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In this episode, we watch Europe's diplomatic world turn upside down. For more than two centuries, the bourbon kings of France and the Hapsburg emperors of Austria had defined themselves inn opposition to one another, fighting over Italy, Germany, the Low Countries, and anything else that came within arm's reach. But by the 1750's the od rivalry was non longer useful. the loss of Silesia had shake Austria to it's core, France found itself stumbling into colonial confrontations with Britain, and Prussia's sudden rise had destabilized the entire continental balance. As the old order cracked, a new one began to take shape.

At the center of the transformation stood Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz, the quiet Austrian statesman whose long-game thinking changed the course of European history. While Maria Theresa rebuilt her monarchy and plotted her revenge against Fredrick the Great, Kaunitz patiently cultivated an alliance that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. Inn Paris, the French court drifted between factions and indecision until Madame de Pompadour- diplomat, taskmaster, and royal confidant- emerged as the unexpected hinge betweennn the two empires. What followed was a slow, deliberate courtship conducted through carefully crafted letters, subtle flattery, and the recognition that Britain, not Austria, had become France's true rival.

As Britain edged closer to Prussia, to protect Hanover, as Russia grew increasingly hostile toward Fredrick, the diplomatic plates shifted in dramatic fashion. Inn may of 1756, Austria and France signed the First Treaty of Versailles, stunning every court inn Europe. The traditional enemies were now allies, the old alliances were dead, and a new more dangerous alignment emerged. Austria, France, and Russia now formed a continent bloc aimed squarely at Prussia, while Britain, panicked and opportunistic found itself tied to Fredrick's fate in a way no one in London fully appreciated.

For fredrick the Great, this wa the nightmare scenario that he had been predicting for years. Encircled, threatened, and running out of options, he made the fateful decision to strike first. In August of 1756, Prussian troops marched into Saxony, lighting the fuse that would ignite the Seven Year's War. The Diplomats Revolution was complete. The old word was gone. And before the continent went up in flames, the first sparks would fly far to the south on a rocky Mediterranean island callled Minorca.

If this kind of history hits your sweet spot, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. What moment shocked you most: the Versailles signatures or Frederick’s dash into Saxony?

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There was a brief dead spot around the 8:30 mark of Episode 5. I found it, fixed it and reuploaded the episode. Please feel free to send me any feedback like that when you find those things, but hopefully, I figure out how to do this at some point, ha ha ha ha! Enjoy!

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A neat plan met a messy world. We follow the Empire’s triangular strategy for 1755—Crown Point, Niagara, and Beauséjour—and watch how fog, friction, and human choices bent it into something far larger than a frontier war. It starts at sea, where Admiral Edward Boscawen’s strike against a French convoy near Newfoundland captured troops and sealed orders, guaranteed British control of vital Atlantic routes, and detonated the fiction of peace. That single decision rippled across continents, accelerating privateering, straining diplomacy, and starving New France of reinforcements when it needed them most.

On land, the story splits three ways. Sir William Johnson’s northern push reads like a lesson in improvisation: provincial militias and Mohawk allies under King Hendrick hold fast behind makeshift works at Lake George, blunt Baron Dieskau’s attack, and prove that colonial troops can stand without redcoats. The cost is real—the Covenant Chain frays with Hendrick’s death—and the limits are clear: Crown Point remains French, logistics remain brittle, and diplomacy grows harder. Westward, Governor William Shirley discovers that memoranda cannot conquer rivers. His march toward Fort Niagara collapses into mud, disease, and delay at Oswego. No fort falls, yet a strategic foothold takes shape, forcing France to cover Lake Ontario and seeding the infrastructure future commanders will need.

Far to the east, Colonel Robert Monckton executes the cleanest tactical win of the year at Fort Beauséjour. Artillery, naval support, and seasoned New Englanders reduce the earthworks in days, opening Nova Scotia’s door—and ushering in the Acadian deportation under Governor Charles Lawrence. The result is imperial security along the Atlantic and a lasting moral wound as thousands are scattered, families broken, and communities erased. By winter, Britain has fought a war it refuses to name: accidental victories, painful lessons, and a Navy that quietly globalized the conflict. We connect the dots between fog-bound broadsides and forest skirmishes to show how 1755’s messy beginnings shaped everything that followed.

Listen to unpack the choices, contradictions, and consequences that turned a regional struggle into the Seven Years’ War. If this deep dive sparked new questions, subscribe, share the show with a history-loving friend, and leave a quick review to help others find us.