The factual accuracy of this article is disputed: see talk:Silesia
A version which is not disputed (but very short) is at Silesia (moderated).
Silesia (Polish Śląsk, German Schlesien, Czech Slezsko) is an historical region in east-central Europe, located along the upper and middle Oder/Odra River, in what is now southwestern Poland and with parts in Germany and the northeastern Czech Republic. Silesia belonged to Poland in the middle ages. Ties with Poland gradually decreased over time, and the province was a Habsburg domain from the 16th to the 18th century. In 1742 most of Silesia was seized by Frederick the Great of Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession. This part of Silesia composed the Prussian provinces Upper- and Lower Silesia until 1945. After World War II nearly all of Prussian Silesia was annexed by Poland, and most of the German population (which had formed a majority prior to the war) was expelled. The remainder of Silesia remained under Austrian control, and today forms part of the Czech Republic. In the Polish dialect spoken in Silesia, the region is also known as Ślonsk or Ślunsk.''
The Polish portion of Silesia, which forms the bulk of the historic region, is now divided into the voivodships of Lower Silesian Voivodship (capital: Wroclaw), Opole Voivodship (capital: Opole), and Silesian Voivodship (capital: Katowice). The latter two are sometimes called Upper Silesia. The small portion in the Czech Republic is joined with Moravia to form the Moravian-Silesian Region of that country, while the Görlitz area now is a part of the German state of Saxony.
Silesia lies directly adjacent to Saxony, Little Poland, Greater Poland, and Brandenburg – and very near to Berlin and Krakow.
Silesia is a resource rich and populous region. Coal and iron can both be found there, and a substantial munfacturing industry has grown up, but in post-communist times the outdated nature of many of the facilites have lead to problems. It is also a good agricultural area producing grains, potatoes, and sugar beets.
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2 History 3 Demographics 4 Economy 5 Culture 6 Further reading 7 External links |
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 (some say Celto-Germanic) people, who supposedly lived south of the Baltic Sea in the Elbe, Oder, and Vistula river in 2nd Century. The "Silesia is Poland" argument is based on etymology and the fact that the place-names in the area were always Polish, or germanized Polish names. Also archeological finds from 7th and 8th uncovered largely populated areas protected by a dense system of fortifications from West and South. Lack of such systems from North or East signifies Silesia being a part of larger State populated by early Polish tribes.
A third theory claims that the area was indeed "originally" (as far as they are the first people purported to have lived in the area) inhabited by the Silingii. When the Silingii moved from the area during the Migration Period, or Völkerwanderung, they left remnants of their society behind. The most evident remnants were in the place-names, which were adopted (in Slavic form) by the new inhabitants, who were in fact Slavic (Polish Śląsk, OldPol. Śląžsk [-o], OldSlav. *Sьlьąžьskъ [<*Sьlьągьskъ] from OldGerman *Siling-isk [land]). These people became associated with the place, and were known as Silesians (using a Latinized form of the name, Pol. Ślęžanie), even though they had nothing to do with the Silingii.
Parenthetically, it should be noted that there is considerable debate among archaeologists and historians as to whether there is such a thing as a Celtic-Germanic people. Exhibits such as the one in Rosenheim (Bayern) certainly demonstrate that the Celts had an influence on the area; however, the movement of the Celts westward through Europe was such that there is little if any overlap between them and the Germanic tribes.
Moreover, the question of Germanic tribes and their relationship to place names is entirely chicken/egg. Traditional German historiography, most notably the works of Ranke, tend to argue a thing's inherent "Germanness" on the grounds that clearly work in a 19th century nationalist context, but hardly work for today's historians.
The following factoids are from the Catholic Encyclopedia. Please check them for accuracy and point out any errors in talk. A sysop will immediately move any disputed fact.
Silesia has been:
Silesia was inhabited by various peoples belonging to changing archealogical cultures in the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age.
As recorded by Tacitus in the 1st century AD Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic leage dominated by the Celtic Lugii/Lygii. Belonging to this federation the Silingii, most likely a Vandalic people, lived south of the Baltic Sea in the Elbe, Odra, and Vistula river area of later Germany and Poland.
Early documents mention a couple of tribes most probably living in Silesia: Bavarian Geographer (ca. 845): Slenzanie, Dzhadoshanie, Opolanie, Lupiglaa, Golenshitse. And a document of Prague bishopric (1086): Zlasane, Trebovyane, Poborane, Dedositze.
