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91-578: Originally named "Ile Rouge" due to its red coloured soil. In 1768 the French claimed possession of the island, naming it after the schooner "La Curieuse", a ship that was under the command of explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne . Like a number of islands in the Seychelles, there was a native giant tortoise population that was quickly extirpated. In 1829, Curieuse was first used as a leper colony , and it functioned in this capacity until 1965. This helped protect

182-479: A Franco-Bavarian army was defeated at Pfaffenhofen on 15 April. With most of his electorate once again occupied, on 22 April he signed the Treaty of Füssen , in which he agreed to vote for Francis Stephen as Emperor, and made peace with Austria. Prussia was now isolated; attempts by Frederick to divide his opponents by supporting Frederick Augustus of Saxony for Emperor were unsuccessful, while neither Britain or Russia

273-726: A French army invaded the Austrian Netherlands . As in 1744, they were greatly helped by divisions between the Pragmatic Allies, making it very difficult to formulate a consistent strategy. The British and Hanoverians detested each other, Austrian resources were focused in Alsace , while the Dutch were reluctant to declare war on France, and unsuccessfully tried to persuade Louis to withdraw. The Dutch however did want to protect their Barrier fortresses and Isaac Cronström thus argued to engage

364-522: A bad reputation as a dangerous land unsuitable for colonisation, and challenged the stereotypes of Pacific Islanders as noble savages then prevalent in Europe. There are different possible reasons for the Maori military assault on the landing site, including that the chief Te Kauri (Te Kuri) considered that Marion was a threat to his authority or Te Kauri became concerned at the economic effect of supplying food for

455-634: A claim to the Habsburg lands. Charles was also seeking to ensure the succession of Maria Theresa not just to her family lands but the titles and powers of the Holy Roman Emperor . Although held by a Habsburg for over 300 years, it was an elective position and could not be held by a woman. The problem was exacerbated by tensions within the Holy Roman Empire , caused by dramatic increases in the size and power of Bavaria, Prussia, and Saxony, mirrored by

546-423: A detailed study of the habits and customs of Maoris including greetings, sexual mores, fishing methods, the role of females, the making of fern root paste, the killing of prisoners and cannibalism. In these months there were two instances where Maoris were detained. The first had sneaked on board ship and stolen a cutlass. He was detained for a brief period to give him a fright, then released to his friends. Later

637-604: A farm 'Le Fresne' near the village of Saint-Jean-sur-Vilaine and styled himself Marion Dufresne (or in some instances Dufresne-Marion). He was never known simply as (or signed himself) 'Du Fresne', but this has become a familiar appellation in New Zealand and Tasmania. He first went to sea in 1741 on a voyage to Cadiz aboard the 22-gun Saint-Ésprit . During the War of the Austrian Succession Marion commanded several ships as

728-516: A one-month period as the ships were prepared for departure. A month later on 7 July Roux searched Te Kauri's deserted pa and found a sailor's cooked head on a spike, as well as human bones near a fire. They left on 12 July 1772. The French buried a bottle at Waipoa on Moturua, containing the arms of France and a formal statement taking possession of the whole country, with the name of "France Australe." However, both published and unpublished accounts of Marion's death circulated widely, giving New Zealand

819-467: A population of 16 million, Austria had an authorised standing army of 157,000, although financial restraints meant its true size was considerably less than that in 1740. Since they had a much greater area to defend, their army was more of "a sieve" than a shield against foreign invasion. In contrast, the Prussian Army was better trained and led than its opponents, while its standing army of 80,000

910-668: A privateer, including the Prince de Conty where he transported Charles Edward Stuart from Scotland to France. In the Seven Years' War , he was engaged in various naval operations including taking the astronomer Alexandre Guy Pingré to observe the 1761 transit of Venus in the Indian Ocean. In January 1762 Marion received a grant of 625 argents of land at Quartier Militaire in Mauritius . Although he returned to France in 1764 and 1767, he made

1001-527: A proposed invasion of Britain , aimed at restoring the exiled Stuarts , and over the winter, 12,000 French troops and transports were assembled at Dunkirk . In the February 1744 Battle of Toulon , a combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought an indecisive action with a British naval force commanded by Admiral Mathews . Although Mathews prevented them exiting the Mediterranean and supporting the invasion attempt, he

