Silesia is the Latin and English name for a now Polish province Slask ,located between the Oder and Vistula rivers. Schlesien is the German name for this province. Slezsko is the Czech name for this province. Since the end of World War II Silesia is almost entirely within the borders of Poland, with the exception of the Tešin Silesia, part of the Czech Republic. Silesia is directly adjacent to Saxony and Brandenburg in the west and very near to Berlin, with Cracow just south of Silesia. The territory is now divided into the Dolnoslaskie (capital: Wroclaw), Opolskie (capital: Opole) and Slaskie (capital: Katowice) voivoidships.
There are many theories as to how Silesia derived its name. These theories tend to fall along the lines of national interest. The "Silesia is part of Germany" argument claims that the name is derived from the Silingii, most likely a Vandalic people, who lived south of the Baltic Sea in the Elbe, Oder, and Vistula river area of later Germany and Poland. The "Silesia is Polish" argument is based on etymology, archeology, interpretation of place-names in the area and the fact that neither Silingii or Vandalic people were Germans. The "Silesia is Czech" argument is based on the fact that most of the province belonged to them for most of its history.
Another theory claims that the area was indeed inhabited around the 4th century AD by the Silingii, who moved westward during the subsequent migration period or Völkerwanderung, leaving remnants of their society behind. The most evident remnants were in the place-names, which were adopted (in Slavic form) by the new Slavic inhabitants. These people became associated with the place, and were known as Silesians, even though they were otherwise unconnected to the Silingii.
History -- Middle Ages
In the 9th and 10th centuries the territory later called Silesia was subject to the Moravian and then Bohemian rulers of the neighbouring area covered by today's Czech Republic to the south, who pledged allegiance to Charlemagne and his successors as emperors in the west. The territory was under Charlemagne sectioned into four pagi. Wratislaw I founded Wratislawia, the later city of Breslau, now Wroclaw.
In 999 Silesia, with much other territory, was conquered ,then incorporated into territory ruled by Boleslaus I, duke of the Polianie, who like his father and his sons, were subject to the emperors. Upon the death of the emperor Henry II in 1024, Boleslaus made himself king of Poland. During Poland's Fragmentation (1138-1320) into duchies ruled by different branches of the Piast royal family, Silesia was ruled by descendents of the royal house.
In 1146 duke Wladislaw II acknowledged the overlordship of the Holy Roman Empire, but was driven into exile. After 17 years in Germany, his two sons took possession of Silesia in 1163 with Imperial backing, dividing the land between them as dukes of Lower and Upper Silesia. The policy of subdivision continued under their successors, with Silesia being divided into 18 territories by the 1390s.
From around 1210 Henry I the Bearded, duke of Lower Silesia, son of a German mother and brought up in Germany, invited Germans to settle the land. The ruling classes increasingly adopted German language and culture. Germans moved in from other parts of the Holy Roman Empire in the wake of the dislocation caused by the 1241 Mongol invasion of Silesia. 160 cities and 1500 towns were founded with German charters and laws.
Having accepted the suzerainty of the predominantly German-speaking but loosely-governed Holy Roman Empire in 1163, the Silesian duchies in 1327 came under the suzerainty of the kings of Bohemia, itself a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Silesia remained part of the lands of the Bohemian crown until the eighteenth century.
Duke Henry VI of Breslau and the Upper Silesian dukes in 1327 recognized the suzerainty of the king of Bohemia (John of Luxemburg). Bohemia was itself a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Silesia remained part of the lands of the Bohemian crown until the eighteenth century.
Under the emperor and king of Bohemia and Charles IV, Silesia and especially Breslau gained greatly in importance, and many great buildings and large Gothic churches were built.
Other points:
- 1425-35 devastation caused by Hussite rebellion in Bohemia proper.
History - Early Modern Period
- Protestant reformation took an early hold, most of Silesia became Lutheran, then were forced by Jesuits back to Catholicism.
- 1537 Rulers of Brandenburg and Silesia conclude an inheritance treaty, vetoed by the emperor Ferdinand Habsburg.
- Habsburgs elected/inherited the Bohemian crown (it is disputed by what right they ruled)
- Second "Defenestration of Prague" 1618 sparks off Thirty Years War. Caused by attempts of Catholic Habsburg ruler to restore Catholicism and stamp out Protestantism.
- By 1675 the last German Silesian Piast rulers died out.
- After end of Thirty Years War Habsburg rulers greatly encouraged Catholicism, and suceeded in reconverting around sixty percent of Silesia.
- 1740 Seizure of Silesia by Frederick (the Great) of Brandenburg-Prussia, sparks off War of the Austrian Succession, until 1748. (Austrians refer to the First and Second Silesian wars within this period)
- End result - Prussia retained almost all of Silesia
- 1756-63 Seven Years War. (or Third Silesian War). Prussia confirmed in possession of Silesia.
Silesia in the Modern World
- Silesia part of Kingdom of Prussia. After destruction of Holy Roman Empire in 19th century, Silesia became part of German Empire when Prussia unified Germany by force (1866-71)
- Considerable industrialisation in Upper Silesia, and many people moved there and to other German industrial areas, who still spoke a Slavic language, related to Polish or Czech.
- 1921 referendum held by League of Nations in Upper Silesia, to determine which parts should became part of Poland and which part should remain in Germany. Suprisingly large part number of people opted to remain in Germany, despite being Slavic speakers. The Polish claim from outside of Silesia ,was, that due to German government shipping tens of thousands of Germans, who had anything to do with Silesia (like a grand grandfather) and make them pose (not for free) as "people of Silesia", right before the referendum. Despite the majority referendum vote for Germany, the interferrance and propaganda by Poles stirred up three Silesian Insurrections, causing parts of Silesia to be given to Poland, despite the majority vote against this.
By the 20th century Silesians spoke German, while the Silesians in what had then become Polish Corridor and Polish Slask spoke Polish and German.
In 1945 all German land east of the Oder-Neisse line and in other Eastern European countries, Nazi terror was replaced by Soviet Russian, Polish and Czech terror. The treaty between USSR, Great Britain and United States assigned land east of the Oder-Neisse line including most of Silesia to administration by Poland until a peace treaty.
Terror conquest by Soviet and Polish commandoes killed, imprisoned and removed Silesians and put replacement Polish people from east of the Bug river in instead. Large numbers of people from Lvov were moved into Silesia's capital city Breslau, now called Wroclaw.