Seven Years' War alliances?

Question

I would like some clarification / explanation on what I'm reading.

The War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) started when Maria Theresa became the empress of Austria, and Frederick II of Prussia decided to invade & take Silesia from Austria. The Austrian Succession then continued to involve other European powers at the time... So, the alliances formed was
Austria & Britain vs. Prussia & France.

Fastforward a bit... during the Seven Years' War...
Britain & Prussia vs. Austria & Russia & France.

How did the alliances get flip-flopped?
My book mentions something about Maria Theresa working diplomatically through her minister, Count Wenzel von Kaunitz, but it doesn't really explain WHY Britain and France decideded to change sides.

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Trying to make sense of the Seven Years War makes no sense It was a senseless power grab amidst towering egos each of whom had their reasons for intensely disliking one another. Even at this late date in history religion played a decisive role. Protestant England did not particularly like Catholic Austria and when Protestant Germany won an impressive victory it just seemed to make sense to fight against Catholic France in aid of Frederick the Great.

France aided Prussia only for as long as Prussia remained small and relatively insignficant. When it became apparent that Prussia intended to unite Germany under Prussian rule that France freaked and forged an alliance with Austria and Russia. Russia was persuaded that it could win valuable territory by joining against Prussia. Actually Russia siding with Austria was weird and would never be repeated. What is considered one of the 'miracles' that saved Frederick the Great was when the Russian Empress Elizabeth keeled over and died leaving Prussian friendly Tsar Peter the 3rd in charge. He made peace with Prussia and gleefully turned his armies against Austria.

Also Britain had a Hanoverian King, well twice removed, but still striong diplomatic & commerical ties with many of the German States and thus they cherished the notion of Prussia growing stronger figuring that meant a new trading partner. One of the great tragedies of history is that the natural friendship between Britain and Germany became corrupted due to WIlhelm the 2nd leading to WW One.

Here are links and snippets...
http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/berlin/lectures/05Frederick.html
"""""""""The greatest enthusiasm was displayed in London. On the night of Frederick's birthday, the city was illuminated. Methodists and other devout people hailed Frederick as a new Protestant hero. William Pitt, in his earlier career a staunch opponent of Continental entanglements, discovered the usefulness of Continental diversions. He advised the king to withhold ratification of the Convention of Kloster Zeven and to strengthen the Hanover army for new fighting. Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, a Prussian officer and brother-in-law of Frederick, assumed command and proved himself a masterful strategist. He managed to tie down the large French army which France continued to send into Germany every year. This diversion aided England in her colonial wars. Frederick, for his part, was relieved from French threats against his western flank. He would have liked to see an English naval squadron in the Baltic Sea as a demonstration against Russia and Sweden. England was unwilling to enter into Baltic conflicts, but though Frederick's war contributed only indirectly to England's war against France, Pitt was willing to support it with the largest English subsidy ever paid to a Continental ally. On April 11, 1758, England and Prussia signed an agreement in which they pledged themselves not to make a separate peace. Prussia was to receive four million thaler ( f 570,000) in annual subsidies and remained free to choose her own military objectives."""

I really like this link it speaks well..
http://www.gwleibniz.com/britannica_pages/7_years_war/7_years_war.html
"""--------------- April 1758 the British government under William Pitt the Elder signed a new treaty with Prussia providing it with much-needed financial support, and on June 23 an Anglo-Hanoverian army defeated a much larger French force at Krefeld. Britain's improved military performance was partly owing to Pitt, who realized the importance of the colonial theatres of the war and devoted his energy to the success of British arms in India and North America. In the meantime, Frederick beat back the Russians in a bloody battle at Zorndorf on August 25, but his attempt to save Saxony from the Austrians was only partially successful, and he was forced to retreat into Silesia. The Austrian and Russian armies operating in the east were finally able to link up in the summer of 1759, and when Frederick attacked them at Kunersdorf, east of Frankfurt, on Aug. 12, 1759, he suffered a disastrous defeat, losing 18,000 men in six hours of battle and watching Daun take Dresden.

The main fighting in 1760 took place in Silesia, where Frederick scored marginal victories against the Austrians at Liegnitz (now Legnica) and Torgau but remained hopelessly on the defensive. The low point of the war came in December 1761. Frederick, his armies all but exhausted by a series of rapid maneuvers against multiple enemies, was near despair. But at that point, through the death of the Russian empress Elizabeth and the succession of Tsar Peter III, an admirer of Prussia, Russia not only made peace with Frederick but also mediated a peace between Prussia and Sweden and finally joined Frederick in an effort to oust the Austrians from Silesia. Though Peter was soon afterward assassinated, his successor, Catherine II the Great, did not renew hostilities against Prussia. Frederick then drove the Austrians from Silesia while his ally, Ferdinand of Brunswick, won victories over the French at Wilhelmsthal and over the Saxons at Lutterberg and captured the important town of Göttingen."""


Peace............. p p p p f f f f f t t t t t z z z z z z !! !! !! !!

Answer 2

The Seven Years' War, 1756-sixty three, used to be the primary worldwide warfare. The protagonists had been Britain, Prussia and Hanover towards France, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia and finally Spain. Britain declined to dedicate its essential forces at the continent, in which it depended at the Prussians and German mercenaries to shield George II's Electorate of Hanover. Britain's warfare pursuits had been to ruin the French army and service provider fleet, grasp its colonies, and do away with France as a business rival. France determined itself dedicated to combating in Europe to shield Austria, which might do not anything to help France foreign.