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The Invasion scare of 1756 took place in Great Britain during the early stages of the Seven Years War when an imminent invasion by French forces was widely expected to be launched. Extensive defensive preparations were made, but France instead attacked Minorca in the Mediterranean Sea. Britain responded to the threat of invasion by forming hastily raised militia as well as hiring Hanoverian and Hessian troops to supplement Britain's own regular army.
Gradually the threat shifted away from Britain's coasts to other strategic positions, particularly when France invaded Hanover in 1757. Despite the controversy over the loss of Minorca, Britain shifted to a more offensive warfare and launched assaults on French positions in the Americas, ultimately Conquering Canada as well as taking wealthy sugar-producing islands such as Guadeloupe and Martinique. A second French invasion scheme was derailed by the decisive naval Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759.
Background edit
Britain and France ended a relatively lengthy period of peace by fighting the War of the Austrian Succession. This was brought to a conclusion by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. However tensions remained between the two countries, and the period was described as an "armed truce" rather than a lasting peace.[1] Geopolitical rivalry continued between the nations across several continents. A major source of dispute was the frontier between French Canada and Britain's mainland American colonies. In particular the disputed Ohio Country was a source of conflict, increasing friction.
Although the first fighting between Britain and France had taken place in North America in 1754, war was not officially declared until May 1756. A British force dispatched to the Ohio Country was defeated by French-led forces. A Diplomatic Revolution left Britain isolated from its former European Allies, with only Prussia amongst the great powers on its side.
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Hanoverians and Hessians edit
Britain retained a relatively small standing army in times of peace, which was dwarfed by the large French Army. formal declaration of war left Britain short of troops and ministers led by the Prime Minister, the Duke of Newcastle immediately moved to ship in reinforcements from the Hanoverian Army. Britain shared a ruler George II with Hanover. Other auxiliaries forces were used, with Hessian were shipped over from Hesse -Kassel, a long-standing Hanoverian ally. These forces were concentrated along the south coast of England, considered particularly vulnerable to invasion.
Their deployment was controversial, and was attacked by opposition Tories and Patriot Whigs led by William Pitt. Nonethless, it was popular amongst the British public who welcomed the assistance of German forces against the expected French invasion.[2]
Militia edit
Minorca edit
While Britain was preparing to resist an invasion, a French expedition sailed from Toulon to strike at the British stronghold of Minorca in the Mediterranean. A failed attempt to resist the naval force at the Battle of Minorca was followed by a two month siege of the island and its subsequent surrender.
Colonel James Wolfe, serving in -----,
Aftermath edit
Tensions remained tight on the English coast, and politics remained unstable. Newcastle fell from power in 1756, but the new government dominated by William Pitt struggled. Fears of a French invasion remained following the loss of Minorca, but gradually died down. The Hanoverian and Hessians were shifted to the continent as soon as newly raised British units were raised to replace them, with the last of German auxiliaries leaving in May 1757.[3] Attention increasingly shifted to other theatres of war, and France successfully launched an invasion of Hanover in the summer of 1757 while large British expeditions were dispatched to North America.
More concrete plans were formed to invade Britain and Ireland in 1759, but these were stalled by the Royal Navy's victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759. A further invasion scheme was planned in 1762 but this also came to nothing. The 1763 Peace of Paris that ended the war was heavily in Britain's favour.
References edit
Bibliography edit
- Harding, Nick. Hanover and the British Empire, 1700-1837. Boydell & Brewer, 2007.
- Nolan Cathal B. The Allure of Battle: A History of how Wars Have Been Won and Lost. Oxford University Press, 2017.
- Reid, Stuart. The Battle of Minden, 1759: The Impossible Victory of the Seven Years War. Pen and Sword, 2016.
- Simms, Brendan & Riotte, Torsten. The Hanoverian Dimension in British History, 1714–1837. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
External links edit