Britain Vs France 1688- 1815

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From 1688 to 1763 the British and French fought four wars that were mainly European in origin but which determined the colonial situation, in some cases for two centuries. The main prize they were contending for was the continent of North America. In 1763 the British would ultimately triumph and get the continent of North America. The four harsh wars convulsed Europe. It was a struggle for domination in Europe as well as the New World these wars were fought on waters and soils of two hemispheres. The one war known as the Seven Years’ War in Europe or the French and Indian War in America set the platform for America’s independence. The first war that took place between the two countries was King William’s War which was the war of the League of Augsburg. The war known in Europe as that of the Palatinate, League of Augsburg, or Grand Alliance, and in America as King William's War, ended indecisively, after eight years, with the Treaty of Rijswijk in 1697. No territorial changes occurred in America, and because the great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb reigned in India, very little of the conflict penetrated there. The next war between Britain and France was Queen Anne's War, the American phase of the War of the Spanish Succession, which began in 1702. Childless King Charles II of Spain, dying in 1700, willed his entire possessions to Philip, grandson of Louis XIV of France. England, the United Provinces, and Austria intervened, fearing a virtual union between powerful Louis and Spain detrimental to the balance of power, and Queen Anne's War lasted until terminated by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Britain gained Gibraltar and Minorca and, in North America, acquired Newfoundland and French Acadia. It also received clear title to the northern area being exploited by the Hudson's Bay Company. Bourbon prince Philip was recognized as king of Spain, but the British secured the
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