Lyla Lindsey
Silesia, a historical region located mainly in what is now southwestern Poland, has had a dynamic history with shifting borders and political affiliations. In the early 19th century, the population of Austrian Silesia was diverse, including German, Polish, and Czech speakers. Austrian Silesia, officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, was an autonomous region within the Kingdom of Bohemia and the
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia |
| Former Name | Silesia |
| Former Possession | Bohemian Crown |
| Current Location | Czech Silesia and Poland |
| Former Possession of | Austrian Empire |
| Former Ruler | Habsburg Monarchy |
| Former Ruler | Austrian Habsburgs |
| Former Ruler | Prussian King Frederick the Great |
| Former Ruler | House of Liechtenstein |
| Former Ruler | Bishops of Wrocław |
| Former Ruler | Dukes of Silesia |
| Capital | Opava |
| Population in 1910 | 756,949 |
| Population in 1829 | 61.1% Poles |
| Population in 1849 | 58.6% Poles |
| Population in 1847 | 213,040 |
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What You'll Learn
Austrian Silesia's location
Austrian Silesia, officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Habsburg monarchy. It was largely coterminous with the present-day region of Czech Silesia, with a smaller part in Poland.
In the early 19th century, the population of the Prussian part of Silesia was between two-thirds and three-quarters German-speaking, with Polish, Sorb, Czech, Moravian, and Jewish minorities. The Austrian part of Silesia had a mixed German, Polish, and Czech population, with Polish speakers forming a majority in Cieszyn Silesia.
The Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was originally divided into the two districts of Teschen and Troppau. In 1766, the title of Duke of Teschen was granted to Prince Albert of Saxony, son-in-law of Maria Theresa, while the title of Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf remained with the House of Liechtenstein. The Nysa territory was held by the Bishops of Wrocław, with their residence at Castle Jánský Vrch (Johannisberg).
In 1742, most of Silesia was seized by King Frederick II of Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession, eventually becoming the Prussian Province of Silesia in 1815. However, some parts of Silesia in the extreme southeast, like the Duchy of Cieszyn and the Duchy of Opava, remained possessions of the Crown of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg monarchy.
After World War I, the former Austrian districts of Cieszyn and Opava were divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, with the major part of Austrian Silesia becoming part of Czechoslovakia. During World War II, Nazi Germany invaded Polish parts of Upper Silesia, and the entire region came under Nazi control. In 1945, after World War II, most of the German-held Silesia was transferred to Polish jurisdiction and became part of Poland again.
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The Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia
Silesia is a historical region that is now in southwestern Poland. It was originally a Polish province inhabited exclusively by Slavic peoples, including the Dziadoszanie, the Bobrzanie, the Ślęzanie, the Opolanie, and the Golensicowie. In the 10th century, the territory was contested by the Czech dynasty of the Přemyslids and the Polish dynasty of the Piasts. Mieszko I, prince of Poland, acquired the region from Boleslav II, prince of Bohemia, between 989 and 992. The Polish king Bolesław I consolidated this possession by founding a bishopric in 1000, with its seat first at Smogorzów and later at Wrocław.
In 1137, the Polish prince Bolesław III Wrymouth came to terms with Duke Soběslav I of Bohemia, confirming the border between the two regions along the Sudetes mountain range. However, after Bolesław III's death, the fragmentation of Poland began, and Silesia was divided in 1163 into Lower (northwestern) and Upper (southeastern) Silesia, each ruled by a Piast prince. A third Silesian principality was created in 1203.
Over the following centuries, Silesia was a province of Poland, a series of independent duchies, a land of the crown of Bohemia, and part of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1327, King John I of Bohemia began accepting the fealty of the Silesian dukes as part of his claim on the Polish crown. This was formalized in the Treaty of Trentschin in 1335, which established Silesia as a land of the Bohemian Crown and, indirectly, of the Holy Roman Empire. The Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was formed in 1742 when most of Silesia was annexed by Prussia following the First Silesian War. The small portion of Silesia that remained under Austrian control became part of the new Czechoslovakia after World War I.
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The Silesian Wars
First Silesian War (1740-1742)
In 1740, newly crowned King Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Austrian province of Silesia, resurrecting an old Brandenburg testamentary claim to the region. After several months of fighting off Austrian counterattacks, Frederick was left in control of Silesia by the Truce of Klein Schnellendorf (October 1741). Further warfare ensued from December 1741 to June 1742, after which Empress Maria Theresa of Austria agreed to peace, ceding all of Silesia except the districts of Troppau, Teschen, and Jägerndorf to Prussia in the Treaty of Breslau (June 11, 1742).
