The

The Hello and welcome to a history of Europe Key Battles podcast.

This is the second and final part on the Seven Years' War.

Thank you. years war. In August 1756, King Frederick II, the Great of Prussia, preempted an Austro-Russian

offensive plan the next year with an invasion of Saxony and the capture of its capital,

Dresden. Vienna was able to cast Frederick in the role as a brutal aggressor and had few

problems bringing France into the continental conflict. At the same time, the British and French

went to war. Their disagreements were primarily concerned with their overseas colonies

and trading interests in the Caribbean, India and most of all North America.

But the British were also concerned about French attacks on the electorate of Hanover

in northern Germany, whose ruler was also King of England, George II.

In the Second Treaty of Versailles of May 1757, King Henry 15th of France agreed to field a

100,000 strong army in Germany.

Vienna hoped this army would be an auxiliary force under their direction and aimed against pressure.

But instead, the French acted independently. They occupied Friedrich's far western provinces by the Rhine and attacked Hanover, thereby also threatening Prussia's western flank.

At the same time, Sweden launched an invasion into Pomerania, where it hoped to regain territory,

lost to Prussia at the end of the Great Northern War in 1720.

Britain had been surprised by the Prussian offensive into Saxony,

but nevertheless agreed to ship supplies and substantial funds to its new ally.

A combined force of allied German states was organised by the British to protect Hanover

from French invasion, under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, youngest son of the King.

The Duke is now most famous for putting down earlier a Jacobite rebellion at the Battle of Colloden in Scotland,

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