The Anglo-French War, also known as the War of 1778[1] or the Bourbon War in Britain, was a military conflict fought between France and Great Britain, sometimes with their respective allies, between 1778 and 1783.[a] As a consequence, Great Britain was forced to divert resources used to fight the war in North America to theatres in Europe, India and the West Indies, and to rely on what turned out to be the chimera of Loyalist support in its North American operations.[5] From 1778 to 1783, with or without their allies, France and Britain fought over dominance in the English Channel, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the West Indies.[6]
Within days of the news of Burgoyne's surrender reaching France, King Louis XVI decided to enter into negotiations with the Americans that resulted in a formal Franco-American alliance and the French entry into the war, moving the conflict onto a global stage.[7] Spain did not enter into the war until 1779, when it entered the war as an ally of France pursuant to the secret Treaty of Aranjuez.[8] Vergennes' diplomatic moves following the French war with Britain also had material impact on the later entry of the Dutch Republic into the war, and declarations of neutrality on the part of other important geopolitical players like Russia.[9] Opposition to the costly war was increasing, and in June 1780 contributed to disturbances in London known as the Gordon riots.[10]
At the same time France assisted the Spanish in operations against British held Menorca and Gibraltar. In addition France also attempted to displace the British from her Indian territories and fought in a series of naval battles between Admirals Edward Hughes and Pierre André de Suffren[11] The fighting howver resulted in stalemate and only ended upon learning of the provisional Anglo-French-Spanish peace treaties of 1783.[6]
France’s participation in the war led inexorably to her own bankruptcy six years later.[12]