The French and Indian War was the last and the most important of four North American wars. The war lasted from 1689 to 1763 and was between the British and the French. The war started in America and then spread to Europe in 1756, which is also known as the Seven Years" War. In this war, each country fought for control of North America with help from the Native Americans and other allies.
Territorial rivalries between Britain and France had become stronger as the two countries" settlements expanded. This war began in the struggle for control of the Ohio Valley. The Iroquois Indians permitted some British settlements into the Ohio Valley . Before this happened, the Iroquois barred both the French and the English settlers from that region. The French feared the loss of Ohio country's fur trade. Thus, they responded by trying to strengthen their claim to the area. In 1753, the French had built a fort along the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania, which was at the eastern end of the Ohio Valley.
The British also claimed land along the Allegheny River. Lieutenant Colonel George Washington was sent by Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia to demand the French to leave their forts and return to Canada. The French refused to leave. Then in 1754, Washington led a small group of colonial troops to the territory to force the French to leave, but the French defeated Washington and his colonial troops. This was one of the first battles of the French and Indian War.
The rivalry for the Ohio Valley led to violence. The hostility between the French and the British led to the French and Indian War. In this war there were four stages. The conflict at the Ohio Valley was the first stage. The second stage was a much more larger battle with much larger armies. This stage was mainly French victories. The third stage were the British victories in North America. The fourth and last stage was the fall of Canada, which also became a worldwide conflict.