250 years ago today marked the end of the Seven Years’ War. (Five days prior saw the end of the French-Indian War, which was the North American front of the Seven Years’ War.)
When Russia finally emerged from the conflict, Austria realized that, by itself, it could never win the war. Both powers decided, therefore, to sit at the negotiating table and try to bring to an end a conflict that had gone on too long and was no longer sustainable by either side. The negotiations for reaching peace were led by Augustus III of Saxony, King of Poland, and took place at the his castle in Hubertusberg.
On 15 February 1763 the two powers signed the Treaty of Hubertusberg, which essentially brought the geo-political structure of Europe back to the status quo ante, i.e., to the structure as it was in 1756, prior to the conflict. Following the agreements, Prussia saw itself reconfirmed as a sovereign state in its territorial integrity and kept possession of Silesia. Austria had to abandon any ambitions of regaining Silesia, for which it had spent seven years of bitter war.
On 10 February 1763, a few days before the signing of the Treaty of Hubertusberg, France and Britain had signed a peace treaty in Paris that he had finally put an end to their long conflict. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French-Indian War, which involved most of the European countries and their colonies.
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| Hubertusburg Castle (photo: imageshack.us) |
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