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1092-545: A result, the French made rapid progress, quickly capturing most of the Dutch-held Barrier fortresses along the border, including Menen and Ypres . When an Austrian army under Prince Charles of Lorraine invaded Alsace in early June, Louis went on the defensive in the Southern Netherlands , and travelled to Metz to meet this threat. In early August, he fell dangerously ill with smallpox , a disease often fatal at

1183-560: A second column under Johann Bärenklau moved through the Tyrol , towards Munich . On 17 January, von Khevenhüller defeated a Bavarian army at Schärding while seven days later 10,000 French soldiers surrendered at Linz. On 12 February, Charles Albert of Bavaria was crowned Emperor Charles VII, the first non-Habsburg to hold the position in 300 years, although Bärenklau captured Munich the same day. Although technically all allies, Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria had no desire to see France established in

1274-465: A town of far less importance to Maria Theresa than Bohemia. Frederick was left dangerously exposed, a situation worsened in early October when Saxony joined the coalition against him as an active belligerent. Under pressure from Charles of Lorraine and a combined Austro-Saxon force under Count Traun , the Prussians were forced to retreat; by the time they entered Silesia in late November, Frederick's army

1365-407: A volunteer group that focuses on conservation of the island and surveys local fish, coral , turtle and coco de mer numbers. Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (22 May 1724 – 12 June 1772) was a French privateer, East India captain and explorer. The expedition he led to find the hypothetical Terra Australis in 1771 made important geographic discoveries in

1456-521: A winter offensive to retake Upper Austria, and attack Bavaria. While Frederick completed his conquest of Silesia, a French force under Maurice de Saxe took Prague on 26 November 1741, allowing the Bavarian elector, Charles Albert , to be crowned King of Bohemia . The year ended with Khevenhüller decisively defeating a bigger Franco-Bavarian army at Sankt Pölten and advancing up the Danube towards Linz, while

1547-417: Is disputed; one suggestion is that it was a fabrication by Frederick, designed to remove anti-Prussian opponents, chiefly Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin . Anna Bestuzhev, wife of his brother Mikhail, and her friend Natalia Lopukhina , confessed to the plot after 25 days of torture; they were publicly flogged, and had their tongues removed before being exiled to Siberia . Fredrick's supporters referred to it as

1638-412: Is traversed by a walkway for park visitors. The island is also known for coco de mer palms, giant takamaka trees, a large hawksbill turtle rookery and several bird species, such as the rare Seychelles black parrot Coracopis nigra barklyi , a parrot found only here and on Praslin. Though black parrots are found here, it is worth noting no breeding has been recorded to occur. Instead it is recorded in

1729-528: The Curieuse Marine National Park in order to protect the native wildlife. Between 1978 and 1982, a conservation project relocated Aldabra giant tortoise from Aldabra to Curieuse. Today, it is the home of more than 300 Aldabra giant tortoise , some staying around the Ranger's Station and the rest roaming around elsewhere on the island. On the southern part of the island is a mangrove swamp that

1820-751: The Austrian Netherlands , Italy , the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea . Related conflicts include King George's War in North America , the War of Jenkins' Ear , the First Carnatic War , and the First and Second Silesian Wars . Its pretext was the right of Maria Theresa to succeed her father, Emperor Charles VI , as ruler of the Habsburg monarchy . France , Prussia , and Bavaria saw it as an opportunity to challenge Habsburg power, while Maria Theresa

1911-510: The Austrian Netherlands , along with a wider naval conflict. The war itself can be divided into three separate but connected conflicts, the first being the Silesian Wars between Prussia and Austria. In the second, Austria and Sardinia defeated Spanish attacks in Northern Italy , while the third featured an increasingly global contest between Britain and France. In the end, French conquest of

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2002-455: The Austrian Netherlands , but was close to bankruptcy due to the cost of the war and a crippling British naval blockade. The stalemate led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which confirmed Maria Theresa in her titles but failed to resolve underlying tensions between the signatories, many of whom were unhappy with the terms. France achieved minimal gains for vast expenditure, while the Spanish gained

2093-517: The British Crown , was vulnerable to Prussian attacks, while many British politicians felt they received little benefit from the enormous subsidies paid to Austria. The result was the realignment known as the Diplomatic Revolution . Austria and France ended the rivalry which had dominated European affairs for centuries, while Prussia allied with Great Britain. These changes set the scene for

2184-471: The Duchies of Parma , Piacenza and Guastalla . Prussia, often considered the clearest winner, acquired Silesia from Austria, an outcome that undermined the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance , since Maria Theresa deeply resented Britain's insistence she cede Silesia to make peace and made it her main objective to regain it. At the same time, the war demonstrated that Hanover, then held in personal union with

