The French and Indian War began in 1754 due to competing territorial claims between France and Britain in the Ohio Valley region of North America. Initial battles involved the British under George Washington being defeated by the French at Fort Necessity. In 1755, British General Braddock was killed in an ambush by French and Native American forces. The war escalated into the global Seven Years War between the major European powers. With increased resources, the British reversed their fortunes, capturing Quebec in 1759 and Montreal in 1760, eliminating France's North American empire. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the war, ceding French lands east of the Mississippi to Britain.