Directory

1745 CE

A year defined by the Jacobite rising of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the French victory at the Battle of Fontenoy, and the death of Emperor Charles VII reshaping European alliances.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • Emperor Charles VII of Bavaria died on January 20, removing the rival claimant to the Habsburg throne and simplifying Maria Theresa's diplomatic position.
  • Maria Theresa's husband Francis Stephen of Lorraine was elected Holy Roman Emperor as Francis I in September, restoring Habsburg control of the imperial title.
  • The Treaty of Füssen in April took Bavaria out of the war, as the new Elector Maximilian III Joseph made peace with Austria.
  • Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender, landed in Scotland in August to claim the British throne for the exiled Stuart dynasty.
  • France continued its alliance with Prussia and Spain against Austria and Britain in the ongoing War of the Austrian Succession.
  • The Dutch Republic was increasingly threatened by French advances in the Austrian Netherlands.
  • Sardinia maintained its alliance with Austria and Britain, fighting French and Spanish forces in northern Italy.
  • The Convention of Hanover brought together Austria, Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Saxony against Prussia.
  • Frederick the Great secured an alliance with France to coordinate military operations against Austria.
  • Portuguese neutrality continued as the kingdom focused on its colonial trade empire in Brazil and Asia.

Conflict & Security

  • The Battle of Fontenoy on May 11 was a decisive French victory under Marshal Saxe over the Pragmatic Army in the Austrian Netherlands.
  • Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan in August, beginning the last serious Stuart attempt to reclaim the British throne.
  • The Jacobite army defeated government forces at the Battle of Prestonpans near Edinburgh in September.
  • Jacobite forces marched south into England, reaching as far as Derby in December before retreating to Scotland.
  • Frederick the Great defeated Austrian forces at the Battle of Hohenfriedberg in June during the Second Silesian War.
  • The Siege of Louisbourg saw New England colonial forces capture the French fortress on Cape Breton Island in June.
  • Prussian forces won the Battle of Soor in September, further demonstrating Frederick's military prowess.
  • French forces conquered much of the Austrian Netherlands, capturing key fortresses and cities.
  • Spanish and French forces fought Austrian and Sardinian troops in the battles for control of northern Italy.
  • The Madras Presidency of the British East India Company faced threats from French colonial forces in southern India.

Economy & Finance

  • The Jacobite rising caused financial panic in London, with a run on the Bank of England briefly threatening the credit system.
  • French military successes in the Austrian Netherlands disrupted trade routes through the Low Countries.
  • The capture of Louisbourg by colonial forces disrupted French fishing and trade operations in the North Atlantic.
  • War costs continued to mount for all belligerents, with national debts growing across Europe.
  • The British East India Company's trade with India expanded despite the military threat from French forces.
  • Silesian industries remained under Prussian control, contributing to the growing Prussian economy.
  • The tobacco trade from Virginia and Maryland continued to enrich British colonial merchants.
  • Wartime disruptions affected the wine trade between France and its traditional markets.
  • Swedish copper and iron exports remained vital to the country's economy and European industry.
  • Agricultural output across Europe was adequate, avoiding the famine conditions seen earlier in the decade.

Technology & Infrastructure

  • Ewald Georg von Kleist invented the Leyden jar, an early electrical capacitor, independently of Pieter van Musschenbroek.
  • The fortifications of the Austrian Netherlands were tested and many fell to French siege warfare techniques.
  • Road conditions in the Scottish Highlands hampered military movements during the Jacobite rising.
  • British naval technology maintained superiority, with well-designed ships of the line dominating Atlantic waters.
  • Improvements in musket manufacturing increased the output of arms factories across Europe.
  • The construction of military roads in Scotland, begun by General Wade, proved inadequate during the Jacobite campaign.
  • Canal construction in France continued to expand the network of inland waterways for commerce.
  • Clockmaking technology advanced with improved anchor escapement mechanisms for greater accuracy.
  • Mining ventilation improvements allowed deeper coal extraction in the coalfields of northern England.
  • Agricultural tools remained largely unchanged, with the wooden plow still dominant across most of Europe.

Science & Discovery

  • Pieter van Musschenbroek at the University of Leiden independently developed the Leyden jar, enabling the storage of electrical charge.
  • Leonhard Euler published numerous mathematical papers from the Berlin Academy, advancing analysis and mechanics.
  • Charles Bonnet discovered parthenogenesis in aphids, demonstrating reproduction without fertilization.
  • Mikhail Lomonosov delivered lectures on chemistry at the St. Petersburg Academy, advancing Russian science.
  • The study of atmospheric electricity continued with experiments using the newly developed Leyden jar.
  • French geodesic expeditions continued to refine measurements of the Earth's circumference.
  • Botanical gardens across Europe received specimens from colonial expeditions, expanding scientific knowledge of global flora.
  • The Royal Society of London published papers on diverse scientific topics including optics and natural history.
  • Astronomical catalogs were updated with new observations from European observatories.
  • The classification of minerals and rocks advanced as European naturalists studied geological formations.

Health & Medicine

  • Battlefield casualties at Fontenoy and other engagements overwhelmed military medical services on all sides.
  • The Middlesex Hospital was founded in London, expanding medical care for the growing urban population.
  • Smallpox inoculation gained further acceptance in Britain, though opposition remained among some physicians and clergy.
  • Camp fever and dysentery continued to kill more soldiers than enemy fire during the European campaigns.
  • The training of military surgeons improved as the scale of warfare demanded more skilled practitioners.
  • Herbal pharmacopoeia remained the basis for most medical treatments across Europe.
  • Maternal mortality remained high, with complications of childbirth a leading cause of death among women.
  • The first systematic studies of occupational diseases began to appear in European medical literature.
  • Public water supplies in major European cities remained contaminated, contributing to endemic disease.
  • The understanding of infectious disease remained limited, with miasma theory dominating medical thinking.

Climate & Environment

  • Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 277 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
  • Weather conditions across Europe were generally favorable for agriculture, providing some relief from earlier shortages.
  • Deforestation in the Scottish Highlands continued as timber was harvested for fuel and construction.
  • The expansion of sheep grazing in highland areas began to alter the landscape of Scotland and Wales.
  • Whaling in the North Atlantic expanded as European nations sought whale oil for lighting and lubrication.
  • The fur trade in North America continued to drive the hunting of beaver, mink, and other animals.
  • Coastal erosion remained a concern along the North Sea coast, particularly in the Netherlands and East Anglia.
  • Mining waste from tin and copper mines in Cornwall contaminated local waterways.
  • The management of royal forests in France continued under strict regulation to preserve timber reserves.
  • Tropical deforestation in the Caribbean continued as new sugar plantations were established.

Culture & Society

  • The Jacobite rising stirred romantic and political passions in Scotland, becoming a defining moment in Highland culture.
  • Madame de Pompadour became the official mistress of King Louis XV of France, exerting significant cultural and political influence.
  • Jonathan Swift died on October 19 in Dublin, leaving a legacy as one of the greatest satirists in the English language.
  • The Mannheim school of music continued to develop the symphonic form, influencing orchestral composition.
  • Canaletto's paintings of Venice and London captured urban landscapes with remarkable detail and precision.
  • The Enlightenment continued to spread through coffeehouses, salons, and published works across Europe.
  • Scottish clan culture was profoundly affected by the Jacobite rising, which would lead to the dismantling of the clan system.
  • The colonial press in British America grew more active, with newspapers published in most major port cities.
  • Religious revivalism continued in the American colonies through the lingering influence of the Great Awakening.
  • The world population was approximately 764 million.