Seven Years War
The Seven Years War is a war between the various major powers in Europe. The purpose of the war was to fight over the dominance of this continent, while dominating the oceans and colonies. In the war the alliance of Austria, France, Sweden, Russia and Spain faced off against the combined forces of Prussia, England, Portugal and Hanover. Background to the Seven Years War The cause of the Seven Years War was rooted in the results of the previous conflict, the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48). The Aix-la-Chapelle Treaty which ended this war was unable to calm Austria's anger at the loss of the rich province of Silesia which was captured by Prussia. The treaty was also unable to withstand the conflicting ambitions of French and British colonialism, triggering a new, bigger battle. Although the Seven Years War is basically a continuation of the Austrian War of Succession, there are two significant differences compared to the previous war. The first important difference is that the S...