From 1689 to 1763, England and France fought four wars for dominance in the New World. The wars are known collectively in English history as the French and Indian Wars. In American history, the French
and Indian War name applies to the last of the four wars, fought from
1754 to 1763.
The first of the French and Indian Wars was
King William’s War (1689–97), named for King
William III (1650–1702). The European powers regarded King William’s War as the New
World theater for a larger war being fought in
Europe called the War of the Grand Alliance.
In each of the French and Indian Wars,
Native American tribes fought either for France
or England. During King William’s War, the
Iroquois Confederacy fought for England and continued fighting France after England’s peace with France in 1697.
War casualties reduced the Iroquois population by half. In 1701, the
Iroquois made peace with France and decided to remain neutral in future colonial conflicts.
When King William’s War ended in 1697, European control of New
World land remained as it had been when war began in 1689.