Seven Years' War

The Seven Years War (1756-1763) was a military conflict between Prussia and the Austrian Habsburg Empire. Prussia got into contact with Britain and on the 16th January 1756 the secret treaty between Prussia and Britain, securing the British alliance in war, was signed. This treaty led to an Austrian-French coalition because the French felt undermined by their former ally Frederic II of Prussia. During the war it was remarkable how representative the conflict became. In the 1740s, when the cause for the conflict emerged, it had been a struggle about the Austrian territory of Silesia, a territory of special economical importance for Prussia. But in the Seven Years War the conflict escalated into a battle of the European superpowers, determining not only the political landscape in Europe but also in the colonies. Some historians consider that the constant fight for the colonies was heavily influenced by the military victory or defeat on the European battlefields. As an outcome Prussia was victorious in this war, but only because of the surprising military support of the Russian emperor Peter III. The Austrian Habsburg Empire finally had to hand over Silesia, a hard-fought territory for twenty-three years.

Bibliography:

Kunisch, Johannes. "Die militärische Bedeutung Schlesiens und das Scheitern der österreichischen Rückeroberungspläne im Siebenjährigen Krieg." Ed. Peter Baumgart. Kontinuität und Wandel. Schlesien zwischen Österreich und Preußen. Sigmaringen: Thorbecke, 1990. 20-39.

Salmonowicz, Stanislaw. Preußen. Geschichte von Staat und Gesellschaft. Herne: Stiftung Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek, 1995.