Episode 480: The Seven Years War

most expansive, maybe we can argue at the end and the first World War that had ever been seen. The French quickly retaliated at fort necessity, forcing George Washington to surrender in July seventeen fifty four. Would be the only surrender of his career. Though these colonial clashes seemed minor, they were symptoms of a much deeper global rivalry between Britain and France, and between fragile, shifting alliances of Europe's great powers. What began as a frontier squabble would soon

spread to India, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe itself. But in the hearts of Europe. A Prussian king that we have not discussed, a brilliant, ambitious, and very dangerous man, would ensure that the continent would be involved in this inferno. Frederick the Great was born on January twenty fourth, seventeen twelve, in the Royal city of Berlin, the son of Frederick William the First of Prussia and his Queen Sophia Dorothea

of Hanover. His father had become known as the Soldier King, a man of iron discipline and frual habits who sought to turn the small, scattered holdings of Prussia into a highly militarized state. His mother, by contrast, was steeped in the cultural refinements of the Hanoverian court, and was actually sister to George the Second of Great Britain. Between them, Frederick would inherit two competing visions of the world, the strict austerity of Drill and the gilded, gleaming elegance of

Enlightenment Europe. As a child, honestly, Frederick showed very little hensity for the life that his father envisioned for him. He preferred musical talents to the musket. He preferred the writings of Voltaire to military drill and the cadence of marching feet. This brought him into fierce conflict with Frederick. William the King considered such purspuites effeminate and dangerous, fearing

they would make his son unfit to rule. He once beat the boy in public for wearing a silk sash, declaring quote, I will not have a boy of mine turned into a Frenchman quote. The escalation reached a breaking point in seventeen thirty when eighteen year old Frederick attempted to flee Prussia with his close friend Hans Hermann Boncat. The plan failed, Frederick was arrested and Kat was executed

before his eyes, a trauma that left its mark. Frederick, in fact, would later write, the tragedy of Cat's death taught me that one must learn to hide while's heart in politics. After this humiliation, Frederick submitted outwardly to his father's will. He served in the Prussian Army, studied administration, and learned the mechanics of stakecraft. Privately, though he cultivated the arts, corresponding with philosophers, mastering French, and refining his

musical skills. In seventeen thirty, he published his first major essay anti machiavel a refutation of Machiavelli's cynicism in favor of a benevolent philosophy informed monarchy. Bulsare himself actually helped him edit it, a relationship that would later define much of Frederick's intellectual life. When Frederick Wilhelm died in seventeen forty,

the twenty eight year old Frederick ascended the throne. Few suspected that the young man who once seemed a dreaming, distant scholar would prove to be one of the most formidable military leaders of what was a very military age. But the transformation was swift. You see, that same year, the death of Emperor Charles the sixth of the Holy Roman Empire left Maria Teresa of Austria as his heir

under what was referred to as the Pragmatic Sanction. Sensing an opportunity, the new king, Frederick the Great, invaded the rich Austrian province of Salatia. This audacious move was the one that ignited the War of Austrian Succession. Against formidable odds, Frederick's well drilled army, built by his father proved devastatingly effective. The campaigns of the First and Second Salatian Wars, which

lasted from seventeen forty to seventeen forty two. At seventeen forty four to forty five perspective, ended with the Prussian possession of Silatia, dramatically elevating its power in Europe. Frederick had now earned the nickname the Great from his admirers, though his enemies preferred less flattering terms. He himself quipped quote, he who defends everything defends nothing, a maxim that guided his focus on strategic, high value objectives. Now, Frederick did

not confine his ambitions to the battlefield. He transformed Berlin into a hub of enlightenment culture, inviting artists, musicians, and thinkers to his court at San Sui, his palace in Potsdam. There he played the flute in intimate evening concerts and engaged Voltaire and sparkling often contentious conversations. A championed religious toleration, famously declaringquote, all religions must be tolerated. If Turks and Heathens come and want to populate our land, we will

build them mosques and churches end quote. Can you imagine a politician saying such today? At the same time, Frederick reformed the legal system, he modernized agriculture, he encouraged immigration to sparsely populated lands, and he improved Prussia's bureaucracy. His reign blended real politique, not that he knew what that was yet, with the ideals of the Enlightenment, though he was never naive about human nature. Frederick, however, would get

his true test in the Seven Years War. In seventeen fifty six, Britain and France formally declared war, but in Europe, the most explosive development was Frederic's preemptive strike. Learning that Austria, France, and Russia were secretly allying against him, Frederick the Great invaded Saxony, forcing its army to surrender. This move is the one that actually triggers the continental phase of the war.

