15 May 1756 - The Seven Years War Begins

The Seven Years War officially begins when England declares war on France on 15 May 1756. It was a worldwide series of conflicts fought from 1756 to 1763 for the control of Germany and for supremacy in colonial North America and India, and involved most of the major powers of Europe. The North American segment of the conflict, known as the French and Indian War, was fought between Great Britain and its American colonies against the French and their Algonquian allies. The Indian phase, known as the Third Carnatic War, established British domination in India.


The Seven Years War ended with the signing of the treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris in February 1763. In the Treaty of Paris, France lost all claims to Canada and gave Louisiana to Spain, while Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper Canada, and various French holdings overseas. The treaty ensured the colonial and maritime supremacy of Britain and strengthened the 13 American colonies by removing their European rivals to the north and the south. Fifteen years later, French bitterness over the loss of most of their colonial empire contributed to their intervention in the American Revolution on the side of the Patriots.