Seven Years' War

[The Wizard]

What I see on Amazon is a thoroughly Anglosaxon perspective of the war. It's either all about the war in what would become the United States and Canada, or it's all about how Britain won its empire in this war. Yet the bulk of the fighting and the bulk of the deaths happened in the violent orbit surrounding Prussia and its king, Frederick the Great, in his conflict against his rival and, arguably, equal, Maria Theresa of the Habsburg Monarchy.

Isn't there any book which investigates what this war was all about? After all: the so-called "theaters" of war, like, most famously, the one in America, were, in all honesty, simply sideshows to the main conflict between Austria, Russia, and Prussia. Like in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Britain kept itself out of the main bloodletting and limited itself to financial support, letting others do the dying. It's something that Anglosaxon authors often overlook

[Geoffrey S]

I've been encountering the same problem, and I've yet to find a decent (or even any) account of the war in its more relevant eastern theatres. For now, I think people interested in the Seven Years' War outside the Americas and English participation are limited to historical biographies of eastern absolutist rulers such as Frederick the Great and Maria Theresa, along with all the issues inherent in historical biographies such as the great individual representation of complex matters and glossing over anything that isn't political and diplomatic history.

Disappointing. Perhaps more is to be found in German literature, or works on eastern absolutist monarchies in general? I'm sure someone could make a mint out of publishing a comprehensive and in-depth (read: not limited to political history, feeble rereadings of primary literature) English work on the war.

[Odin]

So is the general concensus that a bio on Frederick the Great might be the best overall glimpse at the european theatre?

I dont care for osprey books, Ive read some just dont like the flavor.

[Geoffrey S]

Probably not best overall, because it'll probably focus almost exclusively on political and diplomatic history, whilst ignoring everything else such as economic and social history. That's the problem with most (older) biographies, in that they tend to stick to letters and literary primary sources and don't so much offer much new than a different take on the same old. But biographies are probably the only modern literature available, as long as one doesn't stick to just one or two. Once I'm back at uni properly I could ask around.

And no, I'm not a fan of Osprey either. The quality is extremely variable and to be honest they don't really focus on my interests anyway.

[phred]

These two books may give you a Prussian perspective, but may not be in depth enough for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Modern-Wa...590728&sr=1-10

http://www.amazon.com/History-Prussi...8590641&sr=8-5

I've read the second one (the History of Prussia) and enjoyed it. I don't know about the first, but it sounds interesting.

[Odin]

These two books may give you a Prussian perspective, but may not be in depth enough for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Modern-Wa...590728&sr=1-10

http://www.amazon.com/History-Prussi...8590641&sr=8-5

I've read the second one (the History of Prussia) and enjoyed it. I don't know about the first, but it sounds interesting.

Any reccomendation is welcome, thank you.

I am perplexed that there isnt a decent accounting of the european theatre in english. Mini searches on the web havent given me much either.

Perhaps its time to move to another subject?

[Incongruous]

Yeah, I found that apparently most of the best books are in German.
Which sukcs, but I'm pretty sure that there will be a fair few older books in English which cover it.

[TenkiSoratoti_]

What I see on Amazon is a thoroughly Anglosaxon perspective of the war. It's either all about the war in what would become the United States and Canada, or it's all about how Britain won its empire in this war. Yet the bulk of the fighting and the bulk of the deaths happened in the violent orbit surrounding Prussia and its king, Frederick the Great, in his conflict against his rival and, arguably, equal, Maria Theresa of the Habsburg Monarchy.

Isn't there any book which investigates what this war was all about? After all: the so-called "theaters" of war, like, most famously, the one in America, were, in all honesty, simply sideshows to the main conflict between Austria, Russia, and Prussia. Like in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Britain kept itself out of the main bloodletting and limited itself to financial support, letting others do the dying. It's something that Anglosaxon authors often overlook

Wow, what a smug attidude to take, quit with the Anglo-Saxon b*llocks, we're British you nonse.

So the British simply limited themselves to financial support eh?

Minden?
Emsdorf?
Warburg?
Kloster Kamp?
Vellinghausen?
Wilhelmstahl?
Louisberg?
Quebec?
etc....

Aswell as numerous naval battles.

As for the Napoleonic Wars... Egypt, India, Flanders, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France... what more do you want? Thousands of British lives lost for the sake of Empire and stopping the French Empire (s) conquering Europe permanently.