2275-511: The Kingdom of Naples was unsuccessful, largely due to the incompetence of their commanders. In the north, arguments over strategy, and Spanish accusations of French cowardice at Toulon prevented them from taking full advantage of their victories earlier in the year. This was offset by similar divisions among their opponents; Charles Emmanuel was reluctant to see the Bourbons expelled from Italy, leaving

2366-591: The Marquis d'Ormea . On 1 February 1742, Schulenburg and Ormea signed the Convention of Turin which resolved (or postponed resolution) many differences and formed an alliance between the two countries. In 1742, field marshal Count Traun held his own with ease against the Spanish and Neapolitans. On 19 August 1742, Naples was forced by the arrival of a British naval squadron in Naples ' own harbour, to withdraw her 10,000 troops from

2457-462: The Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe). The French established a significant vegetable garden on Moturua Island. Sixty of the French sailors had developed scurvy and were on shore in a tent hospital. They had been invited to visit local Maoris at their pa – a very rare event – and had slept there overnight. Maoris in return had been invited on board the ships and had slept in the ships overnight. The French officers made

2548-574: The Second Pacte de Famille in October, and Louis XV began plans to invade the Austrian Netherlands . The year ended with Saxony agreeing a pact of mutual defence with Austria, leaving Prussia isolated, and facing a renewed offensive as Maria Theresa sought to regain Silesia. Under the 1743 Treaty of Fontainebleau, Louis XV and his uncle, Philip V of Spain agreed on joint action against Britain. This included

2639-642: The Treaty of Worms , intended to expel Spain from Italy. In return for Sardinian support in Lombardy , the Austrians ceded all their territories west of the river Ticino and Lake Maggiore , along with lands south of the Po . In return, Charles Emmanuel renounced his claim to the strategic Duchy of Milan , guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction, and provided 40,000 troops, paid for by Britain. France and Spain responded with

2730-468: The "Botta Conspiracy", alleging the involvement of Austrian envoy Antoniotto Botta Adorno . When Tsarina Elizabeth demanded Botta be punished, Maria Theresa refused, and the episode poisoned the relationship between Austria and Russia. Frederick managed to divide his two main opponents, but Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin remained in place, leaving the overall position unchanged. On 13 September, Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia , Maria Theresa and Britain agreed

2821-688: The Allies to fight on ground of his own choosing. On 11 May, he won a hard-fought victory at Fontenoy , a success that established French dominance in the Netherlands, and caused bitter disputes between the British and Dutch. On 4 June, Frederick won a major victory at Hohenfriedberg , but despite this, Austria and Saxony continued the war. Prussian requests for French support were ignored; Louis had been warned by his ministers state finances were increasingly strained, making it important to focus their efforts. One area

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2912-474: The Allies to win a narrow victory . This was the last time a British monarch would personally lead troops in battle. While the Pragmatic Army were able to continue their retreat, they had to abandon their wounded, and although reinforced by Charles of Lorraine were unable to agree what to do next. Charles later described Allied headquarters as a 'republic', while Adrien Maurice de Noailles told Louis XV he

3003-499: The Austrian Netherlands gave them clear dominance on land, while Britain's victories at sea cemented its place as the dominant naval power. For much of the 18th century, French military strategy focused on potential threats on its eastern and northern borders, which required a strong land army. Its colonies were left to fend for themselves, or given minimal resources, anticipating they would likely be lost anyway. This strategy

3094-631: The Austrians had an army at Tábor , while Neipperg was recalled from Silesia to defend Vienna. Apparently close to defeat, on 21 September Maria Theresa made an emotional speech to the Hungarian Diet in Pressburg . They approved a levée en masse , which ultimately produced 22,000 troops, rather than the promised 60,000, but was an assertion of loyalty long remembered. Maria Theresa was also helped by deep divisions among her opponents and Frederick's duplicity. Hoping to weaken Saxony, on 9 October he signed

3185-658: The Austrians, Charles VII fled to Augsburg , from where he initiated talks with Vienna and London , feeling he had been abandoned by his French allies. Divided at the top, and their troops weakened by disease, the Franco-Bavarian forces offered limited resistance to the Austrian advance; on 9 May, the Bavarians were defeated outside Simbach , by Charles of Lorraine. In mid-June, the Pragmatic Army arrived at Aschaffenburg , on

