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.
The 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 the Canada.
The end of the conflict was also of British 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 events. All diplomatic agreements bumped into the territorial issue.
In addition to the involvement between France and Great Britain, there was the issue of Spain. The Spanish king did not accept to hand over Cuba.
Redistribution of Territories
The final proposal was the redistribution of territory belonging to France, Spain and Great Britain. Britain got all the French territory east of Mississippi, Spain kept Cuba, but had to hand over Florida to the British.
In exchange, 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 were in French possession were rich in sugar production. For this reason, the diplomats who negotiated the agreement decided to keep them under frank control. Although the Canadian territory was larger, for 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 Spaniards received Louisiana from France, as part of the Treaty of Saint Ildefonso.
By treaty, Portugal, which fought alongside Great Britain, kept the colony of Sacramento.
Understand this content better. Read too:
- Seven Years War
- The Seven Peoples of the Missions
- United States Independence