The old system of alliances had now effectively collapsed. Austria and France, once the bitterest of enemies, now stood united with Russia and Sweden against the upstart Prussia. Britain, hitherto relatively isolated in Europe, allied with Prussia to distract France on the continent while it pursued imperial ambitions abroad. This conflict that had begun and what is eventually going to

be the state of Ohio was now truly global. In India, North America, West Africa and the Caribbean, the British and French clashed, but of course the main show was in Central Europe, where Frederick now faced a forefront war. Writing from Geneva, Voltaire observed with both a touch of admiration and dread quote, he is the dortch bearer of war. Wherever he goes, the world ignites. The year seventeen fifty seven was really the heart of Frederic's legend. Against overwhelming odds,

he faced simultaneous invasions from Austria, France and Russia. In May, at the Battle of Prague, Frederick struck first. By early seventeen fifty seven, Frederick had survived the dangerous opening phases of the war and was looking to strike before Austria could fully recover from its losses in Silatia. Maria Teresa of Austria, determined to regain that province, had built up a formidable army under field Marshal Prince Charles of Laurent

and Marshal Leopold van Don. The Austrian plan was to take the fight directly into Silesia and crush the Prussians. Frederick to preempt them. He concentrated his forces about sixty four thousand men and launched a rapid march into Bohemia, the heartland of the Austrian monarchy. The prize, of course, was Prague, the capitol where he hoped to deal a knockout blow that would force Austria to the negotiation table. The Austrians, numbering roughly the same about sixty one thousand,

had taken up a strong position east of Prague. Their right rested on the steep, rocky heights of the Ziska Hill, their center and left anchored along the Maldau River. Their army was battle hardened and outnumbered Frederick in terms of cavalry. Frederick and his brilliant subordinate, I should say Field Marshal Kurt Christoph von Schweren, recognized that a frontal assault would be suicide. Instead, they planned a wide flanking maneuver to smash into the Austrian right and roll up their line.

This was classic Frederic, avoid the strongest point, strike at the vulnerable flank, and use speed to keep the enemy off balance. The battle was fought on the sixth of May seventeen fifty seven. The day began with the Prussians moving south to get around the Austrian right, but the terrain was deceptive. The rolling hills, hid ravines, ponds, and marshy ground that slowed the advance and disrupted the perfect

lines of the Prussian infantry. In the confusion, the Austrian right pivoted to meet the threat, forcing Frederic to improvise. Schwerin personally led a renewed infantry assault across the broken ground. Under heavy fire. The Prussians fought their way up the slopes against the Austrian grenadiers and artillery, but the attack stalled.

In the thick of it, Schwerin, seventy three years old and one of Prussia's greatest generals, seized the regimental colors the flag himself to rally his men in the midst of the battle, and he was shot dead. The loss was a blow to morale, but the Prussians pushed on. At the same time, Frederick launched a second wave of attack under General Winterfeldt. This fresh assault broke through the weakened Austrian right, forcing Chiles of Laurent to begin a retreat.

Toward the city. The fighting had been brutal and very costly, but Prussian discipline carried the day just by a bit. When the smoke cleared, the Austrians had lost about thirteen thousand men killed, wounded or captured to the Prussians fourteen thousand, a pyrrhic victory in terms of casualties. Crucially, the Austrian army was forced back into the defenses of Prague itself,

where Frederick quickly laid siege. It might have been the decisive moment Frederick hoped for, except that Marshal Dawn was marching with a fresh Austrian army to relieve the city. This led to the Battle of Colin in June seventeen fifty seven, where Frederick suffered a rare and painful defeat, forcing him to abandon the siege. The Battle of Prague was Frederick's attempt at a knockout blow in the Seven

