History UsefulNotes / SevenYearsWar

* ''Film/BarryLyndon''

* The Prussian campaign of ''[[VideoGame/CossacksEuropeanWars Cossacks: The Art of War]]'' covers the Seven Years War, including the Raid on UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} in 1760.

* ''Film/FanfanLaTulipe'', a French comedy {{swashbuckler}} film.
** ''Film/{{Fanfan la Tulipe|2003}}'', 2003 remake of the above.

Fought from 1756 to 1763, this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical 18th-century power struggles. It pitted a coalition of [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} Britain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} Prussia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portugal]], and a few minor northern German states against an opposing alliance of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} France]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Austria]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Sweden]], and most of the other German states. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies, mainly in North America, with more minor actions in South America and southern India. The latter aspect of the war has led some historians to label it the ''real'' "first [[EarthIsABattlefield world war]]", as fighting took place on every inhabited continent except Australia.[[note]]Yes, there was a small African theatre in this war: the British took the French outposts in Senegal during this war. These were returned to the French at the conclusion of the war.[[/note]]

-->''Come cheer up my lads, tis to glory we steer''
-->''To add something new to this wonderful year''
-->''Hearts of Oak are our ships, Jolly Tars are our men''
-->''We always are ready, steady boys steady''
-->''-British Patriotic Song, written by David Garrick''

-->''I'm Frederick the Great, I am. Frederick the Great I am, I am.''
-->''I got married to a woman I don't love. 'Cause war is all I've time for thinking of''
-->-''satirical lyric from a history website''

From 1756-1763 this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical eighteenth century style power struggles. It pitted a coalition of [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} Britain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} Prussia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portugal]], and a few minor northern German states against an opposing alliance of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} France]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Austria]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Sweden]], and most of the other German states. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies, mainly in North America, with more minor actions in South America and southern India. The latter aspect of the war has led some historians to label it the ''real'' "first [[EarthIsABattlefield world war]]", as fighting took place on every inhabited continent except Australia.[[note]]Yes, there was a small African theatre in this war: the British took the French outposts in Senegal during this war. These were returned to the French at the conclusion of the war.[[/note]]

* Kenneth Roberts' ''Northwest Passage'' deals with the fighting in North America.

Often referred to in the US as the 'French and Indian War', what with the British North American colonies being restricted to - you guessed it - raising handfuls militia to defend against small-scale French and Indian raids and launch little raids of their own. It also marked a crucial turning point in the history of UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}, as the colony of New France was ceded to the British by France - setting the stage for Canada's later development as a bilingual country and (with the introduction of lots of fresh immigrants to sideline them) loyalty to the national government during the next British Civil War (aka 'The American Revolution'). To French-Canadian populations this war is often referred to as ''La Guerre de Conquête'' ('The War of Conquests'), since effectively, that's what it was from a French-Canadian perspective.

Often referred to in the US as the 'French and Indian War', what with the British North American colonies being restricted to - you guessed it - raising handfuls militia to defend against small-scale French and Indian raids and launch little raids of their own. It also marked a crucial turning point in the history of UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}, as the colony of New France was ceded to the British by France - setting the stage for Canada's later development as a bilingual country and (with the introduction of lots of fresh immigrants to sideline them) loyalty to the national government during the next British Civil War (aka 'The American Revolution').

From 1756-1763 this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical eighteenth century style power struggles. It pitted a coalition of [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} Britain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} Prussia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portugal]], and a few minor northern German states against an opposing alliance of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} France]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Austria]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Sweden]], and most of the other German states. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies, mainly in North America, with more minor actions in South America and southern India. The latter aspect of the war has led some historians to label it the ''real'' "first [[EarthIsABattlefield world war]]", as fighting took place on every inhabited continent except Australia.

