War of the Austrian Succession
| War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||||
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| Part of the French–Habsburg rivalry and the Austro-Prussian rivalry | |||||||||
Left to right:
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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1740: 200,000 116,620 1742: 120,000 70,000 40,000 35,000 1745 naval strength 47 ships of the line 32 ships of the line |
1747: 204,000 120,000 127,000 55,000 1742: 30,000 1745 naval strength 110 ships of the line 34 ships of the line | ||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||
The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740 to 1748, was a conflict between the European great powers, fought primarily in Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War, the War of Jenkins' Ear, the First Carnatic War, and the First and Second Silesian Wars.
Its immediate cause was the right of Maria Theresa to inherit Austria. This was challenged by a coalition between France, Prussia, and Bavaria, while Maria Theresa was backed by Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Hanover, collectively known as the Pragmatic Allies. The conflict later drew in other participants, including Spain, Savoy, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia.
Fighting began when Prussia occupied the wealthy Austrian province of Silesia in December 1740. Neither side was able to achieve a decisive victory and despite success in the Austrian Netherlands, by early 1748 France was close to bankruptcy due to the cost of the war and a crippling British naval blockade. This led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in October which confirmed Maria Theresa in her titles, but many signatories were unhappy with the terms. In return for vast expenditure, France gained very little, although their Spanish ally made minor gains in Italy and repelled a British invasion of South America.
British insistence that Austria cede Silesia to Prussia as part of the peace undermined the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance, as Austria felt it had received little benefit from the enormous British subsidies paid to it during the war. This led to the realignment known as the Diplomatic Revolution, and ultimately the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756.