French and Indian War | Definition, History, Dates, Summary, Causes, Combatants, & Facts
French and Indian War, American phase of a worldwide nine years’ war (1754–63) fought between France and Great Britain. (The more-complex European phase was the Seven Years’ War [1756–63].) It determined control of the vast colonial territory of North America. Three earlier phases of this extended contest for overseas mastery included King William’s War (1689–97), Queen Anne’s War (1702–13), and King George’s War (1744–48). The French and Indian War began over the specific issue of whether the upper Ohio River valley was a part of the British Empire, and therefore ope...