Annus Mirabilis of 1759
The Annus Mirabilis of 1759 took place in the context of the Seven Years' War and Great Britain's military success against French-led opponents on several continents. The term is taken from Latin and is used to mean year of miracles or year of wonders.
It was particularly well received by the British public as it came following several years of disasters since the beginning of hostilities in 1754 marked by the loss of Minorca and defeats at Monongahela, Oswego and Fort William Henry. The British had entered the year anticipating a French invasion of Britain, but ended it dominant in all theatres in which they faced France.
In North America the British drove the French out of the Ohio Country, conquered Quebec and captured Guadeloupe in the West Indies. In India they repulsed a French attack on Madras. In Europe British troops took part in a major Allied victory at the Battle of Minden. The Royal Navy won the sea battles at Lagos and Quiberon Bay ending any real prospect of a French invasion. Britain gained almost total supremacy of the seas, which it would retain for more than a century and a half.
The succession of victories led Horace Walpole to remark "our bells are worn threadbare ringing for victories".[1] Several of the triumphs assumed an iconic place in the eyes of the British public, and this was borne out by representations in art and music. Historians have identified 1759 as the year when Britain eclipsed France as a global power and it lay the foundation for two and a half centuries of dominance by the Anglosphere.[2] Much of the credit for the British success was given to William Pitt, the Secretary of State who directed strategy rather than to the Prime Minister, the Duke of Newcastle.
A similarly successful year for the British in 1762 in which they resisted a Franco-Spanish Invasion of Portugal, captured Martinique from France and Havana and Manilla from Spain led some to describe it as the "Second Annus Mirablis".
See also
References
Bibliography
- Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766. Faber and Faber, 2001
- Longmate, Norman. Island Fortress: The Defence of Great Britain, 1603-1945. Harper Collins, 1993
- McLynn, Frank. 1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World. Pimlico, 2005.
- Simms, Brendan. Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire. Penguin Books (2008)