3276-591: The Continent. They sought to offset the disadvantage this created in Europe by allying themselves with one or more Continental powers whose interests were antithetical to those of their enemies, particularly France. In the War of the Austrian Succession, the British were allied with Austria; by the time of the Seven Years' War , they were allied with its enemy, Prussia . In contrast to France, once Britain became engaged in

3367-475: The Empire, nor to see one another gain relative ground. Maria Theresa ended Austria's secret truce with Frederick, first releasing the details. The Austrians assembled a second army of 28,000 to retake Prague, under Charles of Lorraine . News of the secret truce badly damaged the relationship between Frederick and his allies, but Emperor Charles asked him to relieve the pressure by invading Moravia. Frederick had used

3458-436: The French as if to challenge them, but the French understood enough tikanga to make peace with them by exchanging gifts. No French witness to Marion's death survived and it was some time before his crew were aware of his fate. Two contemporary accounts were written by French officers, Jean Roux and Ambroise du Clesmeur. During the night of 9 June 1772, French sentries at the hospital camp noticed about six Maoris prowling. In

3549-402: The French due to Louis' illness. By mid-September, Frederick had captured Prague, Tabor , Budweis and Frauenberg ; he now advanced up the river Moldau , hoping to catch the Austrians between his forces, and the Franco-Bavarian army he assumed was in pursuit. However, the Bavarians contented themselves with re-occupying Munich, while the French settled down to besiege Freiburg im Breisgau ,

3640-448: The French in the open field. George Wade , supreme commander of the allied army, disagreed. He was under strict orders of the British government to not risk losing his connection to Ostend and not to risk British or Hanoverians troops becoming prisoners of war, which also meant that he refused to put them on garrison duty. The British feared another Jacobite uprising and therefore wanted to be able to send their troops home in time. As

3731-615: The Habsburgs as the dominant power, while his territorial ambitions could only be achieved at Austrian expense. As a result, neither side could make significant progress in this area. Frederick's position continued to deteriorate; on 8 January, Austria, Britain, the Dutch Republic and Saxony signed the Treaty of Warsaw , which was clearly aimed at Prussia. This was accompanied by ominous signs of Russian military activity in Livonia , followed by

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3822-517: The Klein–Schnellendorf agreement with Neipperg and in what is now considered a memorable act of diplomatic subterfuge, the Austrians surrendered Neisse after a mock defence. Under the prevailing rules of war, this allowed them to receive a pass to the nearest friendly territory and thus be used against Prussia's allies elsewhere, rather than being taken prisoner. Her best general, von Khevenhüller incorporated them into an army being assembled for

3913-448: The Maoris fleeing back to Te Kauri's pa. The French attacked the pa, firing at the defenders, who showered them with spears. The remainder got into canoes and fled. About 250 Maoris including five chiefs were killed in the battle. Many of the French were wounded. Roux, Julien–Marie Crozet and Ambroise Bernard-Marie du Clesmeur took joint command and undertook reprisals against the Maoris over

4004-438: The Maoris made a night raid on the hospital camp taking away many guns and uniforms. While the soldiers chased the raiders, Maoris slipped back and stole an anchor. Two men were held as hostage against the return of the stolen goods. One of them admitted he had been involved in the theft but accused Te Kauri of being involved. Marion, finding the men bound, ordered them unbound and released. Later an armed party of Maoris approached

4095-602: The Montemar force to provide for home defence. The Spanish force under Montemar was now too weak to advance in the Po Valley and a second Spanish army was sent to Italy via France. Sardinia had allied herself with Austria in the Convention of Turin and at the same time neither state was at war with France and this led to curious complications, combats being fought in the Isère valley between

4186-648: The Pragmatic Sanction in 1735. Attempts to offset this involved Austria in the 1733–1735 War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 , and it was weakened by the losses incurred. The situation was compounded by a failure to prepare Maria Theresa for her new role, and many European statesmen were skeptical Austria could survive the contest that would follow Charles' death, which finally came about in October 1740. On land, fighting focused on three main theatres, Central Europe , Italy , and

4277-460: The Pragmatic Sanction, acknowledged Francis as Emperor, and evacuated Saxony. After 1745, Germany ceased to be an active military theatre; although Frederick knew Maria Theresa still intended to regain Silesia, both sides needed a period of peace in order to re-organise. French objectives were less clear; for centuries, the central plank of its foreign policy was weakening the Habsburgs , but it began

