Planned French invasion of Britain (1744)
An invasion of Great Britain was planned by France in 1744 shortly after the declaration of war between them as part of the War of the Austrian Succession. A large invasion force was prepared and put to sea from Dunkirk in February 1744, only to be partly wrecked and driven back into harbour by violent storms. Deciding that circumstances were not favourable to an invasion, the French government suspended the attempt, and deployed their forces elsewhere.
The experienced Marshal Saxe was given command of French land forces for the invasion.
George Wade was to have commanded British troops resisting the invasion.
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, 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.
Left to right: Capture of the Nuestra Señora de Covadonga (20 April 1743) Fontenoy (11 May 1745) Hohenfriedberg (4 June 1745) Siege of Bergen op Zoom (14 July – 18 September 1747)
Maria Theresa, whose succession was the proximate cause of the war
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who entered the war by the September Treaty of Worms
Louis XV of France by Maurice Quentin de La Tour