Years War. Tactically, it showed his mastery of maneuver and the offensive spirit of the Prussian army, but also the risks of over extension. The victory was incomplete, Austria remained in the war, and the loss of Schwerin deprived Frederick of one of his most trusted lieutenants. In his own words, Frederick would later write of the battle, we gained a victory, but it was a dear bat one for the hero

who gained it was slain. Now. By the fall of seventeen fifty seven, the Seven Years War had taken a dangerous turn for Prussia. Frederick's early campaign into Bohemia had stalled after the defeat at Colin, forcing him to retreat. Austria, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Sweden were pushing in from all four sides. In Saxony, a combined French Imperial army about forty two thousand strong under the Prince of Supis

and Prince Joseph of Saxey Halbundsen were advancing. Their goal was to push Frederick out of Saxony and open the road into the Prussian heartland. Frederick, with just twenty two thousand men, moved to confront him. His army was a lot smaller, but it was professional. It was highly disciplined and trained to execute rapid maneuvers that honestly, few European

forces could match. The ultimate engagement would take place near the village of Rossbach in modern day Saxony a Halt on November fifth, seventeen fifty s. The terrain was rolling countryside, with low ridges and open fields that allowed good visibility, perfect for cavalry and artillery. Frederick's army camped near Rossbach, facing north toward the French and Imperial forces, who were

positioned several miles away. The Allies, confident for their numerical superiority, believed they could simply swing around Frederick's left flank, cut him off from retreat, and crush him. On the morning of November fifth, the Allied army began a long, sweeping march to get around Frederick's flank. To them, it appeared that the Prussians were withdrawing, perhaps even retreating, since Frederick kept most of his troops out of sight behind the

Genus and Paulson Hills. Now, in reality, Frederick was setting a trap. He had read their intentions perfectly and decided to execute a rapid flank attack of his own, using the hills as a cover. He moved his entire army crosswise so that by the time the Allies reached what they thought was his flank, they were marching straight into his main line out of formation and strung out. The decisive blow came from Frederick Willem von Seltz's commanding about

thirty five hundred Prussian cavalry. Said Sliss hid his squadrons behind the hill until the enemy's leading columns were exposed and disorders. Then, at Frederick's signal, he unleashed his cavalry in a massive two phase charge. The first wave smashed

into the Allied cavalry, routing it almost instantly. As the fleeing horsemen galloped back through their own infantry, sensless men wheeled around, reformed in perfect order, and charged again, this time into the Allied infantry, which had no time to form up into proper defensive squares. Meanwhile, Prussian artillery, superbly handled by Colonel Mohler, rakes the enemy with devastating fire from close range. The Allies broke within only about an

hour and a half of contact. The battle was essentially over by one o'clock in the afternoon. This time the results were staggering. The French and Imperial forces had suffered losses of about five thousand killed and wounded and over five to eight thousand prisoners taken. The Prussians there they lost fewer than five hundred and fifty men. Entire regiments of the enemy disintegrated in panic, and the French prestige in Germany took a catastrophic blow. Rossbach was a moral

earthquake across Europe. Newspapers marveled that Frederick's smaller army had humiliated a force twice at size and another two hours Voltaire quipped quote, the King of Prussia has beaten the French as if they were Spanish. Really, what this is, though, is a changing of the guard. Numbers didn't count for as much as discipline anymore. The medieval way of war had truly melted away. We were going back to the type of disciplined, smaller armies that frankly, Europe hadn't really

seen since the Roman Empire. This was going to be the model of warfare, though, that was going to go all the way through the Napoleonic Wars, where smaller, more well trained units could stand up to large attacks. Rossbach was more than a battlefield victory. It was a masterpiece of timing, deception and maneuver. Frederick's exploitation of terrain, concealment, and discipline. The speed of his Cavalry ultimately become a

case study for military academies for generations. Strategically, it relieved the pressure on Prussia's western flank, It boosted British confidence in their ally, and it helped Frederick recover from Colin. The victory also underscored a theme in the Seven Years War. Frederick's genius was often about movement more than sheer force, as he would later say, and as I mentioned, it is not the quantity but the quality of troops that counts.

While Frederick was holding Europe together with Bayonets and Brilliants, the British returning the tide in North America under the leadership of William Pitt the Elder. William Pitt the Elder was born on November fifteenth, seventeen oh eight, in Westminster into a well connected but financially modest gentry family. Educated at Eton and then Trinity College, Oxford, he developed a sharp intellect and eloquent speaking style, and a taste for

classical oratory. His military service in the cavalry gave him some insight into army life, but it was politics that captured his ambition. In seventeen thirty five, he entered Parliament, as a member for Old Sarum, a notorious quote rotten Borough quote. He quickly became known for his commanding speeches against the government of Sir Robert Walpole, particularly criticizing his

foreign policies to accommodating to France and Spain. This outspokenness earned him both popularity with the public and the enduring enemy of King George the Second, who disliked Pitt's defiance and rhetorical flourishes in the War of Jenkins's Ear. In the early stages of the War of Austrian Succession, Pitt distinguished himself as a fierce advocate of aggressive war against Britain's rivals, urging expansion of naval power in colonial ambition.

