In the wake of the War of Austrian Succession, the political map of Europe was redrawn during the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756. France, Austria, and Russia, despite being century-old enemies, joined forces in an alliance against Prussia and Great Britain. Empress Maria Theresa, in an attempt to shore up her successful modernization of the Austrian army in the previous war, found France and Russia willing allies, while the joining of Great Britain and Prussia represented the largest allied force assembled in Europe of the era. Great Britain controlled the world's largest navy, while Prussia possessed Europe's most massive land contingent.
French and English colonial interests also played a role in sparking the Seven Years' War. The empires of both countries clashed over their expansions in the New World, taking aim at the extent of each other's possessions. Known as the French and Indian War in North America, the Seven Years' War is considered by many historians as the first example of a conflict on a global scale.
The New France colony established a line of fortresses along the Pennsylvania and Virginia borders to prevent the expansion of English settlement into the Appalachians. The British launched hostile efforts to remove the French colonists, resulting in conflict between the two empires that spread to Europe. The 29,000 strong Prussian army under the leadership of King Frederick II, crossed the border into Saxony, routing the Austrian army in Lobositz, while France captured the British island of Minorca.
In 1757, the Prussian armies continued their march, laying siege to Prague. The alliance responded with a three prong attack against Frederick the Great. A large Russian force orchestrated the invasion of Eastern Prussia, defeating the smaller Prussian army at the Battle of Gross-Jagersdorf. However, France's invasion from the west and Austria's attack from the south were repelled swiftly, leaving Prussia with a reputation as the finest soldiers in Europe.
Late in the year, Great Britain established a policy of amphibious attacks against France to demonstrate their naval superiority to their enemies. The goals set out for these “descents” were to raid a coastal town, overrun its security, and burn or destroy their shipping ports in an effort to break the motivation of the populace. This strategy was seen as an operational failure, however, it continued for nearly a year, creating a culture of fear amongst the French ports.
The closing chapter in the beginning of the war would spell an escalation of hostilities. In the coming years, even larger armies from more nations would become involved in the conflict, spreading past Europe and into the entire world.
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