4368-510: The Prussian presence in Moravia remained a threat to Vienna. However, Habsburg policy was generally to avoid fighting on too many fronts at the same time; Prussia was the most dangerous, and most difficult to defeat. Although recovering Silesia remained a priority for decades, Maria Theresa was willing to agree a temporary truce with Prussia to improve her position elsewhere. This suited Frederick, who

4459-767: The allied army of 40,000 Spaniards and Neapolitans under the command of the Duke of Montemar had advanced towards Modena , Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena had allied himself with them, but the vigilant Austrian commander, Count Otto Ferdinand von Traun had out-marched them, captured Modena and forced the Duke to make a separate peace. The aggressiveness of the Spanish in Italy forced Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and King Charles Emmanuel of Sardinia into negotiations in early 1742. These negotiations were held at Turin. Maria Theresa sent her envoy Count Schulenburg and King Charles Emmanuel sent

4550-586: The battlefield. His deputy von Schwerin managed to drag out a victory, both sides losing nearly 25% of their strength. On 5 June, Frederick signed an alliance against Austria with France, who crossed the Rhine on 15 August. A combined Franco-Bavarian force now advanced along the Danube , towards Vienna , capturing Linz on 14 September. Joined by a Saxon army of 20,000, they advanced on Prague from three different points, initially meeting little resistance. Before long,

4641-527: The borders of Hanover and Prussia to each other, and British diplomats tried to persuade Austria to end the Second Silesian War. Franco-Prussian relationships were marked by mutual distrust, while Maria Theresa resented British attempts to persuade her to accept the loss of Silesia. In central Italy an army of Spaniards and Neapolitans was collected for the purpose of conquering the Duchy of Milan . In 1741,

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4732-412: The bush, where they had been ambushed, with all the others being killed. In the following days the French came under relentless attack. The next day about 1,200 Maoris surrounded the French, led by Te Kauri. As they approached, Roux ordered Te Kauri shot. Later even more Maori reinforcements arrived. The French decided to abandon the hospital camp. The Maori then stole all the tools and supplies and burnt

4823-425: The camp down. They were close enough that the French could see they were wearing the clothes of Marion and his fellow dead sailors. The French retreated to Moturua Island. That night Maoris again attacked the camp and this time the French opened a general fire. The next day even more Maoris arrived taking their forces to about 1,500 men. The French charged this huge force with 26 armed soldiers and put them to flight,

4914-464: The death of Emperor Charles VII on 20 January. Since Maria Theresa's husband, Grand Duke Francis, was the best-supported candidate to replace him, this was a major setback for the Franco-Prussian alliance. Charles' son and heir, Maximilian III Joseph made one last effort to drive the Austrians out of Bavaria, but his demoralised and ill-equipped army was out-manoeuvered by Count Batthyány , while

5005-473: The ecosystem from human influence. Today, ruins of the leprosarium remain, as well as the former physician's residence at Anse St. Joseph (now an educational center and museum). In 1967 a fire destroyed much of the vegetation on the island, including more than 150 coco de mer palms. Following this event, the government took ownership of the island and introduced various restoration and conservation projects. In 1979, Curieuse and surrounding waters were declared

5096-694: The expedition did not locate Terra Australis or make a profit from trade. Instead, Marion discovered first the Prince Edward Islands and then the Crozet Islands before sailing towards New Zealand and Australia. His ships spent several days in Tasmania , where Marion Bay in the south-east is named after him. He was the first European to encounter the Aboriginal Tasmanians . Marion sighted New Zealand 's Mount Taranaki on 25 March 1772, and named

5187-944: The guns to be demonstrated and Roux shot a dog. That night more Maoris were found on Moturua Island prowling around the hospital camp but ran when sentries approached. Captain du Clesmeur alerted Marion to the rise in suspicious activity, but Marion did not listen. On the afternoon of 12 June 1772 Marion and 15 armed sailors went to Te Kauri's village and then went in the captain's gig to go fishing in his favourite fishing area. Marion and 26 men of his crew were killed. Those killed included de Vaudricourt and Pierre Lehoux (a volunteer), Thomas Ballu of Vannes, Pierre Mauclair (the second pilot) from St Malo, Louis Ménager (the steersman) from Lorient, Vincent Kerneur of Port-Louis, Marc Le Garff from Lorient, Marc Le Corre of Auray, Jean Mestique of Pluvigner, Pierre Cailloche of Languidic and Mathurin Daumalin of Hillion. That night 400 armed Maoris suddenly attacked

