First Silesian War
The First Silesian War lasted from 1740 to 1742. It was fought mainly in Silesia, Moravia and Bohemia. It marked the unexpected defeat of the Habsburg Monarchy. It initiated the Austria–Prussia rivalry that would shape German politics for more than a century.
About First Silesian War in brief
The First Silesian War lasted from 1740 to 1742. It was fought mainly in Silesia, Moravia and Bohemia. It formed one theatre of the wider War of the Austrian Succession. It marked the unexpected defeat of the Habsburg Monarchy by a lesser German power. It initiated the Austria–Prussia rivalry that would shape German politics for more than a century. The war ended in a Prussian victory with the 1742 Treaty of Berlin, which recognised Prussia’s seizure of most of Silesia and parts of Bohemia. Conflict over Silesie would draw Austria and Prussia into a renewed Second Silesan War only two years later. All three wars ended in Prussian control of Sileia. The First Sileian War was fought between Frederick the Great’s Prussia and Maria Theresa’s Austria in the mid-18th century. No particular triggering event started the war. Realpolitik and geostrategic factors also played a role in provoking the conflict. It provided an opportunity for Prussia to strengthen itself relative to regional rivals such as Saxony and Bavaria. The region was a source of tax revenue, industrial output and military recruits. It lay along the north-eastern frontier of the Holy Roman Empire, allowing its controller to limit the influence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and of the Russian Empire within Germany. The valley of the Upper Oder formed a natural military conduit between Brandenburg, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Margraviate of Moravia, and whichever power held the territory could threaten its neighbours.
The Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg continued to assert themselves as the legitimate rulers of Jägerndorf. In 1675 the Great Elector Frederick William laid claim to Liegnitz, Wohlau and Brieg, but the Emperor disregarded the claims and the lands escheated. After 1685, Emperor Leopold I gave immediate control of Schwiebus to Frederick William’s son and successor, the late Frederick III of Brandenburg, claiming the territory for himself. As a young prince, Frederick I had only been personally assigned to the late as a prince for life, claiming access to the territory. After the death of George William of HohenZollern in 1694, the Emperor took back control of the Schwie Bus in return for military support against the Turks and the surrender of the outstanding Hohen zollern claims to the crown of the Great Turkish War. The Great Elector of Brandenburg and his son, Frederick William, took the territory back in 1696. The Great Great Elector and His Grandson Frederick III died in 1698, and Frederick William claimed the territory as his personal dowry. He was the only son and heir to the throne of the Hohen Zollern. In 1740, Prussia invaded Habsburg silesia and seized most of the region from Austria. It ended with a Prussian invasion of Habsberg SilesIA in late 1740.
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This page is based on the article First Silesian War published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
