The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, with the aim of ending the Seven Years' War. Great Britain, France, Portugal and Spain were signatories.
Definition
It was a peace agreement, which ended the military threats against the British colonies.
Negotiations resulted from an agreement with the King of France, Louis XV, in March 1762. France was exhausted after the British victory that marked the conquest of French territory in Canada.
Ending the conflict was also in the English interest. Britain was exhausted by the Seven Years' War and the efforts of the conflict had exhausted Britain's ability to borrow.
There were several attempts at negotiations prior to these facts. All diplomatic agreements came up against the territorial issue.
In addition to the involvement between France and Britain, there was the issue of Spain. The Spanish king refused to hand over Cuba.
Redistribution of Territories
The final proposal was the redistribution of territory belonging to France, Spain and Great Britain. Great Britain took all French territory east of the Mississippi, Spain kept Cuba, but had to hand over Florida to the British.
In return, France took possession of India, territories in Africa, and the Caribbean, which was under British control.
The British government allowed Canadians on the French side to practice Catholicism and granted them the right to fish.
The Caribbean islands that came into French possession were rich in sugar production. For this reason, the diplomats who negotiated the agreement decided to keep them under Frankish control. Although the Canadian territory was larger, to the French government they compensated the islands for their commercial production.
The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1763. In the same period, the Spanish received Louisiana from France, as part of the Treaty of San Ildefonso.
Under the treaty, Portugal, which fought on the side of Great Britain, retained the colony of Sacramento.
Better understand this content. Also Read :
- Seven Years War
- The Seven Peoples of Missions
- Independence of the United States