European Wars Impact and Involve the American Colonies
- Aug 16, 2010
- Michael Streich
Between 1689 and 1763, four European wars involved conflict in North America. Because the great powers of Europe held colonies in the Americas, their European differences we frequently settled, in part, in the colonies. During the Seven Years’ War – or French and Indian War as it is known in America, for example, the future of French North American hegemony was decided in their American colonies. These wars changed colonial ownership and played a role in the development of an independence movement that, after 1763, would lead to the Revolutionary War.
King William’s War United Britain, Holland, and Spain against France
King William’s War, known in Europe as the War of the League of Augsburg, had European causes. Britain and Holland were united against France, in part, because the English monarch, King William III, had been the stadhalter – leader, of the Dutch before assuming the English throne with his wife Mary following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Holland had been involved in a prolonged conflict with the French “sun king.”
Spain’s participation was in response to Louis XIV of France, who was seeking to extend French European interests and increase land holdings. In essence, the war was fought to maintain a fragile European balance of power. This particular war did not see much military action in colonial North America, excepting a 1690 British attack on French-owned Quebec.
Queen Anne’s War or the War of the Spanish Succession
As with King William’s war, this war, begun in 1702, had its roots in European diplomacy and politics. There were no major battles in North America. In this conflict, France and Spain were allied against Britain and Holland.
King George’s War begun Over the Austrian Succession
When Maria Theresa became the Austrian ruler, Austria’s neighbors attacked, believing her to be weak. Prussia’s Frederick the Great seized Silesia; France and Spain sought greater control of Europe at Austria’s expense. Austria was a polyglot kingdom comprised of several disparate states.
In North America, Britain, an Austrian ally, battled France and Spain. During the conflict, Britain captured Louisbourg, the French fortress guarding the St. Lawrence River approaches, effectively cutting communications between France and her Canadian colonies and curbing any reinforcement attempts.
The French and Indian War as a Worldwide Conflict
Known in Europe as the Seven Years’ War, unlike earlier conflicts, British goals included defeating French commercial interests in both North America and India. The European phase was fought primarily between Prussia and Hanover against Austria and Russia.
In North America, however, the British prevailed decisively after a dismal and costly start of the war. In 1759, British forces under Major General James Wolfe captured Quebec, effectively ending French control of Canada. The 1763 Peace of Paris ceded all of Canada and India to Britain.
Impact on American English Colonies
Colonial militia fought with British regulars in all of the wars but the French and Indian War involved the largest participation. Native Americans were also involved in all four of the wars. French departure was negatively interpreted by Native Americans that had been loyal French allies for many years, setting the stage for conflicts like Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763.
Colonial soldiers, treated rudely by British officers and frequently looked down upon as ragamuffin provincials, developed an intense dislike for regular troops, a factor in colonial opposition to the posting of thousands of British troops in the colonies after the French and Indian War ended.
For their part, British officers were amazed at the living conditions of many urban merchants, artisans, and other professionals, a living standard unheard of in England apart from the landed gentry. In his book detailing the Navigation Acts, Professor Oliver Dickerson writes, “The wealth acquired by American merchants and planters was a real cause of jealousy on the part of residents in the mother country.”
Finally, there was the Indian question. The wars between Britain and France had opened new land for settlement. Former French frontier forts and outposts were now British. But westward expansion also meant conflict with resident Indian nations unwilling to give any more land to the ever growing army of settlers coming down the Ohio River or through Appalachian trails. Ultimately, the Native Americans would side with the British who supported their land claims and furnished them with weapons until the end of the War of 1812.
Sources:
Oliver M. Dickerson, The Navigation Acts and the American Revolution (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1951)
Francis Parkman, France and England in North America, Volumes I and II, (The Library of America, 1983)
Howard H. Peckham, The Colonial Wars 1689-1762 (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1964)
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