Editing Silesia (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Silesia}}
In the fourth century BC from the south, through the [[Kłodzko Valley]], the [[Celts]] entered Silesia, and settled around [[Mount Ślęża]] near modern [[Wrocław]], [[Oława]] and [[Strzelin]].<ref>R. Żerelik(in:) M. Czpliński (red.) Historia Śląska, Wrocław 2007, pp. 34–35</ref>

[[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Lugii]] tribes were first recorded within Silesia in the 1st century BC. [[West Slavs]] and [[Lechites]] arrived in the region around the 7th century,<ref>R. Żerelik(in:) M. Czpliński (red.) Historia Śląska, Wrocław 2007, pp. 37–38</ref> and by the early ninth century, their settlements had stabilized. Local West Slavs started to erect boundary structures like the [[Silesian Przesieka]] and the [[Silesia Walls]]. The eastern border of [[Silesian tribes|Silesian]] settlement was situated to the west of the [[Bytom]], and east from [[Racibórz]] and [[Cieszyn]]. East of this line dwelt a closely related Lechitic tribe, the [[Vistulans]]. Their northern border was in the valley of the [[Barycz (river)|Barycz]] River, north of which lived the [[Polans (western)|Western Polans]] tribe who gave [[Name of Poland|Poland its name]].<ref name="M. Czpliński 2007">R. Żerelik(in:) M. Czpliński (red.) Historia Śląska, Wrocław 2007, pp. 21–22</ref>

[[File:Polska 960 - 992.svg|thumb|Map of Poland with Silesia (''Śląsk'') in the year 992 during the rule of [[Mieszko I]]]]

The first known states in Silesia were [[Greater Moravia]] and [[Duchy of Bohemia|Bohemia]]. In the 10th century, the Polish ruler [[Mieszko I]] of the [[Piast dynasty]] incorporated Silesia into the newly established [[Duchy of Poland (c. 960–1025)|Polish state]]. In 1000, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław|Diocese of Wrocław]] was established as the oldest [[Catholic]] diocese in the region, and one of the oldest dioceses in Poland, subjugated to the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno]]. Poland repulsed German invasions of Silesia in 1017 at [[Siege of Niemcza|Niemcza]] and in 1109 at [[Siege of Głogów|Głogów]]. During the [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty|Fragmentation of Poland]], Silesia and the rest of the country were divided into [[Duchies of Silesia|many smaller duchies]] ruled by various [[Dukes of Silesia|Silesian dukes]]. In 1178, parts of the [[Duchy of Kraków]] around Bytom, [[Oświęcim]], [[Chrzanów]], and [[Siewierz]] were transferred to the Silesian Piasts, although their population was primarily Vistulan and not of Silesian descent.<ref name="M. Czpliński 2007"/> 

[[File:Polska 1102 - 1138.png|thumb|left|Poland with Silesia during the rule of [[Bolesław III Wrymouth]], 1102-1138]]

[[Walloons]] came to Silesia as one of the first foreign immigrant groups in [[Poland]], probably settling in Wrocław since the 12th century, with further Walloon immigrants invited by Duke [[Henry the Bearded]] in the early 13th century.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Zientara|first=Benedykt|year=1975|title=Walonowie na Śląsku w XII i XIII wieku|magazine=Przegląd Historyczny|language=pl|issue=66/3|pages=353, 357}}</ref> Since the 13th century, [[Germanization|German cultural and ethnic influence]] increased as a result of [[Ostsiedlung|immigration from German-speaking states]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

The first granting of [[town privileges|municipal privileges]] in Poland took place in the region, with the granting of rights for [[Złotoryja]] by Henry the Bearded. Medieval municipal rights modeled after [[Lwówek Śląski]] and [[Środa Śląska]], both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. The [[Book of Henryków]], which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as a document which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were created in [[Henryków, Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Henryków]] and Wrocław in Silesia, respectively.

[[File:Silesia 1172-1177.jpg|thumb|Silesia in the early period of [[Piast Poland#Fragmentation and Invasion, (1146-1295)|Poland's fragmentation]], 1172–1177, Lower Silesia with [[Lubusz Land]] in orange, Upper Silesia in green and yellow]]

In 1241, the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]] conducted their [[First Mongol invasion of Poland|first invasion of Poland]], causing widespread panic and mass flight. They looted much of the region and defeated the combined Polish, Moravian and German forces led by Duke [[Henry II the Pious]] at the [[Battle of Legnica]], which took place at [[Legnickie Pole]] near the city of [[Legnica]]. Upon the death of [[Orda Khan]], the Mongols chose not to press forward further into Europe, but returned east to participate in the election of a new Grand Khan (leader).