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.
In 990 Silesia was incorporated into Poland by Mieszko I (although some historians are moving the date to 999 and rule of Boleslaus I, duke of the Polanie (Polans; from "pole" - "a field") and later king of Poland). (See [[1] for the previous boundaries of Poland.) During Poland's Fragmentation (1138-1320) into duchies ruled by different branches of the Piast royal family, Silesia was ruled by descendants 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, and his wife Hedwig of Andechs invited the Knights Templar and other religious, many of them from Germany, to settle the land. The ruling classes increasingly adopted German language and culture, causing great ethnic tensions in Silesia. 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 or relocated with German charters and laws (German law was however quickly separated from ethnicity of the founders and usually new Polish settlements were also located or relocated with German laws, which were considered more modern and superior to older, customary Polish laws).
In 1327, Duke Henry VI of Wroclaw and the Upper Silesian dukes recognized the overlordship of the king of Bohemia (John of Luxemburg). Last independent Piast duchies in Silesia ceased to exist in 1368. Since then Silesia became indirectly part of Holy Roman Empire, since Bohemia was itself an autonomous part of the entity. Silesia remained part of the lands of the Bohemian crown until 1742, under kings of Czech, Polish and German dynasties.
Under the emperor and king of Bohemia Charles IV, Silesia and especially Wroclaw gained greatly in importance, and many great buildings and large Gothic churches were built.
Between 1425 and 1435, devastation was caused by Hussite rebellion in Bohemia proper - Silesia remained largely Catholic however.
After the end of the Thirty Years War, the Habsburgs greatly encouraged Catholicism, and succeeded in reconverting around sixty percent of the population of Silesia.
By 1675 the last Silesian Piast rulers had died out.
In 1740 the seizure of Silesia by Frederick (the Great) of Brandenburg began the War of the Austrian Succession, which ended in 1748. At the end of this war, Prussia retained almost all of Silesia.
The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) confirmed this result.
After Germany's defeat in World War I, a 1921 referendum was held by the League of Nations in Upper Silesia, to determine the future of the province.
In the referendum Poland and Germany got almost the same number of votes from the people living in Upper Silesia. However, 200 000 of people born in Upper Silesia, but living in Germany, had also right to vote.
After the referendum, there were three Silesian Insurrections, as a result of
them, League of Nations decided, that the province should be split and areas that voted for Poland should become autonomous Silesian Voivodship (Wojewodztwo Śląskie), as part of Poland.
In 1945 all of Silesia was occupied by Soviet troops, by then a large proportion of German population had fled Silesia. The treaty between the USSR, Great Britain, France, and the United States assigned the major part of Silesia east of the rivers Odra and Nysa to Poland, forcing the German population to relocate behind the Oder-Neisse Line. A little part of Silesia west of Nysa around Görlitz remained German (now part of the Federal State of Saxony).
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Modern Silesia is inhabited mostly by the Poles and Silesians, but also by the Germans, Czechs and Moravians.
The last Polish census of 2002 showed that the Silesians are the largest ethnic minority in Poland, Germans being the second - both groups are located mostly in the Silesian region.
The Czech Silesia is inhabited by the Czechs, Moravians and Poles.
The 1905 census showed that Silesia were inhabited 3/4 by Germans, 1/4 by Poles.
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Name of the region
History
Early peoples
Middle Ages
Early Modern Period
The Protestant reformation took an early hold, and most of Silesia became Lutheran.
The second "Defenestration of Prague", in 1618, sparked the Thirty Years' War, caused by attempts of the Catholic Habsburg ruler to restore Catholicism and stamp out Protestantism. Silesia in the Modern World
Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, became part of the German Empire when Prussia lead the unification of Germany (1866-71). There was considerable industrialization in Upper Silesia, and many people moved there.
A majority of the population was Polish-speaking and Roman Catholic, and in whole Silesia Polish-speakers were estimated to more than 30%, concentrated in regions of Upper Silesia and Opole. As the below mentioned referendum showed, Polish-speakers not always had to be identified with Poles.Demographics
Economy
Culture
Further reading
Publications in German
Publications in Polish
External links
Administrative and local government regions
Silesian Organizations
History of Silesia
Internet directories
Maps of Silesia
