Second Silesian War

Second Silesian War

The Second Silesian War lasted from 1744 to 1745. It was fought mainly in Silesia, Bohemia, and Upper Saxony. It has been viewed as a continuation of the First Sileian War. It contributed to the Austria–Prussia rivalry that shaped German politics. The war ended in a Prussian victory with the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, which confirmed Prussia’s control of Sileia.

About Second Silesian War in brief

Summary Second Silesian WarThe Second Silesian War lasted from 1744 to 1745. It was fought mainly in Silesia, Bohemia, and Upper Saxony. The conflict has been viewed as a continuation of the First Sileian War. It contributed to the Austria–Prussia rivalry that shaped German politics. The war ended in a Prussian victory with the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, which confirmed Prussia’s control of Sileia. Continuing conflict over Silea would draw Austria and Prussia into a Third Silesians War a decade later. The Second Silean War repeated the defeat of the Habsburg Monarchy by a lesser German power. It also confirmed Prussian control of the region of Silesie. The War of the Austrian Succession was fought between 1740 and 1750. It followed the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1740. His eldest daughter Maria Theresa became ruler of the Archduchy of Austria, as well as of the Bohemian and Hungarian lands. Frederick the Great of Prussia took this Austrian succession crisis as an opportunity to press his dynasty’s territorial claims. Prussia, France, Spain, Bavaria and others formed an alliance known as the League of Nymphenburg. The allies invaded on multiple fronts in mid-1741, soon occupying Austrian Tyrol, Upper Austria and Bohemia. In July 1742 Prussia and Austria made a separate peace under which Austria ceded the majority of Siledia to Prussia in return for Prussia’s neutrality in the continuing war.

In September 1743 Austria, Britain–Hanover, and Savoy–Sinia concluded a new Treaty of Worms in favour of Austria. Meanwhile, the Russo-Swedish War had paralleled the First Silesian War that had parallelsed the First War. The following year, Empress of Russia appointed Alexei Bestuzhev, a proponent of a pro-British and anti-French policy, as her chancellor. The Treaty of Berlin made no mention of the new alliance that entailed friendship to Austria and enmity to Russia. In 1743, Russia freed Austria to potentially take Austria’s side in the ongoing succession war in the Austrian Succession and won the election of Charles Albert as Holy Roman Emperor, exiling Emperor Charles Albert to Frankfurt. In late 1742, while Prussia enjoyed the restored peace, Austria fought on against Bavaria and France, reversing its losses from 1741. By the middle of 1742 Austria had recovered control of Bohemia and driven the French back across the Rhine into Alsace, and occupied Bavaria. Prussian forces resumed offensive operations in December, invading Moravia and blocking an Austrian drive toward Prague in early 1742. In December 1742 Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria won the 1742 Imperial election and became Holy Roman emperor. In January 1743 Prussia rejoined the war, hoping to prevent a resurgent Austria from taking back Silesias.