Second Hundred Years' War

Quick Facts: Who was Second Hundred Years' War?

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Second Hundred Years' War

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A historical periodization describing continuous Anglo-French rivalry for global dominance (1688–1815).

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Origins & Early Life

The Second Hundred Years' War is a periodization coined by the English historian John Robert Seeley in his work The Expansion of England (1883). Seeley used the periodization to describe the series of wars fought between England (and from 1707 onwards, Great Britain) and France that occurred between 1688 and 1815 as one continuous conflict for global dominance. These conflicts include the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, War of the Austrian Succession, Seven Years' War, American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The concept of a "Second Hundred Years' War" has not been widely accepted in academia and has been challenged by several historians, who question whether it accurately reflects the complex and distinct Anglo-French conflicts during that period. The Second Hundred Years' War is named after the Hundred Years' War, which occurred in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Like the Hundred Years' War, this term does not describe a single military event but a persistent general state of war between the two primary belligerents. The use of the phrase as an overarching category indicates the interrelation of all the wars as components of the rivalry between France and Britain for world power. It was a war between and over the future of each state's colonial empires. The two countries remained continual antagonists even as their national identities underwent significant evolution. Great Britain was not a single state until 1707, prior to which it was the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland, albeit with a shared Crown and military establishment.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1801, Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom. The period also saw France under the Bourbon dynasty, the regimes of the French Revolution and the First Empire. The various wars between the two states during the 18th century usually involved other European countries in large alliances; except for the War of the Quadruple Alliance when they were bound by the Anglo-French Alliance, France and Britain always opposed one another. Some of the wars, such as the Seven Years' War, have been considered world wars and included battles in the growing colonies in India, the Americas, and ocean shipping routes around the globe. The series of wars began with the accession of the Dutch William III as King of England in the Revolution of 1688.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1688: 1688 Milestone — The series of wars began with the accession of the Dutch William III as King of England in the Revolution of 1688.
2. 1707: 1707 Milestone — Seeley used the periodization to describe the series of wars fought between England (and from 1707 onwards, Great Britain) and France that occurred between 1688 and 1815 as one continuous conflict for global dominance.
3. 1801: 1801 Milestone — In 1801, Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom.
4. 1883: 1883 Milestone — The Second Hundred Years' War is a periodization coined by the English historian John Robert Seeley in his work The Expansion of England (1883).

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Second Hundred Years' War

True or False: “The concept of the Second Hundred Years' War is universally accepted by modern academic historians.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Several historians have challenged this periodization, questioning if it accurately reflects the complex and distinct Anglo-French conflicts.

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