Abstract
The Peace Treaties of the Era of Frederick the Great and Maria Theresa Maria Theresa’s succession to the Habsburg throne in 1740 is generally viewed as a deep caesura in European power politics because it was contested by several European powers and exploited by the new Prussian ruler Frederick II in an attempt to achieve great power status. The formation of opposing alliances, as well as the simultaneous overseas conflicts between Great Britain and France, shaped ongoing military confrontations until 1763. The peace negotiations and peace treaties that concluded the Silesian Wars (1742, 1745), the War of the Austrian Succession (1748), the Seven Years War (1763) and the War of the Bavarian Succession (1779) were concerned with the hierarchy of the European monarchies and the question of whether Prussia would be accepted as a new great power. Despite the well-established practice of multilateral peace negotiations in congresses or with mediators, bilateral agreements concluded prior to multilateral decisions shaped the outcome of most peace talks.
