Editing War of the Austrian Succession (section)

==Campaign of 1745==
[[File:Martin van Meytens 006.jpg|thumb|upright|Maria Theresa's husband, [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis I]], elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745]]
Frederick's position continued to deteriorate; on 8 January, [[Austria]], Britain, the [[Dutch Republic]] and [[Saxony]] signed the [[Treaty of Warsaw (1745)|Treaty of Warsaw]], which was clearly aimed at Prussia.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|p=142}} This was accompanied by ominous signs of Russian military activity in [[Livonia]], followed by 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.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|p=140}}

Charles' son and heir, [[Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria|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 [[Károly József Batthyány|Count Batthyány]], while a Franco-Bavarian army was defeated at [[Battle of Pfaffenhofen|Pfaffenhofen]] on 15 April.{{sfn|Browning|1993|p=203}} 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.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|p=141}} Prussia was now isolated; attempts by Frederick to divide his opponents by supporting [[Augustus III of Poland|Frederick Augustus of Saxony]] for Emperor were unsuccessful, while neither Britain or Russia was willing to mediate for him with Austria.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|p=143}}

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 Treaty|Barrier Forts]], this forcing the Allies to fight on ground of his own choosing.{{sfn|Starkey|2003|p=107}} On 11 May, he won a hard-fought victory at [[Battle of Fontenoy|Fontenoy]], a success that established French dominance in the Netherlands, and caused bitter disputes between the British and Dutch.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|pp=143–144}}

On 4 June, Frederick won a major victory at [[Battle of Hohenfriedberg|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 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 [[Jean-Baptiste Francois des Marets, marquis de Maillebois|Maillebois]] and Infante [[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip]] defeated the Sardinians at [[Battle of Bassignano|Bassignano]] on 27 September, then captured [[Alessandria]], [[Valenza]] and [[Casale Monferrato]].{{sfn|Browning|1993|p=218}}

[[File:Battle of Fontenoy 03.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Victory at [[Battle of Fontenoy|Fontenoy]] in May 1745 re-established French confidence]]
As a result, France made no effort to block the election of Duke Francis, who was proclaimed Emperor Francis I on 13 September.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|pp=146–147}} 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.{{sfn|Asprey|2007|p=333}} 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 the Pragmatic Sanction, acknowledged Francis as Emperor, and evacuated Saxony.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|p=148}}

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 [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], but it began 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.{{sfn|McKay|1983|pp=138–140}}

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 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.{{sfn|Anderson|1995|p=153}}