The Seven Years' War
|
French-British
Rivalry in North America |
A World War
The Seven Years' War
French and British settlements,
1755
(Canadian War Museum, 1.D.1.1-CGR3)
The Defeat
of the French Fireships attacking the British Fleet at Anchor before
Quebec, 28 June 1759
Painting by Dominic Serres
Courtesy of
Library and Archives Canada, C-4291
One hundred and fifty years of French-British conflict in
North America
ended in the Seven Years' War and the British conquest of Canada.
The Seven Years' War began when a combined French-First
Peoples force
expelled British colonists from the Ohio valley in 1754. This local clash
quickly escalated into a world war. Beginning in 1755, Britain and France
sent thousands of professional soldiers to North America. A year later,
hostilities spread to Europe and both nations formally declared war. By 1759,
war raged in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Caribbean, and
Quebec was under attack by a British fleet and army.
Fighting ended in 1763 when France and Britain signed the
Treaty of Paris.
The outcome was a crushing British victory that made Great Britain the world's
leading colonial power.
French-British Rivalry in North America
France and Britain exported their European rivalry to North America.
Even as the French founded Quebec City and fought to survive the Post-Contact
Wars, the British established powerful colonies to the south. Caught between
two empires, the land and seas from Quebec City to the Bay of Fundy quickly
became a theatre of war. Here, the French and British fought for control of
harbours and fishing grounds. Harbours became naval, merchant, and fishing
ports, administrative and commercial centres.
A World War
The Seven Years' War was the first global conflict. Fighting began in North
America and spread around the world.
Upcoming Exhibition - May 31, 2006 to November 12, 2006
Clash of Empires: The War That Made Canada 1754-1763