Second Silesian War (1744-1745)
In 1744, Frederick II once again invaded the Austrian province, this time culminating in a series of Prussian victories and confirming his conquest of Silesia in the Treaty of Dresden (December 25, 1745).
Third Silesian War (1756-1763)
The Third Silesian War was the last of the three wars and confirmed Prussia's control of Silesia. It was fought mainly in Silesia, Bohemia, and Upper Saxony and formed one theatre of the Seven Years' War. The war was initiated by Prussia, striking at an opportune moment to disrupt Austria's preparations for renewed conflict. Despite Austria's attempts to retake the province, the conflict ended in a stalemate with the signing of the Treaty of Hubertusburg (February 16, 1763), which acknowledged the status quo ante.
All three Silesian Wars ended in Prussian victories, and Prussia emerged as a new European great power, while Austria's defeat damaged the prestige of the House of Habsburg. The conflict over Silesia foreshadowed a wider Austro-Prussian struggle for dominance over the German-speaking peoples, which would later culminate in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.
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The First Silesian War
Silesia is a historical region that is now in southwestern Poland. It was originally a Polish province that became a possession of the Bohemian crown in 1335 and passed to the Austrian Habsburgs in 1526.
Prussia's claims in Silesia were based, in part, on a 1537 inheritance treaty between the Silesian Piast Duke Frederick II of Legnica and the Hohenzollern Prince-Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg. According to the treaty, the Silesian Duchies of Liegnitz, Wohlau, and Brieg were to pass to the Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg if the Piast dynasty in Silesia became extinct. However, at the time, the Habsburg King Ferdinand I of Bohemia (Silesia's feudal overlord) rejected the agreement and pressured the Hohenzollerns to repudiate it.
The war began with a Prussian invasion of Habsburg Silesia in late 1740, and it ended in a Prussian victory with the 1742 Treaty of Berlin, which recognised Prussia's seizure of most of Silesia and parts of Bohemia. By the end of January 1741, almost the entirety of Silesia was under Prussian control, and the remaining Austrian strongholds of Glogau, Brieg, and Neisse were besieged. An Austrian counter-advance into Bohemia engaged Frederick's Prussians on 17 May and was narrowly defeated at the resulting Battle of Chotusitz. This defeat left Austria with no immediate means of driving its enemies out of Bohemia, and renewed peace talks with Prussia began in Breslau.
Under British pressure, Austria agreed to cede to Prussia the large majority of Silesia, along with the County of Glatz in Bohemia, while Austria retained two small portions of the extreme southern end of Silesia, including the Duchy of Teschen and parts of the Duchies of Jägerndorf, Troppau, and Neisse. Prussia also agreed to take on some of Austria's debts and to remain neutral for the remainder of the ongoing War of the Austrian Succession. This peace agreement was adopted with the Treaty of Breslau, which ended the First Silesian War on 11 June 1742, and was later formalised in the Treaty of Berlin.
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The Treaty of Versailles
Austrian Silesia, officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Habsburg monarchy. It was historically part of the larger Silesia region. The Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was originally divided into the two districts of Teschen and Troppau.
In 1742, most of Silesia was seized by King Frederick II of Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession, eventually becoming the Prussian Province of Silesia in 1815. In 1740, with the female succession of the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa to the throne, the Prussian King Frederick the Great laid claim to the Silesian province and started the First Silesian War.
After World War I, the major part of Austrian Silesia was ceded to the newly created state of Czechoslovakia by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, with the exception of Cieszyn Silesia, which was split in 1920 along the Olza River, with its eastern part falling to Poland. Smaller parts of the duchy also became a part of Poland, while the adjacent Hlučín Region of Prussian Silesia fell to Czechoslovakia.
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Frequently asked questions
Austrian Silesia is located in what is now southwestern Poland and the Czech Republic.
Austrian Silesia, officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Habsburg monarchy.
Austrian Silesia became part of the Austrian Empire in 1804 when the Habsburg emperor Francis II established the empire.
The historical region of Silesia is now called Czech Silesia and Trans-Olza in the Czech Republic and Upper and Lower Silesia in Poland.
After World War I, the easternmost part of Upper Silesia became part of Poland. Then, in 1945, after World War II, most of German-held Silesia was transferred to Poland.