From 1756-1763 this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical eighteenth century style power struggles. It pitted a coalition of [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} Britain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} Prussia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portugal]], and a few minor northern German states against an opposing alliance of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} France]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Austria]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russia]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spain]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Sweden]], and most of the other German states. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies, mainly in North America, with more minor actions in South America and southern India. Its result led to the founding of UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire and a secessionist British state that would, two centuries later, become more populous and richer than her (via UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution). On the other hand, it also marked the end of the first French Colonial Empire overseas and arguably caused her to turn inward to Europe again during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Most notably, the war marked the ascent of Prussia to Great Power status when she finally managed to conquer ''just'' enough territory (from the Austrian Habsburgs) to be able to put up a decent fight against the other Great Powers. However, on the Prussian part, the war was a very dangerous wager that it could not possibly have survived, let alone won - they only came out on top because nobody was willing or able to test whether Prussia was still up for a fight after the war. This has been referred to as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_House_of_Brandenburg "Miracle of the House Brandenburg"]], which may or may not have caused a Prussian belief in a invincible military, which was further reinforced through the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar and would prove disastrous for Germany in both world wars.

From 1756-1763 this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical eighteenth century style power struggles. It pitted a coalition of Britain, Prussia, Portugal, and a few minor northern German states against an opposing alliance of France, the Austrian Monarchy, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and most of the other German states. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies, mainly in North America, with more minor actions in South America and southern India. Its result led to the founding of UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire and a secessionist British state that would, two centuries later, become more populous and richer than her (via UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution). On the other hand, it also marked the end of the first French Colonial Empire overseas and arguably caused her to turn inward to Europe again during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Most notably, the war marked the ascent of Prussia to Great Power status when she finally managed to conquer ''just'' enough territory (from the Austrian Habsburgs) to be able to put up a decent fight against the other Great Powers. However, on the Prussian part, the war was a very dangerous wager that it could not possibly have survived, let alone won - they only came out on top because nobody was willing or able to test whether Prussia was still up for a fight after the war. This has been referred to as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_House_of_Brandenburg "Miracle of the House Brandenburg"]], which may or may not have caused a Prussian belief in a invincible military, which was further reinforced through the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar and would prove disastrous for Germany in both world wars.

* ''Film/FanfanLaTulipe'', a French comedy action film (1952)

From 1756-1763 this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical eighteenth century style power struggles. It pitted a coalition of Britain, Prussia, Portugal, and a few minor northern German states against an opposing alliance of France, the Austrian Monarchy, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and most of the other German states. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies, mainly in North America, with more minor actions in South America and southern India. Its result led to the founding of UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire and a secessionist British state that would, a century later, become more populous and richer than her (via UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution). On the other hand, it also marked the end of the first French Colonial Empire overseas and arguably caused her to turn inward to Europe again during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Most notably, the war marked the ascent of Prussia to Great Power status when she finally managed to conquer ''just'' enough territory (from the Austrian Habsburgs) to be able to put up a decent fight against the other Great Powers. However, on the Prussian part, the war was a very dangerous wager that it could not possibly have survived, let alone won - they only came out on top because nobody was willing or able to test whether Prussia was still up for a fight after the war. This has been referred to as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_House_of_Brandenburg "Miracle of the House Brandenburg"]], which may or may not have caused a Prussian belief in a invincible military, which was further reinforced through the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar and would prove disastrous for Germany in both world wars.

* Alluded to, if not outright covered, in ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia.''

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' features a prologue set during the French and Indian War, showing its importance in the birth of the real subject of the game, UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution. It features an EarlyBirdCameo with George Washington during his service under the notorious General Braddock on his doomed expedition.

