
4,000 men
French defenses were
especially strong around
Quebec
Braddocks defeat at the
Battle of Monongahela
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
The initial British offensive in 1758 was only
partially successful in conquering New France
The plan for 1759 involved three attacks
James Wolfe would lead an amphibious attack up the
St. Lawrence River to Quebec with 12,000 regulars
supported by 22 warships and 150 transports
James Amherst would lead an even larger army
across either Lake Champlain or Lake Ontario to
Montreal
A third smaller force would advance through western
Pennsylvania against French outposts in the Ohio
Valley
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
By this time the French had placed greater
emphasis on the war in Europe than in the
colonies and the British had a numerical
advantage
The French decided to concentrate their force
at Quebec, leaving relatively small forces to
delay an advance on Montreal

Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
The French developed a
sound defense
They spread their forces
some eight to ten miles
along the St. Lawrence
The length of the defense
precluded a siege and the
river, tidal flats, bluffs, and
forests protected against a
direct attack
Supplies could be shipped
by river from Montreal
Louis Joseph Montcalm
commanded the French forces
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
After initially being frustrated
by the sound French defense,
Wolfe was convinced to
approach Quebec from the
west along the north bank of
the St. Lawrence
To maximize surprise, he
landed his force just two
miles from Quebec, hoping to
force the French to accept
battle
The French expected an
attack from the east and were
caught by surprise
James Wolfe
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
Wolfe dug 4,800 men into a line of
battle on the Plains of Abraham
The French could not afford to
allow the British to hold this strong
position so they attacked
Superior British discipline and
firepower defeated the French
attack and the French abandoned
Quebec
Still the British did not conquer all
of Canada until September 1760
when the combined Anglo-
American force overwhelmed the
French at Montreal
Seven Years War: French and
Indian War
Although the French were ultimately defeated by
a land force, the British Navy had played an
important role in blockading New France
New France was never a self-sufficient colony
and without a steady stream of support from
France it could not survive
The victory in Canada allowed the British to
divert thousands of troops elsewhere and
ultimately win the Seven Years War
Seven Years War: Results
Britain was now in a position to dominate
world trade for the foreseeable future
The Seven Years War paved the way for
the establishment of the British Empire of
the 19
th
Century
Seven Years War
The Seven Years War occurred during the
era of the classical international system
(1648-1789), an era exemplified by:
States acting according to self-interest
European dominance
Absolute authority
Limited war
Balance of power
Multipolar
Next
The Napoleonic Wars and the French
Revolution

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