Seven Years War: Study Guide 

 
Timeline: 
1753: France begins to take control and fortify Ohio River Valley, 
Britain pushes back  
1754: Seven Years War begins in North America 
1755: Britain loses Braddock Expedition in disastrous defeat to 
France 
1756: Seven Years War begins in Europe 
1757: Major French victory over the British at Fort William Henry  
1759: Battle of the Plains of Abraham and British conquest of 
Quebec  
1760: British take Montreal, ending Seven Years War in North 
America  
1763: Treaty of Paris brings war to an end in Europe, Britain takes 
control of New France 

 
 
Causes:  
● British and French competition to control Ohio River Valley. 
The Ohio River Valley was a strategic area, and whoever 
controlled it controlled the trade in the region.  
● The Seven Years War in North America was the culmination 
of a century of conflict between France and Britain over 
North America, these wars included: King William’s War, 
Queen Anne’s War and King George’s War.  
● France sought to retake Acadia, which had been taken by 
Britain after the Treaty of Utrecht.  
● French and British native allies were often fierce enemies, 
such as the Iroquois rivalry with the Algonquin peoples.  
 
Important Figures:  
● King George II: King of Britain (until 1760) 
● King George III: King of Britain (after 1760) 
● William Pitt: leader of the British cabinet, effectively the 
prime minister 
● Louis XV: King of France 
● Louis-Joseph de Montcalm: French commander in North 
America, died at the Plains of Abraham  
● Edward Braddock: British general and leader of the failed 
Braddock expedition, killed in battle in 1755 
● General Wolfe: British general, killed at the Plains of 
Abraham  
● Field Marshal Amherst: commander of British forces in 
North America, architect of the successful British conquest of 
Quebec 
 
  
 
 
Major Battles: 
● 1755: Battle of Fort Duquesne: British troops under Braddock 
are surrounded and defeated.  
● 1756: French take Fort Oswego from the British.  
● 1757: French take Fort William Henry, British troops are 
massacred by French native allies. 
● 1758: British capture Fort Duquesne and Fort Louisbourg  
● 1759: British victory over French at the Battle of the Plains of 
Abraham  
 
 
 
Treaty of Paris and Aftermath:  
● At the end of the Seven Years War in Europe the great powers 
signed the Treaty of Paris, bringing the war to an end. 
● Territorial changes in Europe were small, but France was 
forced to give up the majority of New France to Britain.  
● New France was divided, with Britain taking the majority of 
the eastern part and Spain taking what was left in the west.  
● This was the most significant event in the early history of 
Canada, it marked the end of French rule in the region and 
secured the dominance of Britain for the future.  
● However, Britain would be forced to allow the French 
speaking colonists to keep their language and religion to 
prevent revolt, particularly after the American Revolution.  
● The Battle of the Plains of Abraham is viewed very differently 
between English and French speaking Canada. In French 
speaking Canada it is viewed as a tragic defeat, and the Seven 
Years War is called the “War of Conquest” in Quebec.