From 1756-1763 this was one of the most important wars in history and the largest of the classical eighteenth century style power struggles. It was in a way a bipolar war, consisting of the struggle between various families (and the realms they ruled) for control of Central Europe and the struggle between Britain and France for control of overseas markets and colonies. Its result led to the founding of UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire and a secessionist British state that would, two centuries later, become more populous and richer than her (via UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution). On the other hand, it also marked the end of the first French Colonial Empire overseas and arguably caused her to turn inward to Europe again during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Most notably, the war marked the ascent of Prussia to Great Power status when she finally managed to conquer ''just'' enough territory (from the Austrian Habsburgs) to be able to put up a decent fight against the other Great Powers. However, on the Prussian part, the war was a very dangerous wager that it could not possibly have survived, let alone won - they only came out on top because nobody was willing or able to test whether Prussia was still up for a fight after the war. This has been referred to as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_House_of_Brandenburg "Miracle of the House Brandenburg"]], which may or may not have caused a Prussian belief in a invincible military, which was further reinforced through the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar and would prove disastrous for Germany in both world wars.

There was fighting in several theaters including Central Europe, North America, and India. (Minor theaters included Brazil, the Caribbean, West Africa, and the Philippines.) Given the nicely global spread of the fighting this has been posited as the first 'world' war, though why exactly it should get this designation when the War of the Austrian Succession, War of the Spanish Succession, or various Anglo-French colonial spats don't isn't clear. The way all three major theatres were seeing action ''at the same time'' is a biggie, though.

!!Tropes related to the Seven Years War include:

