ABSTRACT

Set in motion by the disputed succession of Maria Theresa and her husband to the lands and dignities of Emperor Charles VI, this series of major conflicts (1740-48) involved far more than just the fate of the Habsurgs: soon, Austria, Prussia, France, Britain, Spain, Bavaria, Saxony and the Netherlands were embroiled in their different but interlocking power struggles, with profound long-term significance for Europe and beyond. The war marks the rise of Prussia to great-power status, and the opening of the struggle between France and Britain for maritime supremacy and colonial empire in North America, the Caribbean and India. This book examines the war and its consequences in their widest context.

chapter |4 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|24 pages

Armies and Navies in Transition

chapter 3|14 pages

War and Society

chapter 7|24 pages

Italy and the Netherlands, 1745–8

chapter 8|15 pages

The Naval and Colonial Struggle

chapter 9|17 pages

The Peace of Aix-La-Chapelle

chapter 10|14 pages

The Results of the War