War · 1756–1763
The Seven Years' War
Plains of Abraham, Quebec City (Canada)
Fought mainly between Britain and Prussia on one side and France and Austria, with Russia, Spain, Sweden and others, on the other, the Seven Years' War spread from Europe to North America, the Caribbean, West Africa, India and the Philippines. Britain's victories included Plassey in Bengal (23 June 1757) and the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec (13 September 1759); in the 1763 Treaty of Paris France ceded Canada and its other North American lands east of the Mississippi to Britain, and Louisiana to Spain.
By one compilation of national estimates, the armies of the main belligerents lost roughly 900,000 dead.
Why it mattered
The war made Britain the leading colonial power in North America and India, where the East India Company's victory at Plassey began its rule over Bengal.
Related
- The world in 1715: Peace of Utrecht chapter
- Seven Years' War 17 May 1756 – 15 February 1763
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