War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in North America, the War of Jenkins' Ear, the First Carnatic War, and the First and Second Silesian Wars.
| War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||||
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| Part of the French–Habsburg rivalry and the Austria–Prussia rivalry | |||||||||
Left to right:
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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1740: 200,000 1742: 120,000 70,000 40,000 35,000 |
1747: 204,000 120,000 127,000 55,000 1742: 30,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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France: 158,400 killed and wounded Prussia: 23,100 killed and wounded Spain: 3,000 killed and wounded |
Habsburg monarchy: 148,000 killed and wounded Great Britain: 26,400 killed and wounded Dutch Republic: 14,630 killed and wounded Savoy-Sardinia: 7,840 killed and wounded | ||||||||
| Total 750,000 dead or wounded | |||||||||
Its pretext was the right of Maria Theresa to succeed her father, Emperor Charles VI, as ruler of the Habsburg monarchy. France, Prussia, and Bavaria saw it as an opportunity to challenge Habsburg power, while Maria Theresa was backed by Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Hanover, collectively known as the Pragmatic Allies. As the conflict widened, it drew in other participants, among them Spain, Sardinia, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia.
Prussia occupied the Austrian province of Silesia in 1740, although Austria and Sardinia defeated Spanish attacks in Northern Italy. By early 1748, France held most of the Austrian Netherlands, but was close to bankruptcy due to the cost of the war and a crippling British naval blockade. The stalemate led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which confirmed Maria Theresa in her titles but failed to resolve underlying tensions between the signatories, many of whom were unhappy with the terms. France achieved minimal gains for vast expenditure, while the Spanish gained the Duchies of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla.
Prussia, often considered the clearest winner, acquired Silesia from Austria, an outcome that undermined the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance, since Maria Theresa deeply resented Britain's insistence she cede Silesia to make peace and made it her main objective to regain it. At the same time, the war demonstrated that Hanover, then held in personal union with the British Crown, was vulnerable to Prussian attacks, while many British politicians felt they received little benefit from the enormous subsidies paid to Austria. The result was the realignment known as the Diplomatic Revolution. Austria and France ended the rivalry which had dominated European affairs for centuries, while Prussia allied with Great Britain. These changes set the scene for the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756.