Between 1289 and 1292, Bohemian king [[Wenceslaus II]] became ''[[suzerain]]'' of some of the [[Upper Silesia]]n duchies. Polish monarchs had not renounced their hereditary rights to Silesia until 1335.<ref>R. Żerelik(in:) M. Czpliński (red.) Historia Śląska, Wrocław 2007, p. 81</ref> The province became part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]] which was part of the Holy Roman Empire; however, a number of duchies remained under the rule of the Polish dukes from the houses of Piast, [[Jagiellonian dynasty|Jagiellon]] and [[House of Sobieski|Sobieski]] as formal Bohemian [[fief]]doms, some until the 17th–18th centuries. In 1469, sovereignty over the region passed to [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]], and in 1490, it returned to Bohemia. In 1526 Silesia passed with the Bohemian Crown to the [[Habsburg monarchy]].

In the 15th century, several changes were made to Silesia's borders. Parts of the territories that had been transferred to the Silesian Piasts in 1178 were bought by the [[Monarchs of Poland|Polish kings]] in the second half of the 15th century (the [[Duchy of Oświęcim]] in 1457; the [[Duchy of Zator]] in 1494). The Bytom area remained in the possession of the Silesian Piasts, though it was a part of the [[Diocese of Kraków]].<ref name="M. Czpliński 2007"/> The Duchy of [[Krosno Odrzańskie]] ({{lang|de|Crossen}}) was inherited by the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] in 1476 and with the renunciation of King [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]] and the estates of Bohemia in 1538, became an integral part of Brandenburg. From 1645 until 1666, the [[Duchy of Opole and Racibórz]] was held in pawn by the Polish [[House of Vasa]] as dowry of the Polish queen [[Cecilia Renata of Austria|Cecylia Renata]].

[[File:Crown of Bohemia 1648.png|thumb|[[Lands of the Bohemian Crown]] between 1635 and 1742, before most of Silesia was ceded to [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]]]
[[File:Silesia-map.svg|thumb|Map of [[Austrian Silesia|Austrian]] and [[Prussian Silesia|Prussian]] Silesia with modern national borders. {{Legend|#00ffff|[[Austrian Silesia]], 1740}}{{Legend|#ffffff|border=2px solid #ff0000|[[Prussian Silesia]], 1871}}{{Legend|#0000ff|[[Oder]]}}]]

In 1742, most of Silesia was seized by King [[Frederick II of Prussia]] in the [[War of the Austrian Succession]], eventually becoming the Prussian [[Province of Silesia]] in 1815; consequently, Silesia became part of the [[German Empire]] when it was proclaimed in 1871. The Silesian capital Breslau became at that time one of the big cities in Germany. Breslau was a center of Jewish life in Germany and an important place of science (university) and industry (manufacturing of locomotives). German mass tourism started in the Silesian mountain region (Hirschberg, Schneekoppe). 

After World War I, a part of Silesia, [[Upper Silesia]], was contested by Germany and the newly independent [[Second Polish Republic]]. The [[League of Nations]] organized a [[Upper Silesia plebiscite|plebiscite]] to decide the issue in 1921. It resulted in 60% of votes being cast for Germany and 40% for Poland.<ref>[http://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Preussen/Oberschlesien/Volksentscheide.html gonschior.de] (in German)</ref> Following the third [[Silesian uprising]] (1921), however, the easternmost portion of Upper Silesia (including Katowice), with a majority ethnic Polish population, was awarded to Poland, becoming the [[Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939)|Silesian Voivodeship]]. The Prussian Province of Silesia within Germany was then divided into the provinces of [[Province of Lower Silesia|Lower Silesia]] and [[Province of Upper Silesia|Upper Silesia]]. Meanwhile, [[Austrian Silesia]], the small portion of Silesia retained by Austria after the [[Silesian Wars]], was mostly awarded to the new Czechoslovakia (becoming known as Czech Silesia and [[Trans-Olza]]), although most of [[Cieszyn]] and territory to the east of it went to Poland.

