1745

1745 was a year in the middle of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), a large European conflict that extended into colonial theaters. In Europe, the campaign season featured the Battle of Fontenoy on May 11, 1745, where a French army under Maurice de Saxe defeated the Allied Pragmatic Army, preserving French influence in the Low Countries for the near term. The war also involved operations in various theaters as Britain and its allies sought to constrain French power across Europe, the Atlantic, and beyond.

In North America, the conflict continued as part of King George’s War, the North American component of the wider war. A major development was the fall of the fortress of Louisbourg on Île-Royale (Cape Breton Island) to a New England–led expedition after a siege in 1745. The capture represented a significant strategic victory for the British and altered control of Atlantic coastal routes, though Louisbourg would be returned to France after the 1748 peace negotiations.

In Scotland, 1745 marked the opening phase of the Jacobite rising. Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, landed in Scotland and quickly raised forces. The Jacobite army achieved an early success at the Battle of Prestonpans on September 21, 1745, and moved through parts of the Scottish Lowlands and into northern England before the rebellion was ultimately suppressed, with decisive defeat at Culloden occurring the following year.

Overall, 1745 saw major military activity across Europe, North America, and Britain, reflecting the global scope of 18th-century wars and the era’s dynastic politics.