Why is that just because Britain came out on top during both wars people try and belittle her? Its tiresome and childish.

[The Wizard]

"Anglosaxon" refers to the nations spawned by colonial enterprises originating on the British Isles, nearly all of them exclusively English in their origin, and all of them English in the end. Another term for this is the "Anglosphere". This includes America and Canada. Since the Anglosphere is where the huge majority of work on this subject in the language of English comes from, it is understandable, but frustrating, that almost all of it concentrates on fronts and battles which played, or in which the English played, either a minor, peripheral role, or a role as one (usually lesser) part of an alliance (mostly the former, adding to the frustration).

The British dominated the sea, America, and India. On the Continent, they were mostly important as financiers. The Habsburgs (thusly Austrians), Prussians, French and Russians are the ones that bore the brunt of the fighting there, friend. Britain's army was small for a reason. The same goes for the Napoleonic Wars, in even greater amount. Waterloo was nothing but a foregone conclusion, something that was never in doubt, even if Bonaparte had won that engagement. The Spanish theater siphoned off French strength from their main engagements, but no more than that. I might also point out that major British (not to forget Portuguese and Spanish!) gains there were only made after the folly of 1812, and then again the British were but a part of an alliance, while the Continental powers logically and obviously shed the most blood in the theaters, campaigns, and battles that mattered the most.

It is an understandable development in English-language literature on the subject that the conflicts in the Anglosphere during the Seven Years' War, or the British contribution to the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, is put in the limelight alot. A sad effect of that is that both of these things are overblown and given too much importance. Maria Theresa, Elizabeth of Russia, and Frederick the Great were far more important figures in the world's first global conflict than were the Whigs and the British king, and the same goes for Bonaparte and his Continental foes half a century later.

P.S. The fact that Britain became an important nation in the world following the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars (more importantly the former) has little to do with the conflict itself. Larger American colonies were important, but only in that they provided a larger consumer base and a larger resource pool for British industry. Britain's might in the 19th century was based on its economic advantage, which in turn was based on its economic system of householding and its industrial prowess.

[Geoffrey S]

Wow, what a smug attidude to take, quit with the Anglo-Saxon b*llocks, we're British you nonse.

So the British simply limited themselves to financial support eh?

Minden?
Emsdorf?
Warburg?
Kloster Kamp?
Vellinghausen?
Wilhelmstahl?
Louisberg?
Quebec?
etc....

Aswell as numerous naval battles.

As for the Napoleonic Wars... Egypt, India, Flanders, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France... what more do you want? Thousands of British lives lost for the sake of Empire and stopping the French Empire (s) conquering Europe permanently.

Why is that just because Britain came out on top during both wars people try and belittle her? Its tiresome and childish.

All right, first have a quick look at how major the war was in eastern Europe in the Seven Years' War; check Prussia, Russia, Austria and pretty much anything in between. See how largescale and influential it was in that part of Europe? Now try finding any decent books on the subject in English. Difficult, isn't it?

You talk about belittling the British achievements. I've seen no-one do anything of the sort; it's the end result that counts, right? What I do see is you belittling what went on outside of Anglo-Saxon spheres of influence, portraying things from hindsight as Britain winning an empire and being the catalyst of world events. That attitude is the precise problem when it comes to finding good literature on (historically extremely important) events where Britain didn't play such a large role, such as in the Seven Years' War in eastern Europe.

[Strike For The South]

Ive always heard it called the french and indian war...

[Martok]

Ive always heard it called the french and indian war...

That's what it's generally called over here in the U.S. and Canada, but in reality we were a pretty minor theatre of operations in the overall war. The main action took place in Europe.

[Incongruous]

That's what it's generally called over here in the U.S. and Canada, but in reality we were a pretty minor theatre of operations in the overall war. The main action took place in Europe.

That depends on which Nation you are talking about.
For Britain and France, the overseas possessions were what it was all about. For the German states, Austria and Russia it was all about Eastern Europe, especially Silesia.

[The Wizard]

I disagree. Britain was as interested in protecting its Continental possessions (Hannover) as France was in translating its Continental position of preeminence into one of imperial stature. Especially for France, the Continental war was a very major consideration to enter the conflict on Austria's side.