The 20th April this year marks the 200th anniversary of the outbreak of wars, which were to convulse Europe for the next 23 years. Most enthusiasts are well aware of the course of those wars, but the background of the other social and political events of those times is equally important, but less well-known.

Many of the leading military figures of our period had only just begun to establish themselves in 1792, but the political leadership of that year includes many famous names.

In the British Isles, the Union still only consisted of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, united in 1707 and reigned over by King George III, who was also the Elector of Hannover in Northern Germany. At this time, Ireland still had its own Parliament in Dublin under King George. At Westminster, William Pitt (the Younger), still only 33 years old was nine years into his first term as Prime Minister.

Following the abortive flight to Varennes of the previous year, Louis XVI had approved the 1791 French Constitution, reducing the monarchy to little more that a figurehead and placing real power in the hands of the National Assembly, which consists of 264 Feuillants, (moderate Jacobins), 136 Revolutionary Jacobins and 345 Independents.

Leopold II, the more liberal-minded successor of Joseph II, was Holy Roman Emperor and had made peace with Turkey and the rebels in the Austrian Netherlands, (essentially Belgium) - largely to save the Habsburg's ruined finances. Catherine the Great, ruler of the Russian Empire since 1762 however continued the war with the Ottoman Empire, seeking to expand into the Balkans via modern- day eastern Romania. She also looked to further expansion in Poland, (first partly partitioned by Russia, Austria and Prussia in 1772), the remains of which were ruled by Stanislas II Augustus Poniatowski.

In August 1781, at Pillnitz in Prussia, Leopold II and Frederick William of Prussia had signed the Declaration of Pillnitz, declaring their support for the French monarchy and invited other European monarchs to join them.

Selim III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire no doubt hoped that the turmoil in France would further distract Austria and Russia from their ambitions in the Balkans, to give him time to continue his urgent reforms of the crumbling empire. Only Prussian intervention had saved the Ottoman Empire from partition in 1789, when Austrian and Russian forces advanced as far as Bucharest.

The world's newest nation, the United States of America, had elected George Washington as its first President in 1789. Only 16 years after its declaration of independence, it was expanding rapidly to the west, as far as the Mississippi, reaching the boundary with Spanish Louisiana. Further south, there was a full-scale slave revolt in the French colony of Santo Domingo, (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican republic), in progress.

South America was mainly ruled by Spain with Portugal holding Brazil and Britain, France and Holland maintaining small enclaves in the north. Despite vigorous suppression of the native peoples, Spain still felt itself under pressure from native independence movements and from other colonial powers, especially Britain.

Having defeated the French in both India and Canada, Britain was consolidating and expanding her control of these areas. However, colonialism was still very much in its infancy - settlement in Africa was largely confined to important posts along the coastline and in Australia, settlement had only just begun in 1788 with the arrival of the first convict ship in Botany Bay.

The Year 1792: Month by Month