SEVEN YEARS' WAR, a famous European war which lasted from 1756 to 1763. As the result of a war with PRUS. SIA (q. v.) Maria Theresa of Austria had to cede Silesia to Frederick the Great. With a view to recover her lost territory she concluded an alliance with Russia, secured the support of Poland and Sax ony, and attempted to form a closer union with France. In the meantime war broke out between France and England (1755), and George II., in order to protect his German states, concluded an alliance with Prussia, while France agreed to aid Aus tria against Frederick. Being informed of these negotiations Frederick resolved to anticipate his enemies. In August, 1756, he invaded Saxony, occupied the chief towns, and compelled the Saxon army to surrender. This step created a stir in the European courts, and to 1757 Austria, Russia, France, Sweden, and the German empire were in arms against Frederick, while he had no ally but Eng land and a few German states. In 1757 Frederick marched into Bohemia and gained a bloody battle at Prague (May 6). Soon after, however, the Austrians under Daun defeated Frederick at Kollin (June 18), relieved Prague, and forced the Prussians to retreat to Saxony and Lusatia. The French army, after defeat ing Frederick's German allies (under the Duke of Cumberland) at Hastenbeck, united with the imperial forces; Freder ick met them at Rossbach and routed both armies on Nov. 5. He then hurried back to Silesia, which was occupied by the Austrians, and vanquished a supe rior army under Daun at Leuthen (Dec. 5), thus recovering Silesia. While Fred erick was thus occupied in the S. and W., his General Lehwald had successfully repelled the Swedes and Russians on the N. and E.
The next campaign was opened in February, 1758, by Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, who, at the head of Fred erick's allies, opposed the French in Lower Saxony and Westphalia. He defeated the French at Krefeld in June, and ultimately drove the enemy behind the Rhine. Fred erick, driven out of Moravia, defeated the Russians, who had advanced to Zorn dorf, in Brandenburg, was defeated in turn by Daun at Hofkirchen, but before the end of the year drove the Austrians from Silesia and Saxony. Louis XV. and his mistress, the Marchioness de Pompa dour, were bent on continuing the war, and concluded a new alliance with Aus tria, Dec. 30, 1758. Frederick, however, had also obtained a new treaty with Great Britain, which promised him a large yearly subsidy. The new campaign was opened in March, 1759, Prince Henry, Frederick's brother, marched into Bo hemia, where he dispersed the hostile forces, and captured immense quantities of military stores. The Russians, having
defeated the Prussian General Wedel near Ziillichau (July 23), advanced to Frank fort-on-the-Oder. Frederick hastened to meet them in person, and had already defeated them at Kunersdorf (Aug. 12) when his victory was snatched from him by the Austrians under Laudon, who in flicted on him a defeat such as he had never sustained before, Frederick's posi tion was now extremely precarious. The Russians were victorious in his heredi tary states, Daun was in Lusatia with a large army, and Saxony was overrun by the imperial troops. In the W. Fred erick's allies had been more successful. On Aug. 1 Ferdinand gained a splendid victory at Minden over the French troops under Contades and Broglie. On the same day his nephew defeated the French at Gohfeld, and they were driven over the Lahn on one side and over the Rhine on the other. The Swedes, also, who, after the battle of Kunersdorf invaded Prussian Pomerania, were driven by Manteuffel and Platen under the cannon of Stralsund. The campaign of 1760 seemed at first to forebode ill success to Frederick. While he himself was en gaged in Saxony Fouque suffered a defeat in Silesia, in consequence of which the Austrians occupied the whole country. Frederick thereupon gave up Saxony in order to recover Silesia. On Aug. 15 he defeated Laudon at Liegnitz, by which he effected his purpose of recovering Si lesia. He then returned to Saxony and attacked the imperial forces at Torgau, on the Elbe (Nov. 3), defeated them in a bloody engagement and went into winter quarters in Saxony. The Russians also were forced to retire to Poland, and Fer dinand defeated the French at Warburg (July 31).
In the campaign of 1761 the operations of Ferdinand of Brunswick and the French on the Rhine consisted of alter nate advances and retreats, and the Rus sians and Austrians were so enfeebled that they failed to make any impression on Frederick's remnant of an army. In the campaign of 1762 the French were defeated (June 24) at Wilhelmsthal, and Cassel surrendered to the allies on Nov. 1. Two days after this the preliminaries of peace between Great Britain and France were signed, and the peace itself was confirmed at Paris, Feb. 10, 1763. After a short negotiation Frederick con. eluded a peace with Austria and Saxony at Hubertsburg (Feb. 15), by whigh he retained Silesia. The war in Europe was accompanied by war by and land be tween the French and British abroad, the result of which was to give Great Britain a decided superiority over France both in America and India.