Lyla Lindsey
The Silesian Wars were a series of conflicts in the 18th century between Prussia and Austria for control of the Silesian region. The First Silesian War (1740-1742) began with a Prussian invasion of Habsburg Silesia and ended in a Prussian victory, with the Treaty of Berlin recognising Prussia's seizure of most of Silesia and parts of Bohemia. The Second (1744-1745) and Third (1756-1763) Silesian Wars followed a similar pattern, with Prussia ultimately retaining control of Silesia. These conflicts were driven by Prussia's dynastic claims to the region and the opportunity presented by the contested succession of Maria Theresa to the Habsburg monarchy. The wars had significant geopolitical implications, establishing an Austria-Prussia rivalry that would define German politics for over a century.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Monarch | King Frederick II of Prussia |
| Popularly Known As | Frederick the Great |
| Year of Invasion of Silesia | 1740 |
| Reason for Invasion | To strengthen Prussia relative to regional rivals such as Saxony and Bavaria |
| Region Invaded | Austrian province of Silesia |
| Outcome | Prussian victory, acquisition of most of Silesia |
| Other Countries Involved | France, Bavaria, Spain, Sweden, Saxony, Britain, the United Provinces, Russia |
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What You'll Learn
The First Silesian War (1740-1742)
The First Silesian War was fought between Prussia and Austria from 1740 to 1742, with Prussia seeking to gain control of the region of Silesia. The war was primarily fought in Silesia, Moravia and Bohemia, which were all part of the lands of the Bohemian Crown at the time.
The newly crowned King Frederick II of Prussia, also known as Frederick the Great, initiated the First Silesian War. Frederick had inherited a well-trained and large Prussian army, as well as a healthy royal treasury, from his father, King Frederick William I. He also had credible dynastic claims to various duchies within the Habsburg province of Silesia, a populous and prosperous region bordering Prussia's core territory.
In October 1740, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI of the Habsburg monarchy died without a male heir. With the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, Charles had established that his eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, would succeed him. However, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony contested this, and Frederick saw an opportunity to seize Silesia. On 11 December 1740, Frederick issued an ultimatum to Maria Theresa, demanding the cession of Silesia. Without waiting for a response, he led Prussian troops across the lightly defended Silesian frontier on 16 December, beginning the First Silesian War.
By the end of January 1741, almost all of Silesia was under Prussian control, and the remaining Austrian strongholds of Glogau, Brieg and Neisse were under siege. In December 1741, Prussian forces advanced into Moravia, occupying Olmütz, and besieged the fortress at Glatz on the edge of Bohemia. In February 1742, Frederick organised a joint advance through Moravia toward Vienna with the Saxons and French, but the campaign was abandoned due to a lack of cooperation from Prussia's allies. The Prussians then withdrew into Bohemia and Upper Silesia. On 17 May, Austrian forces engaged Frederick's Prussians and were narrowly defeated at the Battle of Chotusitz.
The First Silesian War ended on 11 June 1742 with the Treaty of Breslau, which was formalised in the Treaty of Berlin on 28 July 1742. Under these treaties, Austria ceded most of Silesia to Prussia, along with the County of Glatz in Bohemia. 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. The First Silesian War marked the unexpected defeat of the Habsburg monarchy and initiated the Austria-Prussia rivalry that would shape German politics for over a century.
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The Second Silesian War (1744-1745)
The Second Silesian War was fought between Prussia, led by King Frederick the Great, and Austria, led by Empress Maria Theresa, from 1744 to 1745. It was the second of three Silesian Wars fought in the mid-18th century for control of the Central European region of Silesia, now in southwestern Poland.
The Second Silesian War was a continuation of the First Silesian War, which had concluded just two years prior in 1742. The conflict was sparked by the death of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1740, who was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, as ruler of the Archduchy of Austria and the Bohemian and Hungarian lands within the Habsburg monarchy. This female succession was initially acknowledged by the imperial states but was later contested by several parties, including Prussia.
In mid-1744, Prussia invaded Habsburg Bohemia, marking the start of the Second Silesian War. The war was fought mainly in Silesia, Bohemia, and Upper Saxony and formed one theatre of the wider War of the Austrian Succession. Prussia sought to exploit Austria's weakened position and secure territorial gains, while Austria aimed to defend its possessions and assert Maria Theresa's legitimacy as head of the Habsburg monarchy.
The war included several notable battles, such as the Battle of Hohenfriedberg and the Battle of Soor on 30 September 1745, where King Frederick II of Prussia commanded the Prussian Army against Prince Charles of Lorraine, leading the Austrian and Saxon Army. The Prussian army's efficiency and manoeuvrability on the battlefield proved superior, and they achieved several victories.
The Second Silesian War ended in a Prussian victory with the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, which confirmed Prussia's control of Silesia. This outcome repeated the defeat of the Habsburg monarchy and contributed to the Austria-Prussia rivalry that shaped German politics for over a century. The war demonstrated Prussia's rise as a European great power and enhanced the prestige of its king and military.
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The Third Silesian War (1756-1763)
In the lead-up to the war, Britain had offered to finance a Russian army to attack Prussia, leading King Frederick to seek an alliance with Britain's King George II to protect his kingdom. This, in turn, incensed the French court, which responded by forming a new alliance with Austria, formalised in the First Treaty of Versailles in May 1756.
