332 THE BOURBON AGE France on the other hand expended her energies on maintain- ing great armies in the field which exhausted her powers. The rivalry between France and Great Britain was entirely one for empire over-seas, and inevitably the decisive factor therein was supremacy on the sea. This was fully realised by the great minister William Pitt, while it was ignored by King Louis. But though Great Britain fought France on the seas, she rendered great service to Frederick in his desperate struggle, not only by supplying him with funds but also by keeping inactive, though in arms, French troops which had to be held in readiness to face possible invasion on the French coast. In fact Great Britain and France began fighting on their own account before the Continental War opened. There had been 1756, War a considerable display of naval preparations, begins. extremely alarming to the British, at Brest and Dunkirk; but it was from Toulon that the French fleet suddenly sailed for Minorca, which, like Gibraltar, had been a British possession since the treaty of Utrecht. The English Admiral Byng was shot for failing to relieve Minorca, which surrendered almost immediately; after which, war was openly declared. The event hastened the other negotiations which were still going on. Frederick received information that the dismemberment of Prussia was designed. He resolved to strike first, and for strategic reasons chose Saxony, lying between Prussia and Bohemia, as the first object of attack. He marched upon Dresden, where he obtained documentary proofs of the conspiracy against Prussia, which he published. But Saxony had to be thoroughly neutralised before he could venture on the advance into Bohemia which was his main object, and the Saxons resisted long enough to compel him to defer the invasion till next year. In 1757 the war was in full swing. Hanover would have liked to stand neutral, but was compelled to join Frederick. The War The king had to maintain himself in the territory in 1757. comprising Hanover, Prussia with Silesia, and Saxony. From the north-east he was threatened by Russia, from the south by Austria, and along the whole line of the west by France. Troops, for the most part Hanoverian and
