Was the century-long struggle between Britain and France actually one continuous global war?
Historian John Robert Seeley coined the term Second Hundred Years' War to describe the relentless rivalry between Britain and France from 1688 to 1815. While debated by academics, this framework views their colonial and naval clashes not as isolated incidents, but as a singular, persistent struggle for world dominance.
The concept of a Second Hundred Years' War, introduced in 1883, serves as a periodization for the series of conflicts between Britain and France that spanned from the Revolution of 1688 to the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815. Rather than a single military campaign, the term characterizes a state of near-constant antagonism between two powers vying for global hegemony. This rivalry evolved significantly over time, shifting from religious tensions under William III to a fierce competition for trade, colonial territory, and the maintenance of a European balance of power.
Throughout the 18th century, these conflicts often escalated into global wars, with battles erupting across India, the Americas, and vital maritime trade routes. Britain’s ascendancy as a naval and commercial power was solidified by the end of the Seven Years' War, which saw the destruction of French colonial influence in North America and India. However, France later sought to undermine British power by supporting the American Revolution, a move that drained the French treasury and inadvertently accelerated the onset of the French Revolution.
The era concluded with the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, during which Britain led multiple coalitions against French republican and imperial forces. The conflict effectively ended at the Battle of Waterloo, leading to Napoleon’s exile and the restoration of the French monarchy. While the term remains contested among historians who argue it oversimplifies the distinct nature of these individual wars, it highlights the interconnectedness of the Anglo-French struggle that defined the geopolitical landscape of the early modern period.
Following 1815, the two nations moved toward a period of consolidation and eventual alignment. By the early 20th century, shared concerns over the rising power of the German Empire led to the Entente Cordiale in 1904, which resolved long-standing colonial disputes and marked a definitive shift from centuries of intermittent warfare toward a formal, cooperative relationship.
Source: Second Hundred Years' War