His opposition to subsidies for continental allies put him at odds with much of the political establishment, but his mastery of parliamentary debate and his ability to speak directly to the national mood won him the nickname the Great Commoner.

By the late seventeen forties, Pitt had served as Paymaster of the Military Forces, e lucrative office in which he surprised many by refusing to enrich himself through customary prerequisites, enhancing a reputation for integrity and honesty, those still barred from the highest offices because the King didn't like him. By the eve of the Seven Years War, Pitt had become one of Britain's most formidable political figures, poised to play a decisive role in the global conflict to come now.

Once the Seven Years War begins, Pitt and his allies in Parliament poured money into colonial campaigns, understanding that the empire would be one not really in Saxony, but in Quebec, Bengal and in the Caribbean, and the poof guys was in the pudding. In seventeen fifty eight, the British captured Louisbourg, the gateway to the Saint Lawrence River. In North America,

Fort Dushane fell and was renamed Fort Pitt. Of course, in India, Robert Clive defeated Naab of Bengali Plase, establishing now British control over the richest province in all of India. And then there was seventeen fifty nine, the Annis Mirabilis, or the Year of Miracles. During this year alone, the British Royal Navy destroyed the French fleet at Quirbean Bay,

establishing British naval supremacy throughout the Atlantic. General Wolfe then captured Quebec after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Both Wolf and the French commander Montcalm actually died in the battle, making them instant martyrs in their respective nations. But Wolf went down as the victorious martyr, and Quebec fell into British hands. British poet Thomas Gray actually wrote of Wolf's staff quote, he died victorious and the tears

of his country were mingled with her joy. France's dream of an American empire had essentially ended on the frozen bluffs above the Saint Lawrence. Now. Meanwhile, by contrast, by early seventeen fifty nine, Frederick's situation in Europe had grown more desperate. In seventeen fifty nine, Frederick had been fighting continuously for almost three years. His early lightning victories Rossenbach and then Battle Within, which I didn't discuss much, were

now distant memories. Austria, Russia and France were pressing him still on multiple fronts. Then, frankly, his meager resources were running low. That summer, a combined Russian Austrian army under Slatavak and Austrian general La Dawn had taken up a strong position just outside of Frankfurt. Their plan was simple, destroy Frederic's main army and then open up the road

to Berlin. Frederick, reinforced after a recent victory at the Battle of Poltzig, marched with about fifty two sixty thousand men to face roughly the same number of Allied troops. He believed his only chance was destroy quickly before the Allies could dig in further, even though the odds were fairly even so. The battle took place at Kutensdorf, where the terrain was deceptive. The Allied army occupied a series of ridges and heights that formed kind of a semi

circle if you look at it on a map. Their flanks were protected by the Oda River and their marshes adjoining. These positions were connected by the so called Judenkroff, the Jewish Cemetery and Muhlberg high Ground. Bristling with artillery, it was summer and the heat was oppressive. Water was scarce, a factor that would become critical. Frederick's plan was to attack from the northeast, roll up the Russian left flank,

and drive the Allies into the Oder River. His opening move caught the Russians by surprise, and by late morning the Prussians had seized Mohlberg. After bitter fighting, Russian lines wavered. It looked as though Frederick might snatch yet another lightning victory. But here Frederick made a fatal error. Instead of consolidating his gains, he ordered an immediate push against the center and right of the Allied line, which was held by

the sturdier Austrians and was more heavily fortified. His exhausting troops, already worn down by a sweltering march, fighting in the middle of the hot sun and a lack of water, fought for the heights and advanced into murderous artillery and musket fire. The Prussian attack ultimately stalled out, then it collapsed. Sensing the moment, Ladan and the Austrians launched a massive counterattack with fresh Austrian cavalry and infantry. The Prussian army unraveled.

