Paris, Treaty of 1763

the treaty ending the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), concluded between Great Britain and Portugal on the one hand and France and Spain on the other.

Under the Treaty of Paris (1763), France ceded many of its colonial possessions to Great Britain. In America, France lost New France (Canada), Cape Breton Island, and all territory east of the Mississippi (eastern Louisiana), excluding New Orleans. In the West Indies, the islands of Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada, and Tobago were ceded to Great Britain. Almost all of the African territory of Senegal, which had been seized by the French, and almost all of France’s possessions in India were lost to Great Britain. The island of Menorca, which had been captured by the French in 1756, was returned to Great Britain. In return for ceding Florida to Great Britain, Spain received western Louisiana and cash compensation from France. French troops were odered to evacuate the territory of Hanover, and French and Spanish troops were to leave Portugal.

The Treaty of Paris (1763), which was closely related to the Treaty of Hubertusburg (1763), enhanced Great Britain’s naval and colonial power and marked the victory of Great Britain over France in the struggle for colonial and commercial supremacy.