The war was fought mainly in Silesia, Bohemia and Upper Saxony, with both sides incurring high costs in terms of blood and treasure. Despite this, the war ended inconclusively in 1763 when neither Prussia nor Austria could sustain the conflict any longer. The Treaty of Hubertusburg, which ended the war, resulted in no territorial changes, but Austria agreed to recognise Prussia's sovereignty in Silesia in return for Prussia's support for the election of Maria Theresa's son, Archduke Joseph, as Holy Roman Emperor.
The Third Silesian War confirmed Prussia's control of Silesia and established Prussia as a major European power, enhancing the prestige of King Frederick. It also marked the end of Austria's attempts to recover the province, with Maria Theresa abandoning her hopes of regaining Silesia and instead focusing on domestic reforms to prepare for future conflicts with Prussia.
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The War of the Austrian Succession
The war's pretext was the right of Maria Theresa to succeed her father, Emperor Charles VI, as ruler of the Habsburg monarchy. France, Prussia, and Bavaria saw it as an opportunity to challenge Habsburg power, while Maria Theresa was backed by Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Hanover, collectively known as the Pragmatic Allies.
Prussia, often considered the clearest winner, acquired Silesia from Austria, an outcome that undermined the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance. This outcome also set the scene for the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756. The First (1740–1742) and Second (1744–1745) Silesian Wars formed parts of the wider War of the Austrian Succession, in which Prussia was a member of a coalition seeking territorial gain at Austria's expense.
The conflict widened, drawing in other participants, including Spain, Sardinia, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia. Prussia occupied the Austrian province of Silesia in 1740, although Austria and Sardinia defeated Spanish attacks in Northern Italy. By early 1748, France held most of the Austrian Netherlands but was close to bankruptcy due to the war's cost and a crippling British naval blockade. The stalemate led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which confirmed Maria Theresa in her titles but failed to resolve underlying tensions between the signatories.
The Second Silesian War was concluded by the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, which confirmed Prussian possession of Silesia. The last major French success was Marshal Maurice de Saxe's conquest of the Austrian Netherlands (1745–46). From 1746 to 1748, the war dragged on indecisively. The British had withdrawn their army to England to oppose the French-supported efforts of Charles Edward to win the thrones of Scotland and England for the Stuarts. The financial burden finally pushed the powers to the conference table, and the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed in October 1748, preserving the bulk of the Austrian inheritance for Maria Theresa.
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The Austria-Prussia rivalry
The roots of the Austria-Prussia rivalry can be traced back to the 17th century, with the rise of the Austrian House of Habsburg and the growing power of Brandenburg-Prussia. However, the conflict intensified in 1740 with the death of the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI, who left no male heir. This triggered a crisis over the succession to the Austrian throne, with rival claimants disputing the right of Charles's daughter, Maria Theresa, to succeed him. Prussia, led by King Frederick II, seized the opportunity to invade Austrian-controlled Silesia, initiating the First Silesian War. The Silesian Wars, comprising three conflicts between Prussia and Austria in the mid-18th century, resulted in Prussian victory and established Prussia as a European great power.
The rivalry between Austria and Prussia continued to play out in subsequent conflicts, including the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. During these wars, Prussia and Austria formed competing alliances, with Prussia often aligning with Britain and Austria finding support in France. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the War of the Austrian Succession, failed to resolve underlying tensions, and Maria Theresa remained determined to regain Silesia.
The Austro-Prussian rivalry also had religious dimensions, with Prussia representing the leading power of Protestant Germany and Austria its Catholic counterpart. This religious divide influenced the debates around the unification of Germany, with German nationalists divided between the "Lesser Germany" solution, favouring Protestant Prussia, and the "Greater Germany" solution, favouring Catholic Austria.
The rivalry culminated in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, which resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states and the abolition of the German Confederation. Prussia's victory shifted the balance of power away from Austria and towards the unification of northern German states under Prussian leadership. This marked a significant turning point in the rivalry, as Prussia became the dominant force in the new German nation-state.
Despite periods of cooperation, such as during the Napoleonic Wars and the Second Schleswig War, the Austria-Prussia rivalry persisted until the unification of Germany under Prussia in 1871. The rivalry eventually subsided after the Congress of Berlin in 1878, and Austria and Germany became close allies in the years leading up to World War I.
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Frequently asked questions
King Frederick II of Prussia, also known as Frederick the Great, went to war with Austria to gain Silesia.
Frederick II wanted to strengthen Prussia relative to regional rivals such as Saxony and Bavaria. He also cited centuries-old dynastic claims on parts of Silesia.
The First Silesian War took place from 1740-1742, the Second Silesian War from 1744-1745, and the Third Silesian War from 1756-1763.
All three Silesian Wars ended in Prussian control of Silesia.
The First and Second Silesian Wars formed parts of the wider War of the Austrian Succession, in which Prussia was a member of a coalition seeking territorial gain at Austria's expense. The Third Silesian War was a theatre of the global Seven Years' War, in which Austria led a coalition of powers aiming to seize Prussian territory.
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