5278-446: The hospital camp but were stopped in their tracks by the threat of the multiple blunderbusses. Roux held his fire and realised that they had narrowly escaped being killed in their sleep. One chief told Roux that Te Kauri had killed Marion. At this point longboats full of armed French sailors arrived with the news that Marion and the sailors had been killed. One survivor, who had been spared, told them Maoris had tricked them into going into

5369-564: The inheritance, this agreement required approval by the various Habsburg territories and the Imperial Diet . Charles succeeded Joseph in 1711 and two years later issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 , which confirmed the principle of female inheritance. However, it also modified the 1703 agreement by placing the rights of his own children first and after his first child Maria Theresa was born in 1717, Charles' internal and external policy

5460-492: The interval to reorganise his cavalry, previously neglected in favour of the infantry, and who performed poorly at Mollwitz; they would prove more effective in the 1742 campaign. In December 1741, von Schwerin had captured Olmütz ; Frederick took Glatz , before moving onto Groß Seelowitz in March 1742. This allowed him to threaten Vienna; a few Prussian patrols even appeared in the suburbs, before withdrawing. In early May, he took

5551-574: The invasion. They held on to the fortresses of Glogau , Breslau , and Brieg , but abandoned the rest of the province and withdrew into Moravia , with both sides taking up winter quarters. In under two weeks Prussia had occupied most of the richest province in the Holy Roman Empire, containing a population of over one million, and the commercial centre of Breslau along with mining, weaving and dyeing industries. However, Frederick underestimated Maria Theresa's determination to reverse her loss, while

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5642-403: The island home in 1768. In October 1770 Marion convinced Pierre Poivre , the civil administrator in Port Louis, to equip him with two ships and send him on a twofold mission to the Pacific. Marion's fellow explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville had recently returned from the Pacific with a Tahitian native, Ahutoru . Marion was tasked with returning Ahutoru to his homeland, and then to explore

5733-430: The landing. Tapu had been placed on Manawaora Bay after members of the local tribe drowned here some time earlier, and their bodies had been washed up at Te Kauri's (Tacoury's sic) Cove. Since the interlopers did not leave, a military resolution was required. War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe ,

5824-399: The mature palm forests of Praslin. Among the plant species on the island, several are native and endemic to Curieuse; Porcher (Cordia subcordata), Bois Chandelle (Dracaena), Lalyann dile (Secamone schimperiana, Bwa bannann (Gastonia sechellarum) and Bois Cassant de Bord Mer (Guettarda speciosa) There is also currently a satellite camp for the Seychelles branch of Global Vision International ,

5915-449: The morning it was discovered that Maoris had also been prowling around a second camp where the French had been making masts. The next day Maoris arrived with a present of fish. Roux said the Maoris were astonished at the blunderbusses he had mounted outside his tent. He noticed the visiting chief taking a close look at the weapons and how they worked, as well as the defences of the camp, and became suspicious of his motives. The chief asked for

6006-477: The mountain Pic Mascarin without knowing that James Cook had named it "Mount Egmont" three years earlier. Over the next month, they repaired their two ships and treated their scurvy , first anchoring at Spirits Bay , and later in the Bay of Islands . Apparently their relations with Maoris were peaceful at first; they communicated through the Tahitian vocabulary learned from Ahu-toru and sign language. They befriended many Maoris including Te Kauri (Te Kuri) of

6097-403: The name of two successive French oceanic research and supply vessel the Marion Dufresne (1972) and the Marion Dufresne II , which service the French Southern Territories of Amsterdam Island , the Crozet Islands , the Kerguelen Islands , and Saint Paul Island . Born in Saint Malo in 1724 into the non-noble, but wealthy, Marion family of shipowners and merchants, he eventually inherited

6188-467: The north bank of the river Main . Here they were joined by George II , who was attending the enthronement of a new Elector of Mainz in Wiesbaden . By late June, the Allies were running short of supplies and withdrew towards the nearest supply depot at Hanau , the road to which ran through Dettingen, now a part of Karlstein am Main , where 23,000 French troops blocked the road. Despite a strong position, mistakes made by their commander Gramont , allowed

6279-462: The offensive, and moved into north-east Bohemia; by 16 May, he had 10,000 infantry at Kuttenberg , and another 18,000 men under Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau a day's march behind. On the afternoon of 16 May, Charles of Lorraine's cavalry ran into Leopold's rearguard. Leopold recognized he was in contact with the Austrian main force and so accelerated his march ahead to close the gap with Frederick. At 2:00 am on 17 May, his exhausted troops stopped at