* AccidentalMisnaming: British soldiers fighting the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, couldn't pronounce his name and hilariously anglicised it to "Sir Roger Dowlett", making him sound like a QuintessentialBritishGentleman. Considering the Nawab was guilty of {{Obligatory War Crime Scene}}s like [[HellholePrison the Black Hole of Calcutta]], this might be inappropriate; but on the other hand, considering some of the things other supposed British "Gentlemen" did in this war...
* BackInTheSaddle: Many of the Seven Years War veterans in North America would pick up weapons again during the American Revolution.
** That would also happen in later European wars. For instance Field Marshal Blücher, victor of Waterloo (1815), was a Seven Years War veteran.
* BadassArmy: Prussia
** [[BadassArmy Badass Navy]]: England
* BigBrotherInstinct: England, curiously enough, had this for Hanover. This was largely because King George II was Elector of Hanover as well.
** [[FromACertainPointOfView From a British point of view, perhaps]], from that of Hanover it would be just as realistic to say that without being asked its army was told to fight for Britain's interests and the population to suffer the incursions of Britain's enemies which might not even have occurred if its monarch did not also happen to be the king of England, Scotland and Ireland.
*** [[RunningGag From a third point of view]] it would also be realistic to say that UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies were a hotbed of war and turmoil vulnerable to each other and Bigger Fish. Even if Hanover avoided fighting Britain's enemies it probably would have fought others. As long as Hanover kept the alliance and fought for British interests, Britain fought to prevent her from being gobbled up by more powerful neighbors like the French Invasion that happened in this year. And coincidentally enough, when the alliance fell apart UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck conquered and annexed the country in 1866...
* CatchPhrase: At the hard-fought battle of Torgau (1760), Frederick the Great famously or notoriously shouted to his retreating grenadiers: "Dogs, [[Franchise/StarshipTroopers do you want to live forever?]] Cheaters!" Less well remembered is the soldiers' response: "Old Fritz, no cheating, for 15 Pfennigs (then the daily pay) it's enough for today."
* TheCavalry: In the Seven Years' War it played a major role, with e. g. a few major battles such as Rossbach (1757), Zorndorf (1758), and Freiberg (1762) being decided by the well-timed charges of General von Seydlitz' Prussian cuirassiers.
* TheChessmaster: UsefulNotes/WilliamPittTheElder--who contrary to popular belief was not Great Britain's Prime Minister at the time, but rather Secretary of State for the Southern Department (though he was the main power in the government, the PM being a figurehead). He didn't become Prime Minister until years later.
** Pitt actually had nothing on Maria Theresia's foreign minister Wenzel Anton Count Kaunitz, who engineered the "Reversal of Alliances" before the war and managed to sustain an alliance containing partners of widely diverging if not conflicting interests (which contained two sets of traditional enemies, Austria and France, and Russia and Sweden) almost to the end.
* {{Cowboy}}: [[TheCavalry Hussars]] were originally recruited from Hungarian cowboys.
* ColdSniper: Jaegers, Croats, Indians, Roger's Rangers.
** The word Jaeger means ''hunter'' because they were light infantry recruited from German hunters, gamekeepers, and the like.
*** Rangers were small bands of frontiersmen recruited by the English provinces as border guards. Roger's Rangers were one of the most famous of these.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: British Red coats, French White, Austrian White, Prussian Blue, Russian Green, etc. And Yankee whatever they could bring...
* CorporalPunishment: It was said only 2 things kept the British Army moving: rum and the lash. (They left the sodomy to [[HelloSailor the Navy]], which didn't mind rum and the lash, either.)
* CurbStompBattle: The 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga. One would expect it to have been such in favor of the British (who brought 18,000 troops, 6000 of which were professional soldiers, to face France's 3,600 strong force of regulars, militia, and indians). It went in favor of France by a large margin. A popular British officer was killed in the opening skirmishes and this led to the British losing nearly 4 times as many men as the French.
** The battle of Rossbach (1757), in which Frederick's army caught an army composed of French troops and the ill-assorted army of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire while it was deploying and drove it into headlong flight.
* DeusExMachina: The "Miracle of the house of Brandenburg" where Prussia was saved by a SuccessionCrisis in Russia
** Nope. The term "Mirakel des Hauses Brandenburg" was actually coined more than two years earlier, when the Russian army, after having devastated the Prussian army at Kunersdorf on the 12th of August 1759, hesitated to march against Berlin and gave Prussia enough time to consolidate its scattered forces.
*** Frederick used it that way in 1759, but later the quote [[BeamMeUpScotty became applied to the death of Empress Elizabeth]], which did have a bigger impact since it took Russia out of the anti-Prussian Alliance.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Empress Maria Theresa was ''really mad'' about Frederick taking Silesia earlier
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Montcalm and Wolfe dying on the Plains of Abraham.
** For the Prussians the death of Field Marshal Schwerin in the battle of Prague (1757).
* EarthIsABattlefield: The closest any war would be until UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.
