Why Do We Call it the French Indian Wars?

[Blackwolf]

I must acknowledge Plynkes for this topic,why do we call it the FIW? I believe it should be called The Colony Wars or CW. It  can be argued that it was the   start of the Seven years war and why Britain sided with Prussia against France and Austria (although Britain and Austria never fought). This alliance was really a pragmatic alliance by the British to shore up Europe while fighting the French in the New World.....and they won! To call it the FIW is really a romantic delusion for a very brutal war.

   

[HerbyF]

Although it really was just a colonial extention of the much bigger Seven Years War. To the English speaking colonials what was going on here was more important than what was happening in Europe. The important factor here was it was us vs. the French & their Indian(native) allies. The English won, they write the history books, we fought the French & Indians here, that what was important. So it is called the French & Indian War.

[Plynkes]

I don't call it that.  It's the American name for it, it would seem. I always thought of it as just another part of the Seven Years War. I hadn't even heard it called the FIW until I got the internet and discovered our cousins across the sea talking about it on forums and such.

I don't object to the name, don't think that. I was just pulling Blood's leg as an Englishman adopting Americanisms. It's a fine name for the conflict, if you happen to be American. 

[argsilverson]

Part of it was also fought in India between British (East India Co +regular troops +indian allies) against French (plus their Indian allies), also British won in that theater of war.

Indeed to my knowledge the term French and Indian War was termed because British fought against French and their (native American) Indian Allies.
I am not sure if this an English term, only, and if the French call it differently.

[Aaron]

I think most Americans who care know it was merely a sideshow of the Seven Years War, but "The Seven Years War in the North American Theater" doesn't roll off the tongue. Since our own George Washington started the whole thing in the first place we took the liberty of renaming it after the guys we beat with a little help from the Brits. *





* That "little help" consisting of almost all of the troops, supplies, and leaders, all of which we were reluctant to pay a even a penny for thus sparking off the sequel.

[Silent Invader]

It's a fine name for the conflict, if you happen to be American. 

You are so right Plynkes! 
 
But it's also apt if your interest is from the colonial American perspective! 

Not necessarily so applicable if your primary interest is the British, French or native American perspective and I have wondered how First Nation culture / history names the conflict.  Ditto the French.

[Plynkes]

The thing that struck me when I first heard the term was that it seemed almost deliberately designed to be just vague enough to confuse someone like me.

French? Indian? War?

Ah, you must mean this...

[Galloping Major]

I don't mind the term "French & Indian War" at all when used to refer to "The Seven Years War in North America" or whatever, especially as they did get the whole thing off to an early start in North America 

I suppose there was always confusion as to what to name the series of conflicts between the French and British colonies in North America, which flared up alongside the greater European conflicts, but never entirely vanished between the "big shows". I've always kind of guessed that having had Queen Anne's War, then King George's War, they could have called it "King George's War Part Deux", but it seemed to make sense to call it the French & Indian War in the colonies after the event.

What, it seems to me, does cause confusion is the irritating habit of dropping words from phrases: French & Indian War - "let's economise to French Indian War". Anyone having never heard of this conflict refered to as the French & Indian War is bound to be even more confused when they hear "French Indian War", or as I've seen it printed "French-Indian War"!  A bit like Franco-Prussian, Russo-Turkish etc but not intended to carry a similar meaning.

Anyway, I suppose we could change the name a dozen times in the English speaking world, but wargamers will still recognise FIW  and it'll still be a great period. 

Cheers,
Lance

www.gallopingmajorwargames.com

[Calimero]

Nationalists here still call it La Conquête...

[Captain Blood]

Nationalists here still call it La Conquête...

Which is perfectly understandable I suppose from their point of view...

I must admit, I prefer wars with non-partizan labels which don't 'bake in' one or other side's perspective on the conflict... And the F&IW rather fails that test.

Shades here of the debate about the Irish Civil War or Anglo-Irish War, latterly reinvented under the in-vogue appelation: 'the Irish War of Independence'. But best not to open that particular can of worms again... 

[flooglestreet]

If it's the French Indian wars then it's somebody versus the Parisian Apache dancers. But who?

[Deathwing]

When I first got into historicals via the Internet, I had never heard the terms the American War of Independence or the American Civil War, acronymed to AWI and ACW respectively.  To me they were the Revolutionary War and the Civil War as that's what I was taught.  Oh the wonderful things we learn when me meet and learn new things from the international community.  I think it's rather cool.

Joey

[Galloping Major]

If it's the French Indian wars then it's somebody versus the Parisian Apache dancers. But who?

 

Joey - too right mate 

[fastolfrus]

I think I first heard the term from Don Featherstone.....

[Blackwolf]

The term is rather vague.If one came to the wars in India first without knowledge of the wars in N. America the French Indian War would end up making one confused .Did any Indian Regiments make it to the New World? It could be the French,Indian,Native American War....now I'm just being silly.