6370-519: The outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756. The immediate cause of the war was the death in 1740 of Emperor Charles VI (1685–1740) and the inheritance of the Habsburg monarchy , often collectively referred to as Austria. The 1703 Mutual Pact of Succession provided that if the Habsburgs became extinct in the male line, these possessions would go first to Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia , daughters of Emperor Joseph I , then those of Charles, his younger brother. Since Salic law excluded women from

6461-455: The post-1683 expansion of Habsburg power into lands previously held by the Ottoman Empire . These were the centrifugal forces behind a war that reshaped the traditional European balance of power ; the various legal claims were largely pretexts and seen as such. Bavaria and Saxony refused to be bound by the decision of the Imperial Diet, while in 1738 France agreed to back the 'just claims' of Charles Albert of Bavaria despite previously accepting

6552-574: The retention of Austrian fortresses in Southern Silesia meant a quick victory could not be achieved. Early in the year, an Austrian army under von Neipperg relieved Neisse , and marched on Brieg , threatening to cut the Prussians off. On 10 April, just outside Brieg, they were defeated at the Battle of Mollwitz ; Frederick made serious mistakes in his first battle, and was so close to defeat that his subordinates ordered him to avoid capture and leave

6643-399: The small village of Chotusitz , still three hours from Kutná Hora. Fought later the same day, the Battle of Chotusitz was inconclusive, but technically a Prussian victory, since the Austrians withdrew. On 24 May, French Field Marshal de Broglie won a minor action at Sahay . The two victories left the strategic situation unchanged, since Charles was still able to move against Prague, while

6734-475: The south Indian Ocean and anthropological discoveries in Tasmania and New Zealand . In New Zealand they spent longer living on shore than any previous European expedition. Half way through the expedition's stay Marion was killed during a military assault by the Ngare Raumati iwi (tribe) of Maoris. He is commemorated with the toponyms Marion Island , South Africa and Marion Bay , Tasmania , as well in

6825-627: The south Pacific for the hypothetical Terra Australis Incognita . For these purposes Marion was given two ships, the Mascarin and the Marquis de Castries and departed on 18 October 1771. Marion spent most of his personal fortune on outfitting the expedition with supplies and crew. He hoped to make a significant profit on the journey by trading with the reportedly wealthy islands of the South Pacific. No part of Marion's mission could be achieved; Ahutoru died of smallpox shortly after embarkation, and

6916-595: The stage for the Seven Years' War. Frederick II succeeded his father Frederick William as king of Prussia on 31 May 1740 at the age of 28. Although Prussia had increased in importance over the prior few decades, its disparate and scattered territories prevented it wielding significant power, a reality Frederick intended to change. The death of Emperor Charles VI on 20 October 1740 provided him with an ideal opportunity to acquire Silesia, but he needed to do so before Augustus of Saxony and Poland could pre-empt him. With

7007-685: The time; although he later recovered, this temporarily paralysed the French command system. With the bulk of the Austrian army occupied in Eastern France, Frederick launched the Second Silesian War on 15 August, and by the end of the month, all 80,000 of his troops were in Bohemia. Although Maria Theresa's main objective was to regain Silesia, the speed of the Prussian advance took the Austrians by surprise. On 23 August, Prince Charles withdrew from Alsace to defend Bohemia, with little interference from

7098-472: The two crews, or that Marion's crew, possibly unwittingly, broke several tapu laws related to their not carrying out the rituals required before the cutting down of kauri trees, or breaking of tapu by fishing in Manawaora Bay. An account told by a Ngāpuhi elder to John White (ethnographer 1826–1891), but not published until 1965, describes Te Kauri and Tohitapu as leading the military resolution to

7189-562: The war due to concern at British commercial growth post-1713. Since the war in Northern Italy was largely fought to support Spanish aims, this left the Netherlands as the only remaining theatre where France could achieve strategic victory. Another significant development was the start of the realignment of alliances that became the Diplomatic Revolution in 1756. Under the August 'Convention of Hanover', Frederick and George II mutually guaranteed

7280-541: The war, it took advantage of the Royal Navy to expand it into the colonies. The British pursued a dual strategy of naval blockade and bombardment of enemy ports, and also utilized their ability to move troops by sea to the utmost. They would harass enemy shipping and attack enemy outposts, frequently using colonists from nearby British colonies in the effort. This plan worked better in North America than in Europe, but set