** The wars of UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte could make a try for that though.
** The [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American War of Independence]] also involved battles in the West Indies, Africa, Europe (Gibraltar and Minorca) and the Indian Ocean even though it involved fewer major powers.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Officers competed for positions in the grenadier and light infantry companies as they were perceived as more elite and thus more likely to fuel advancement.
* AFatherToHisMen: Lord Howe was one, killed during the opening skirmishes of the first battle of Ticonderoga. He was immensely popular with the enlisted men. He got the highlanders to wear pants.
* FastRoping: The Assault on Quebec
** Actually thats more like ClimbingTheCliffsOfInsanity
* FolkHero: The town of King of Prussia Pennsylvania was named after Frederick. One story is that it was a tribute to an allies success. Another is that there was a tavern their that had served a lot of German auxiliaries during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution and some of these had served with Frederick.
* ForWantOfANail: The particular spark that set off the powderkeg in North America was the killing of Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, a French diplomat, by the Iroquois chief Tanaghrisson, while Jumonville was in British custody. The killing was completely unexpected, unsanctioned by the British, and in direct violation of the DiplomaticImpunity Jumonville claimed. The fallout from this event led to open war between Britain and France. Had Tanaghrisson not been there, or had the British been able to stop him, would hostilities have broken out? We'll never know...
** Unfortunately, that would have probably postponed the hostilities at best. War may not have been exactly ''inevitable'', per se... but the long-term territorial ambitions of both sets of colonists made it pretty close.
** Exacerbating matters is the fact that UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, the leader of the British colonial militia sent to scout the Ohio Territory, was tricked into accepting responsibility for the 'assassination' of Jumonville. Following the Jumonville Affair, Washington was defeated at Fort Necessity by a French and Indian force, and he signed the terms of surrender. Washington, who did not speak French, did not realize that the document he signed also included an admission that the death of Jumonville was an assassination. This became a ''cause celebre'' for the French and was one of the major factors instigating the conflict.
** The Prussian military escaped total destruction by the skin of their teeth. Given how important Prussia (and a Prussian-led Germany) would [[UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar later]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI become]], one can't help but wonder what would have happened had the Austrians and/or Russians marched for Berlin after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kunersdorf Kunersdorf]] or had Elizabeth of Russia not died when she did, or had someone attacked Prussia immediately after the war, when it was bankrupt and devastated. It's really a wonder Prussia survived the war at all, let alone came out on top.
* GambitPileup: The most concise way to describe the causes.
* InterserviceRivalry: Between the British regulars in America and the colonial troops, the former mostly regarding the latter as backwoodsy, self-interested incompetents (claimed by some to be the origin of the song "Yankee Doodle", which was originally meant to mock colonial Americans).
* LadyOfWar: Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa
* MadeASlave: Putting a Mickey in people's drinks was a well known recruitment method then.
* MaximumFunChamber: The infamous Black Hole of Calcutta, a tiny guardroom in which over a hundred British and allied troops were crammed by the rebellious Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah; nearly all of them died.[[note]] Many modern historians however doubt this ever happened, or even if it did happen, believe that the horrific details were intentionally exaggerated by the British for propaganda purposes.[[/note]]
** {{Revenge}}: The Battle of Plassey, in which Clive of India defeated Siraj's army despite being outnumbered [[NeverTellMeTheOdds 18 to 1]].
*** Though the fact that the Nawab's commander-in-chief Mir Jafar betrayed him & refused to order the bulk of his army into the battle had more to do with the victory than Clive's military genius or the valour of the British. Truthfully, by the time of the battle almost the entire aristocracy of Bengal & the Nawab's leading officers were conspiring against him with the British.
* MegaCorp: The British East India Company, and its French counterpart, the "Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales", both of which had their own armies and fleets. When Britain and France declared war, the two companies dutifully took up arms against one another.
* MildlyMilitary: Colonial troops often had the outrageous idea that the King should actually ''pay'' them. And were apt to just march off when they weren't paid.
* MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong: As Old Fritz found
* MoreDakka: The Prussian army did not believe in aiming. Instead, they opted to fire as quickly as possible to unnerve the opposing lines.
** Given the inaccuracy of smooth-barreled muskets at distances over 50 or 100 paces, this was a quite realistic attitude to take. At close range given the close formations of the day, Prussian rapid fire was so unnerving because it was so deadly. But things were different with the Prussian Jägers who were armed with rifles.
* NonIndicativeName: It's arguable hostilities between the British Colonists and the French kicked off with an unsuccessful attack by the British on French forts in Farmington PA in 1754, which would mean the Seven Years War lasted for ''Nine'' years.
* OlderThanTheyThink: A war with countries grouping together to form alliances and fighting battles in several regions of the world simultaneously. Many historians argue that this war can be considered the actual First World War--meaning UsefulNotes/WorldWarI is really UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
