The mid-18th century bore witness to an international drama of potent ambition, dynastic disputes, and vast territorial appetites – this was the War of the Austrian Succession, fought from 1740 to 1748. Europe's map was a canvas of old feuds and new desires, and at its core lay a question of female succession in a dominion unaccustomed to it.

The origins of this conflict lay rooted in the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1740. Without a male heir, he had promulgated the Pragmatic Sanction, which allowed his daughter, Maria Theresa, to inherit the vast Habsburg territories. But the prospect of a woman inheriting such vast dominions unsettled many, not least because it provided a pretext for territorial ambitions.

Britain found herself inexorably drawn into the conflict due to her Hanoverian connections and her concern over maintaining the balance of power in Europe. The British Isles, forever with an eye on the continent and another across the seas, could ill-afford a dominant Bourbon dynasty in both France and Spain. Thus, British forces were mobilised, mostly at sea, but also on European battlefields, especially as the conflict merged with the ongoing struggle in the New World and India.

Facing the British was a formidable alliance of France, Spain, Prussia, and Bavaria. Each had their own reasons to oppose or undermine the Habsburgs. The British and their allies, which included Austria, Hanover, and the Dutch Republic, found themselves arrayed against this coalition in a series of battles that spanned the globe.

Among the significant battles was the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, where British forces, alongside their allies, confronted the French. King George II, leading the combined army, became the last British monarch to command troops in the field. This battle, a British and Hanoverian victory, showcased the indomitable spirit of the British infantry, even if strategic gains were limited.

Yet, this continental theatre was but one stage. The war had its echoes in the Americas, known as King George's War, where British and French colonists clashed. Similarly, in India, the First Carnatic War can be seen as a sub-theatre of this wider conflict, with British and French East India companies vying for dominance.

The strategic fulcrum of the war, the Duke of Cumberland, and Marshal Saxe clashed at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. With waves of British and Hanoverian infantry famously advancing upon the French lines, they were met with a disciplined and devastating fire. Despite their valour, the day ended in a French victory, with the British and their allies being forced to retreat.

This global conflict, stretching from the wind-swept plains of Flanders to the lush landscapes of southern India, eventually ground to a standstill. The Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 brought the war to its conclusion. Territories were exchanged, with Maria Theresa's right to the Habsburg throne recognised. Yet, the peace was seen by many as merely a pause, a brief respite before the storm. Indeed, the issues left unresolved would burst forth in another conflagration – the Seven Years' War.

In the annals of history, the War of the Austrian Succession stands not just as a testament to the dynastic disputes of old Europe, but as a prologue to the larger, more encompassing struggles of Empire and dominance in the age to come. Through the smoke of battle, one can discern the emerging outlines of the British Empire, set against the backdrop of a continent and a world in flux.