7371-560: Was 'heavily indebted to the irresolutions of George II.' They ended by doing nothing, and in October, took up winter quarters in the Netherlands. Frederick had responded to Dettingen by renewing his search for allies, and building up his army once again. In July, the Russian court discovered an alleged plot to overthrow Empress Elizabeth , and restore three-year old Ivan VI , with his mother Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna as his regent. Whether this amounted to anything more than drunken gossip

7462-515: Was backed by Britain , the Dutch Republic , and Hanover , collectively known as the Pragmatic Allies . As the conflict widened, it drew in other participants, among them Spain , Sardinia , Saxony , Sweden , and Russia . Prussia occupied the Austrian province of Silesia in 1740, although Austria and Sardinia defeated Spanish attacks in Northern Italy. By early 1748, France held most of

7553-684: Was disproportionately large, at around 4% of its 2.2 million population. To add to these advantages, in April 1739 Frederick ensured Austria faced war on two fronts when Louis XV of France agreed to attack from the west, while Prussia did so from the north. In early December 1740, the Prussian army assembled along the river Oder and on 16 December invaded Silesia without a formal declaration of war. Since Austrian military resources were concentrated in Hungary and Italy , they had fewer than 3,000 troops in Silesia, although this increased to 7,000 shortly before

7644-458: Was dominated by ensuring her succession ahead of his two nieces. Prior to their respective marriages to Frederick Augustus of Saxony and Charles Albert of Bavaria in 1719, both nieces were obliged to formally renounce their rights to the inheritance. Charles assumed the rivalry between Saxony and Bavaria would secure his daughter's throne, since neither would be prepared to allow the other to inherit, but instead he gave his two greatest rivals

7735-461: Was driven by a combination of geography, and the superiority of the British navy, which made it difficult for the French navy to provide significant supplies and support to French colonies. The expectation was military victory in Europe would compensate for any colonial losses; in 1748, France recovered possessions like Louisbourg , in return for withdrawing from the Austrian Netherlands. The British tried to avoid large-scale commitments of troops on

7826-511: Was forced to retreat, which led to his dismissal. Success allowed Spain to land troops in Northern Italy, and in April they captured the important port of Villefranche-sur-Mer , then part of Savoy . However, storms sank or severely damaged many French ships, while most of Louis' ministers opposed what they considered an expensive and futile diversion of resources. The invasion was cancelled on 11 March, Louis formally declared war on Britain, and in May,

7917-513: Was proclaimed Emperor Francis I on 13 September. Bolstered by this significant political victory, Maria Theresa continued her attempts to regain Silesia, only to be defeated once again at the Battle of Soor on 30 September. On 15 December, the Prussians forced Saxony out of the war with victory in the Battle of Kesselsdorf , leading to the Treaty of Dresden on 25th. Austria accepted Frederick's ownership of Silesia, while Saxony paid him an indemnity of one million crowns; in return, Prussia accepted

8008-476: Was reduced to 36,000, half of whom then died of dysentery. Despite the surrender of Freiburg and French advances in the Southern Netherlands, Austria seemed well-positioned at the end of 1744. Frederick's retreat damaged his reputation and weakened his army, but the most significant impact was on Franco-Prussian relations, with Louis accused of failing to support Prussia. In Italy, an Austrian attack on

8099-560: Was short of money and men and also suspected France was preparing a separate peace. In June, the Treaty of Breslau ended the First Silesian War; Prussian troops withdrew from Bohemia, and Austria recaptured Prague in December. At the beginning of the year, Louis XV insisted Broglie be given command of the Franco-Bavarian forces, creating tension with the Bavarians, and their general von Seckendorff . With most of his lands occupied by

8190-506: Was the Netherlands, particularly after British troops were recalled to deal with the Jacobite rising of 1745 . The other was Italy, where a Franco-Spanish army under Maillebois and Infante Philip defeated the Sardinians at Bassignano on 27 September, then captured Alessandria , Valenza and Casale Monferrato . As a result, France made no effort to block the election of Duke Francis, who

8281-579: Was willing to mediate for him with Austria. Bavaria's exit allowed France to focus on the Low Countries, which Saxe persuaded Louis XV provided the best opportunity of defeating Britain, whose financial backing was crucial to the Pragmatic Alliance. He proposed to attack Tournai , a vital link in the trading network for Northern Europe, and strongest of the Dutch Barrier Forts , this forcing

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