** Or at least World War V, given the global scale of the War of the Austrian Succession, [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the War of American Independence]], the Wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Partly depending on whether you count the latter as a single war or several separate wars.
* OneLastJob / {{Retirony}}: Montcalm was brought out of retirement to command the French forces in North America, which wasn't considered important at the time he accepted the post. He died during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which ensured British control of the French colonies.
* {{Plunder}}: Practically the entire French Empire. [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Which is why]] it became UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire.
* PetTheDog: Frederick would make plans while feeding his famous hounds.
* UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}: The war kicked off between England and France over who owned the disputed Ohio territory, which today is actually Pittsburgh and the surrounding Western Pennsylvania area (which incidentally is one of the few places in the United States today that actually has any reminders at all that the war even took place on what is today American soil).
* ProudWarriorRace: Just to start with, the Scottish Highlanders. Who would actually take service with the [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships "Sassenaches"]] rather then miss out on [[WarIsGlorious all the fun]].
* RealityIsUnrealistic: A British admiral named Hawke chases a French fleet into a shoal filled bay during a heavy storm to give battle? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Quiberon_Bay That would never happen.]]
* RiverOfInsanity: much of the war centered on the half unknown rivers and lakes in North America which were the main traffic routes through the wilderness.
* [[{{Sequel}} Sequels]]: For Britain, France and Spain: [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution The American War of Independence]], for Prussia and Austria the War of Bavarian Succession (also called the "Potato War") of 1778/79.
* TheSiege: The form of most of the fighting in America took.
** Also quite a few in the European theatre of operations; many fortresses in Silesia changed hands a few times over. In 1758 Frederick wasted precious forces and resorts in the unsuccessful siege of Olmütz (Olomouc). The Pomeranian fortress of Kolberg (Kolobrzeg) sustained two sieges before finally being forced to surrender in the third.
* StiffUpperLip: Wolfe quoting poetry during the assault on Quebec.
** Of course he did have a long boring wait ahead of him and needed something to do.
** This would also be WarriorPoet .
** Frederick the Great ''wrote'' poetry before his battles.
* TrappedBehindEnemyLines: What happened to Rogers Rangers after the St. Francis raid. Indians had captured their boats and many men chose to plunder valuables from the attack instead of food which left them with no quick way home and starving until Rogers took a desperate gamble and managed to reach a fort to send aid back to his men.
* UrbanWarfare: Many of the battles in the Caribbean took this form.
* ViolentGlaswegian: Glasgow was a completely unremarkable fishing village at this time, though it was becoming less poor as a result of the intercontinental trade to Africa, The Americas, and India. The Highland Regiments of the British army, though, were every bit as bloodthirsty and then some.
* WarriorPrince: Frederick, but he was not the only one:
** Charles de Rohan, Prince of Soubise, led his army to ignominious defeat at Rossbach.
** Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, an Austrian commander, laid down his command after being defeated at Leuthen.
** Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, commander of the Allied Army in Northwestern Germany (British, Hanoverian, Hessian, Brunswick, Prussian etc. troops). He was successor to the rather less than successful Duke of Cumberland.
** Prince Henry of Prussia, another independent army commander, whom his brother Frederick described as the only general of the war who did not make a single mistake.
** Marshal Victor Francois, Duke of Broglie, one of the more successful French commanders who was one of the first to organize his forces into permanent divisions instead of ever-changing ad hoc formations.
** Count William, ruler of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, considered the supreme artillery commander of the era, first served under Ferdinand of Brunswick, then went on to command the Portuguese army in its successful defense against the Spanish invasion.
* WeHaveReserves: Russia ''always'' has reserves.
* TheWildWest: the ''old'' Wild West.
* WoodenShipsAndIronMen
* WorthyOpponent: Montcalm
** John Manners, Marquess of Granby, who impressed the French general the Duc de Broglie so much that de Broglie commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint his portrait.
* YouHaveFailedMe: English Admiral John Byng managed to lose Minorca to the French, mainly by sticking too closely to the official [[BigBookOfWar Fighting Instructions]]. He was promptly convicted by the Admiralty of "failing to do his utmost" and executed on his own quarterdeck.
** Cue Voltaire: "In this country we find it pays to shoot an admiral from time to time to encourage the others."
** The same thing happened to Thomas Arthur, Count of Lally, Baron of Tollendal, who was beheaded for havng lost most of (then) French India to the British. Voltaire played a big part in his rehabilitation. One might say that Montcalm, who died during the Siege of Quebec, was lucky.
* YouKilledMyFather: The Marquis de La Fayette's father was killed fighting against a British-Hanoverian army in the battle of Minden (1759); he decided to get his own back in the next war against Britain.

