WI:Equal Rights for the Silesian Poles and Transylvanian Romanians

Is it possible for the Habsburgs to give the Poles in Silesia and Romanians in Transylvania equal rights like they do with the Czechs, Magyars, Croats and Germans?
 
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What time period are you talking about? (Yeah, that seems to be my standard question). Usually rights weren't so much determined by language but in what territory you lived in and maybe if you lived in a city (with city rights) or not.
If you get to this later phase were nationalism is a thing, Poles were among the most loyal subjects because they did have more rights. No idea about Romanians, but since they mostly lived in the part that at one point become Hungary (of the A-H Empire) I assume that they weren't that privileged.
 
Is it possible for the Habsburgs to give the Poles in Silesia and Romanians in Transylvania equal rights like they do with the Czechs, Magyars, Croats and Germans?

A) The question of Czech rights is very complicated. Moravia had it's own way of an non-territorial Ausgleich, but AFAIK Bohemia never had.

B) Austrian Silesia was 43% German, 31% Polish and 26% Czech. I am not aware that the Czechs here had more rights than the Poles had.

C) Transsylvania had its own old system of the Three Ruling Nations of Magyars, Szeklers and Saxons (ie Germans). That is the conservative way. The "modern" way is to simply give it to Hungary, which will lead to diminished rights of the Saxons. Unless there is a real big change, I see no powerful advocated for giving the (mostly rural and less organized) Romanians additional power.

[One big change might be the acquistion of Moldavia and Walachia by Austria, eg after a Crimean War where Austria declard war on Russia and annexed proto-Romania to secure all of the Danube and to keep Russia away from the Balkans. Since Austria reaching the Black Sea would be much less a horrible idea for the UK than Russia reaching the med, the Western powers might actually support that. Especially if Austria reduced her control over the Italian states and handed something to Sardinia.]
 

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Is it possible for the Habsburgs to give the Poles in Silesia and Romanians in Transylvania equal rights like they do with the Czechs, Magyars, Croats and Germans?

I think that Croats would not say that they had equal rights...;)
 
What time period are you talking about? (Yeah, that seems to be my standard question). Usually rights weren't so much determined by language but in what territory you lived in and maybe if you lived in a city (with city rights) or not.
If you get to this later phase were nationalism is a thing, Poles were among the most loyal subjects because they did have more rights. No idea about Romanians, but since they mostly lived in the part that at one point become Hungary (of the A-H Empire) I assume that they weren't that privileged.

I am actually talking about the 16th century when the Austrians got Bohemia and Hungary - the biggest problem is that in the Polish area, Czech is the official language in majority of the areas the Poles lived in Silesia while for Hungary, Hungarian is official in Transylvania.

The Polish Silesians are loyal to the Habsburgs and Catholic and this would pose a problem with the Germans and the Czechs who are protestants while the Hungarians are protestants and Transylvanian Romanians are Orthodox and Uniate, if the Poles, Slovaks, Croats and Romanians in the Habsburg lands are given rights the Poles, Slovaks, Croats and Romanians would be excellent allies for the Habsburgs against the Czechs and the Magyars - the question is what would be the consequences of this.

The Poles and Romanians could be good allies for the Habsburgs against the Czechs and Magyars(in OTL the Poles and Romanians want nothing to do with the Habsburgs) and aside from that the Habsburgs could also invite more Catholic Poles to Silesia and more Romanians to Transylvania in order to make their population more balanced.
 
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I have to admit, 16th century isn't one of my strong points. And what I know, a bit of the Bauernkriege and the like, certainly doesn't focus on those areas.
But I still have to ask, aren't you projecting the nationality question back? That was something that cropped up with the enlightment some time later.
I do know that Bohemia and Moravia were troublesome when it came to religious questions for quite a while. And from what I know those things trenscended language barriers fairly easily. So are you certain that the polish speakers in Sliesia were good god fearing catholics and not affected by heretic preachers (to borrow some not so neutral language)? Also, wasn't there some Swedish-protestant effort at the time to covert Poland?
Also: if they all were catholic they would have been by default already prefered to non-catholics. Adding preference by language would just add another layer to this, leading more non-polish speaking people towards other religions.
I think that if they were less privileged compared to others in the same region, then it probably wasn't Habsburg policy, but the descision of local rulers.
Correct me if I got something there wrong. As said, it's not something I know that much about. Though the religions conflics in central Europe of the 13-16th century are on my to read list.
 
I have to admit, 16th century isn't one of my strong points. And what I know, a bit of the Bauernkriege and the like, certainly doesn't focus on those areas.
But I still have to ask, aren't you projecting the nationality question back? That was something that cropped up with the enlightment some time later.
I do know that Bohemia and Moravia were troublesome when it came to religious questions for quite a while. And from what I know those things trenscended language barriers fairly easily. So are you certain that the polish speakers in Sliesia were good god fearing catholics and not affected by heretic preachers (to borrow some not so neutral language)? Also, wasn't there some Swedish-protestant effort at the time to covert Poland?
Also: if they all were catholic they would have been by default already prefered to non-catholics. Adding preference by language would just add another layer to this, leading more non-polish speaking people towards other religions.
I think that if they were less privileged compared to others in the same region, then it probably wasn't Habsburg policy, but the descision of local rulers.
Correct me if I got something there wrong. As said, it's not something I know that much about. Though the religions conflics in central Europe of the 13-16th century are on my to read list.

Majority of the Polish Protestant Population in Silesia is in Cieszyn, where the Germans are the Catholics - that could have changed if reformation was not a success in Silesia especially in the Poles, the Poles could be used by the Habsburgs against the Czechs.
 
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