Second Hundred Years' War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Second Hundred Years' War |
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The Second Hundred Years' War is a name historians use for a long period of conflict between Great Britain and France. This rivalry lasted from about 1689 to 1815. It's called the "Second Hundred Years' War" because it reminds people of the original Hundred Years' War from the 1300s and 1400s. The term was first used by a historian named John Robert Seeley in 1883.
Contents
A Long Rivalry Between Nations
This term doesn't mean there was one single war that lasted for over 100 years. Instead, it describes a time when Britain and France were almost always fighting or competing. They were rivals for power around the world. Both countries wanted to build large colonial empires and control trade routes.
During this time, both countries changed a lot. Before 1707, Great Britain was two separate kingdoms: England and Scotland. They later joined to become Great Britain. In 1801, they joined with Ireland to form the United Kingdom. France also went through big changes, from being ruled by kings (the Bourbon dynasty) to the French Revolution and then the Empire under Napoleon.
Many of these wars involved other European countries too. France and Britain were usually on opposite sides. Some of these conflicts, like the Seven Years' War, were so big they are sometimes called world wars. Battles happened in far-off places like India, the Americas, and on shipping routes across the oceans.
Key Periods of Conflict
Starting the Rivalry: 1688–1714
The long series of wars began when William III, who was Dutch, became King of England in 1688. Before him, English kings had tried to be friends with Louis XIV of France. But William III wanted to stop Louis XIV's growing power.
Tensions grew over the next few decades. France often supported people called Jacobites. These were people who wanted to bring back the old royal family (the Stuarts) to the British throne.
Fighting for Colonies: 1744–1783
After William III, the main reason for fighting between France and Britain changed. It became more about money, trade, and who would control colonies in the Americas and Asia. The Seven Years' War was a very important conflict during this time.
France later helped the American colonists fight against Britain in the American Revolutionary War. This helped the Americans win their independence. However, the cost of helping the Americans left France with huge debts. These debts played a big part in starting France's own French Revolution soon after.
Revolution and Empire: 1792–1815
The fighting continued when Britain opposed the French Revolution. This led to wars with the new French Republic and then with Napoleon's Empire. Napoleon was a powerful French leader.
Napoleon was finally defeated in 1814 and sent away. But he escaped a year later, starting a period known as the Hundred Days. This ended when he lost the Battle of Waterloo to an army led by the Duke of Wellington. This battle effectively ended the long conflict between France and Britain.
What Happened After
After these wars, the way Britain and France talked about each other changed. They stopped calling each other "natural enemies." Instead, they learned to get along. They even worked together in the Crimean War in the 1850s.
About a century after their last big fight, Britain and France formed a friendly agreement called the Entente Cordiale in 1904. This showed that the "First" and "Second" Hundred Years' Wars were truly over. Even though they still had cultural differences, the violent conflicts had ended.
Britain as "Carthage" and France as "Rome"
Some people in Europe used to compare Britain and France to ancient cities. They called Britain "Perfidious Albion" (meaning "treacherous Britain"). They compared Britain to Carthage, an ancient city known for trade that eventually fell. They saw France as Rome, a center of ideas and culture that grew strong.
People thought Britain was greedy and wanted to control the seas. They believed France wanted to bring order and good values to Europe. This shows how deep the rivalry was between the two nations.
Wars in This Long Conflict
Here are some of the main wars that were part of the Second Hundred Years' War:
- Nine Years' War (1688–1697)
- Williamite War (1688–1691)
- King William's War (1689–1697)
- War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714)
- Queen Anne's War (1702–1713)
- War of the Austrian Succession (1742–1748)
- King George's War (1744–1748)
- First Carnatic War (1744–1748)
- Jacobite rising of 1745 (1745–1746)
- Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755)
- Second Carnatic War (1749–1754)
- Seven Years' War (1756–1763)
- French and Indian War (1754–1763)
- Third Carnatic War (1757–1763)
- Anglo-French War (1778–1783)
- American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
- French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802)
- War of the First Coalition (1792–1797)
- Haitian Revolution (1793–1804)
- War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802)
- Irish Rebellion of 1798 (1798)
- Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)
- War of the Third Coalition (1803–1806)
- War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807)
- Peninsular War (1808–1814)
- War of the Fifth Coalition (1809)
- War of the Sixth Coalition (1812–1814)
- Hundred Days (1815)
Important Leaders
Here are some of the important rulers during this time:
Leaders of England and Great Britain
| Ruler | Reign |
|---|---|
| Queen Mary II | 1689–1694 |
| King William III | 1689–1702 |
| Queen Anne | 1702–1714 |
| King George I | 1714–1727 |
| King George II | 1727–1760 |
| King George III | 1760–1820 |
Leaders of France
| Ruler | Reign |
|---|---|
| King Louis XIV | 1643–1715 |
| King Louis XV | 1715–1774 |
| King Louis XVI | 1774–1792 |
| National Convention | 1792–1795 |
| Directory | 1795–1799 |
| First Consul Bonaparte→Emperor Napoleon I | 1799–1814; 1815 |
| King Louis XVIII | 1814–1815; 1815–1824 |
See also
- New France and British America
- French East India Company and British East India Company
- France–United Kingdom relations
- French–Habsburg rivalry
- Long eighteenth century
- Perfidious Albion
- French and Indian Wars
