23 years? I hate you, me from the past. But as it happens, by sheer coincidence, you are not necessarily wrong. INTRO So the when. The Seven Years' War began in 1756 and ended in 1763. Unless you believe, as many historians do, that the Seven Years' War lasted 23 years because it was really a continuation of the war for Austrian succession. Then you have the fact that much of the information in today's episode is taken from a book called The Global Seven Years' War, 1754-1763, a nine year period.