What had begun as a promising assault turned into a route. Frederick's men fled in disorder towards the order, not the other way around, abandoning their cannon and standards. The defeat was ultimately catastrophic. The Prussians lost around nineteen thousand men killed, wounded, or captured. That was about forty percent of Frederick's total army. The Allies suffered roughly fifteen thousand casualties, but they still

held the field. It was the worst loss of Frederick's career, and for a brief moment it looked like Prussia was finished. In despair, Frederick wrote to a minister, quote, I have not a regiment now from which I can expect anything. I think everything is lost. They shall not survive the ruin of my country. Yet the Allies, exhausted and short on supplies, failed to march on Berlin. This pause allowed Frederick to rebuild his shattered army and fight on Kunzendorff.

Thus became a grim lesson in the dangers of over extension, and a reminder that even a master tactician could be done by fatigue, to reign and overconfidence. But then in the way it always seems to do. In seventeen sixty two, the wheel of fortune turned again. Empress Elizabeth of Russia died, and her successor, Peter Id, a fervent admirer of Frederick, immediately withdrew Russia from the war and offered Frederick an alliance, though Peter the Third was soon overthrown by his wife, Catherine,

who's going to be Catherine the Great. I'm going to talk about her more soon. The shift shattered the anti Prussian coalition. Frederick seize the moment by attempting to regain lost ground. He could restore his position and survived yet again, though by now Prussia was really starting to run out of resources. You can imagine at this point we have a couple of exhausted boxers who are just trying to slug it out on the match, and the question is

really who can just stay standing the longest. Now elsewhere, the war continued to expand. In seventeen sixty two, Spain entered the war on France's side, and Britain responded with rapid colonial invasions. The British took Havana, a key Spanish port in the Caribbean which today the capitol of Cuba. In August of seventeen sixty two. In Manila, the British captured most of the Philippines, which expanded their reach now

all the way around the globe. These prizes gave the British enormous leverage at the peace table and proved now that naval power had eclipsed dynastic alliances in shaping worlds. Finally, with everyone totally exhausted, the Treaty of Paris in seventeen sixty three and the Treaty of Houtsburg that followed ended the fighting of the Seven Years War. And by the way, I haven't talked about this directly, but the Seven Years War is called the French and Indian War if you're

talking about it in North America. The Treaty of Paris involved Britain, France, and Spain. Essentially, France seeded Canada and all claims east of the Mississippi to Great Britain. Spain seated Florida Britain but received Louisiana from France. France retained a few Caribbean sugar islands and trading posts in India. Now, a lot of what I just mentioned is going to get undone in the subsequent American Revolution and then French Revolution and rise of Napoleon. But that's where it stands

at least at this point. So it's important to note that France essential seeds Canada and all of the Mississippi East to Great Britain. That's important because, as we're going to talk about very very soon, that's going to play a huge role in the lead up to the American Revolution. Now, the Treaty of Hutsburg involved only Prussia. In Austria, Silesia remained Prussian, which really confirmed Frederick's victory. There were no major territorial changes, but quite frankly, all that mattered was

that Prussia had survived. Frederick emerged militarily undefeated. He had paid a terrible price. Sure, his army was gutted as economy wrecked, but Prussia was now a great power. Voltaire would actually write quote he began the war as a prince, but he ended it as a king. The Seven Years War reshaped the globe, but in many ways, Frederick the Great was its central figure. Without his survival, Prussia might

have vanished off the map. Without Prussia's Britain's alliance strategy collapsed, and France could have redirected troops to win in North America and India. Frederick had now turned a small, vulnerable kingdom into what was a continental power. He brought modern maneuver warfare to its peak and his armies became the model for nineteenth century militaries. He left behind a Prussia

that would dominate Germany. In the Americas, the British Empire now stretched from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, but the cost of the war had been enormous. Taxing the colonies to pay for the war would spark the American Revolution. As one New England pamphlet would put it, quote, we have paid in blood, and now we must pay in coin. Nay, we will pay no more. Native Americans who saw their fortune's turn. With France gone, their leverage vanished.

In seventeen sixty three, Pontiac's rebellion erupted as indigenous nations sought to resist British encroachment. The age of mutual diplomacy was ending, and conquest would follow. In India, British supremacy was sealed, opening the door for the raj in the Caribbean and West Africa. Control over sugar and slaves and

reached Britain, but deepened the morale crisis of empire. And in Europe, the rise of Prussia upset the fragile balance that would within a century lead to another Great War, but that will be for another day and before we get into the American Revolution. Next time, I'm going to pause. We're going to shift to the east and we're going to talk about the partition and end of Poland, Lithuania, Loo