Britain sought protection for Hanover, first exploring a Russian arrangement and then agreeing the Convention of Westminster with Prussia. France and Austria answered with their own Treaty of Versailles, while Russian and Austrian aims centred on recovering Silesia. The Westminster agreement was framed as neutrality within the Holy Roman Empire, yet opponents interpreted the alignment through their own Polish, Hanoverian, and Silesian interests. Each power read supposedly defensive measures as a threat to its own priorities.
Chapter · 26:02-27:59
Treaties that rearranged the war
The diplomatic revolution turned defensive arrangements around Hanover and Prussia into the alliance structure that made escalation possible.