Polish Silesia was among the first regions invaded during Germany's 1939 [[invasion of Poland|attack on Poland]], which started [[World War II]]. One of the claimed goals of [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|Nazi German occupation]], particularly in Upper Silesia, was the extermination of those whom Nazis viewed as "[[Untermensch|subhuman]]", namely Jews and ethnic Poles. The Polish and Jewish population of the then Polish part of Silesia was subjected to genocide involving [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expulsions]], mass murder and deportation to [[Nazi concentration camps]] and [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps, while Germans were settled in pursuit of {{lang|de|[[Lebensraum]]}}.<ref>Piotr Eberhardt, Political Migrations in Poland, 1939–1948, Warsaw 2006, p.25</ref> Two thousand Polish intellectuals, politicians, and businessmen were murdered in the {{lang|de|[[Intelligenzaktion|Intelligenzaktion Schlesien]]}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]}}</ref> in 1940 as part of a [[Germanisation in Poland (1939–1945)|Poland-wide Germanization program]]. Silesia also housed one of the two main wartime centers where medical experiments were conducted on [[Kidnapping of children by Nazi Germany|kidnapped Polish children]] by Nazis.<ref>Kamila Uzarczyk: Podstawy ideologiczne higieny ras. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2002, pp. 285, 286, 289. {{ISBN|83-7322-287-1}}.</ref> Czech Silesia was [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia|occupied by Germany]] as part of so-called [[Sudetenland]]. In Silesia, [[Nazi Germany]] operated the [[Gross-Rosen concentration camp]], several [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camps]] for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] POWs (incl. the major [[Stalag VIII-A]], [[Stalag VIII-B]], [[Stalag VIII-C]] camps), numerous Nazi prisons and thousands of [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps, including a network of forced labour camps solely for Poles ({{lang|de|[[Polenlager]]}}), [[Subcamp (SS)|subcamps]] of prisons, POW camps and of the Gross-Rosen and [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]] concentration camps.

[[File:Wrocław Rynek 18 sm.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Typical [[Silesian architecture|Silesian baroque]] architecture in [[Wrocław]]]]

The [[Potsdam Conference]] of 1945 defined the [[Oder-Neisse line]] as the border between Germany and Poland, pending a final peace conference with Germany which eventually never took place.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Politics Today Companion to West European Politics|author=Geoffrey K. Roberts, Patricia Hogwood|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|page=50|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q40tDwAAQBAJ|isbn=9781847790323}}; {{cite book|title=The United States and Poland|author=Piotr Stefan Wandycz|publisher=Harvard University Press|year= 1980|page=303|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XaFaNshCrkC|isbn=9780674926851}}; {{cite book|title=The Oder-Neisse Line: a reappraisal under internaromtional law|author=Phillip A. Bühler|series=East European Monographs|year= 1990|page=33|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=riBpAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9780880331746}}</ref> At the end of WWII, Germans in Silesia fled from the battle ground, assuming they would be able to return when the war was over. However, they could not return, and those who had stayed were expelled and a new Polish population, including people displaced from [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|former Eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union]] and from Central Poland, joined the surviving native Polish inhabitants of the region. After 1945 and in 1946, nearly all of the 4.5&nbsp;million Silesians of German descent fled, or were interned in camps and expelled, including some thousand German Jews who survived the Holocaust and had returned to Silesia.
The newly formed [[Polish United Workers' Party]] created a [[Recovered Territories|Ministry of the Recovered Territories]] that claimed half of the available arable land for state-run collectivized farms. Many of the new Polish Silesians who resented the Germans for their invasion in 1939 and brutality in occupation now resented the newly formed Polish communist government for their population shifting and interference in agricultural and industrial affairs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lukowski, Zawadski|first=Jerzy, Hubert|title=A Concise History of Poland|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|isbn=978-0-521-61857-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof00luko/page/278 278–280]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof00luko/page/278}}</ref>

The administrative division of Silesia within Poland has changed several times since 1945. Since 1999, it has been divided between [[Lubusz Voivodeship]], [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship]], [[Opole Voivodeship]], and [[Silesian Voivodeship]]. Czech Silesia is now part of the Czech Republic, forming part of the [[Moravian-Silesian Region]] and the northern part of the [[Olomouc Region]]. Germany retains the Silesia-Lusatia region ({{lang|de|Niederschlesien-Oberlausitz}} or {{lang|de|Schlesische Oberlausitz}}) west of the [[Lusatian Neisse|Neisse]], which is part of the federal state of [[Saxony]].

The region was affected by the [[1997 Central European flood|1997]], [[2010 Central European floods|2010]] and [[2024 Central European floods|2024]] Central European floods.