After Frederick the Great conquered Silesia, why did Austria retain Austrian Silesia? Was that because Frederick the Great hadn't managed to occupy those lands, or as part of a final peace deal?
That and IIRC the important bits with all the coal and iron ore deposits are located in Lower Silesia which is the north-western part. Why bother taking extra land for lands sake and possibly picking up more troublesome minorities when you can get what you want and still look vaguely magnanimous for not taking all of it.
I think there still were lots of resources in Upper Silesia, including Austrian Silesia. There was still a deal of coal in Upper Silesia, and I don't think Frederick the Great (or any other pre-nationalism ruler) cared that much if he was absorbing a large minority (since before nationalism, it's unlikely to cause a really gigantic problem).
Agreed.
Frederick probably would consider his peasant subject's language and ethnic origin utterly irrelevant, even if at his time, there was actually some vague talk about such things, at least among academics. But I doubt the average peasant would have given a fuck. Nationality it was probably more important to Fred than to the peasant I suppose. Now, feudal allegiances again had ceased to matter much, though likely more than any vague "ethnic" feeling, for most people ("most people" meaning largely a majority of countryside peasants, seasonal workers, small tenants, serfs -Prussia still had serfdom until 1807, IIRC, and Voltaire wouldn't give a fuck-).
Didn't Frederick The Great abolish serfdom?
I'm pretty sure he didn't; since abolishment of serfdom was a major part of the Prussian reforms.
Actually, the Irony in Frederick the Great is that he is the rightful heir of Casimir III who planned to get Silesia just before he died, he could use his descent from Casimir III as a propaganda tool in Posen and Upper Silesia.
Didn't Frederick The Great abolish serfdom?
Could you elaborate that?
What I was trying to say is that he could use his being the direct descendant of Casimir III as a propaganda to the people of Upper Silesia and Posen, he could boast that he is the de jure King of Poland while the rulers of Galicia,PLC and Congress Poland are treated as the usurpers in his propaganda.