----

* {{Pittsburgh}}: The war kicked off between England and France over who owned the disputed Ohio territory, which today is actually Pittsburgh and the surrounding Western Pennsylvania area (which incidentally is one of the few places in the United States today that actually has any reminders at all that the war even took place on what is today American soil).

* InterserviceRivalry: Between the British regulars in America and the colonial troops, the former mostly regarding the latter as backwoodsy, self-interested incompetents (claimed by some to be the origin of the song "Yankee Doodle", which was originally meant to mock colonial Americans). Of course, this can be seen as {{Foreshadowing}} for what came later...

* {{Prequel}}: to UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution
** Also to Pontiac's Uprising.

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: George Washington got an EarlyBirdCameo.

* WhamEpisode: Compared to the previous wars of the 18th century, especially the War of the Austrian Succession about a decade before, which was almost as global in scale yet hit the ResetButton at the peace. The Seven Years' War on the other hand changed the world forever.
** Though really mainly from a British and American point of view, and even there the results were appreciably revised in [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the sequel]].
** In Europe it was the other way around, the result was a confirmation of the changes caused by the War of Austrian Succession, Prussia keeping Silesia and maintaining its position as the fifth major European power. And Britain losing its base on Minorca.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: just pick. But Quiberon Bay was arguably the Royal Navy's CrowningMomentOfAwesome of the century.
** After the battle of Leuthen (arguably his greatest victory), Frederick II rode ahead with a few officers to look for a place to sleep. He came to the castle of Lissa, which he found as he entered, was filled to the brim with Austrian Officers and soldiers. With complete sang froid, he said: "Bonsoir, messieurs. Is there still room here?" The Austrians, thinking that the king had come with his army quickly fled, missing an easy chance to capture him.
** After winning major battles in Germany (Minden), Canada, India and Quiberon Bay, 1759 became known as a Crowning Year of Awesome for Britain (hence 'Heart of Oak', see page quote). It was named the ''Annus Mirabilis'', the Year of Miracles or Year of Victories. HMS ''Victory'', future flagship of Lord Nelson, was laid down at the time and named after the year.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: "Come Cheer up my lads 'tis to glory we steer..."
** The Prussian army spontaneously singing the chorale "Now Thank We All Our God" after the battle of Leuthen (1757). Hey, coming out of a heavily-fought fight against an army three times your size and utterly defeating it, you'd feel grateful to the Almighty!

* MagnificentBastard: Frederick the Great. If anyone qualifies, assuredly Old Fritz does.

*** [[RunningGag From a third point of view]] it would also be realistic to say that UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies were a hotbed of war and turmoil vulnerable to each other and Bigger Fish. Even if Hanover avoided fighting Britain's enemies it probably would have fought others. As long as Hanover kept the alliance and fought for British interests, Britain fought to prevent her from being gobbled up by more powerful neighbors like the French Invasion that happened in this year. And coincidentally enough, when the alliance fell apart UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismark conquered and annexed the country in 1866...

*** [[RunningGag From a third point of view]] it would also be realistic to say that UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies were a hotbed of war and turmoil vulnerable to each other and Bigger Fish. Even if Hanover avoided fighting Britain's enemies it probably would have fought others. As long as Hanover kept the alliance and fought for British interests, Britain fought to prevent her from being gobbled up by more powerful neighbors like the French Invasion that happened in this year. And coincidentally enough, when the alliance fell apart OttoVonBismark conquered and annexed the country in 1866...

* HeelFaceTurn / FaceHeelTurn (depending whose side you were on): The Treaty of Saint Petersburg in 1762, when Russia dropped out of the anti-Prussian coalition due to the accession of the [[strike: Germanophile]] Prussophile Tsar Peter III.
** Austria and Prussia also swapped alliance systems relative to the last war in a bid to gain more advantage. At the time, this was known as the "Stately Quadrille", the quadrille being a contemporary dance where one changed partners.
*** It was also referred to as the Reversal of Alliances, seen as very remarkable because it involved Austria and France, traditional enemies since the turn of the 15th and 16th century, making an alliance to cut down the upstart Prussia down to size.

* ProudWarriorRace: Just to start with, the Scottish Highlanders. Who would actually take service with the [[BritsWithBattleships "Sassenaches"]] rather then miss out on [[WarIsGlorious all the fun]].