The Rape of Silesia and Frederick the Great (Term Paper Sample)

THE RAPE OF SILESIA AND FEDERICK THE GREAT: HOW DID THE WAR END? AND HOW DID IT FIT THE CONTEXT OF RICHLIEU RAISON D’ÉTAT?
TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1.0INTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc422051472 \h 2
2.0Richelieu’s raison d’état PAGEREF _Toc422051473 \h 4
3.0Frederick the Great PAGEREF _Toc422051474 \h 7
4.0The Rape of Silesia: The War and How it Ended PAGEREF _Toc422051475 \h 12
5.0Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc422051476 \h 16
Bibliography
1.0INTRODUCTION
"The passions of rulers have no other curb but the limits of their power.”[Quoted from Frederick II of Prussia after being accused by Maria Theresa of Austria of raping. Source: Gerhard Ritter, Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile (California: University of California, 1968). 7.]
Upon ascension to the Prussian throne in 1740, Frederick II of Prussia’s (also known as Frederick the Great) first action was to seize the rich Hapsburg province of Silesia. This action (referred to as the "Rape of Silesia”) marked the beginning of eight-year War of the Austrian Succession. Austria at the time (circa 1711-1740) was in the middle of a serious succession crisis. The then emperor Charles VI of house Habsburg was without a male heir to succeed; he had only daughters. Similarly, his brother Joseph I (ruled from 1705-1711) had died also with no male heir. Prior to this time, Austria and indeed most of Europe had had no female rulers. Charles VI was greatly disturbed; he saw an end to the reign of his house; in response, he issued a decree that would allow any of his or his brother’s female offspring to ascend the throne; this decree is referred to as the Pragmatic Sanction.[Tomasz Kamusella, The Dynamics of Ethnic cleansing in Silesia in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century (Budapest: Open Society Institute. 1999). 33] [Austria at the time was of poor military strength when compared with surrounding Germanic and European nation. Charles IV envisaged that problems in succession for his female offspring. Therefore in order to gain acceptance for his pragmatic sanction on the continental stage he used Austria’s economic influence to sing treaties with other European nations, thereby securing agreements from such countries to support the sanction.]
Following the death of Charles IV in 1740, Maria Theresa ascended the throne of Austria about four months after Frederick II had succeeded his father on the Prussian throne. Frederick II upon hearing of the death of the Austrian Emperor (Charles IV) immediately invaded the town of Silesia, claiming to be against the Pragmatic Sanction. This act of war was in contradiction with his late father’s stance who was a strong supporter of the Pragmatic Sanction. Frederick II also went against Prussia’s foreign policy towards Austria; both empires up till that point were regarded as strong allies under the Roman Empire. This period of crisis in the Austrian empire marked the beginning of a long fought war of succession that spanned eight years between Prussia and Austria and subsequently led to the Seven Year War. Frederick II (28 years of age) and Maria Theresa (24 years of age) and consequently Prussia and Austria were then to become bitter rivals during this period in history.[Ibid., 34] [Ibid]
Frederick II’s actions of open hostilities against the Austrian Empire were perhaps inconsistent with expectations. As already mention, his father supported and signed the treaty put forward by the Pragmatic Sanction, his empire were at the time immediately before his reign strong allies of the Austrian Empire; then why did attack Silesia? The answer to this is rather simple; he saw opportunity to strengthen the political and economic powers of the Prussian empire. Frederick II was a devotee of Richelieu’s raison d’état (national interest) which was based on a where policy of the state is based solely on the development, progression or advancement of the state rather than a ruler’s dynastic or sentimental concerns. This paper tries to take look at the Rape of Silesia, Frederick II’s role, his motivation and the end of the war that follows; drawing parallels with the ideology or lessons from Richelieu’s raison d’état. The body of this paper is essentially divided into three sections. The first section tries to take a look at Frederick II, his background, his beliefs and his motivation; the second section discusses the Rape of Silesia, what motivated it and how it ended; the third section takes a look at the ideology behind raison d’état in relation to the Frederick II and his actions in the War of the Austrian Succession.[Encyclopædia Britannica. "Diplomacy" Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. /print/topic/164602. (accessed 08 June 2015)]
2.0Frederick the Great
"Frederick the Great: "Enlightened Monarch”, Warrior Despot, Rebellious Prince, and Patron of the Arts- the Eighteenth Century might just have produced the most enigmatic leader the world has known. Simply put, Frederick the Great was a man of "opposing forces”; the living embodiment of the Hegelian philosophy. For it was his opposing personality traits that determined his actions and altered German history forever”. To quote Franchetti’s description of Frederick;[Brendan S , An Analysis of Frederick the Great /search.php?smodel=all&sall_uid=253189]
Frederick II of Prussia was arguably the most charismatic and successful ruler of the eighteenth century. A revolutionary figure in the realm of policy and warfare—he is credited for having invented Realpolitik—he was a fascinating admixture of the most disparate elements; his affability and ruthlessness, for some mysterious reason, did not seem to collide. Infinitely industrious, indefatigable, uniquely available to his people, he remains an inscrutable figure, full of enigmatic contradictions, despite having written the most frank memoires and confessions of any ruler of the Ancien Régime. In his lifetime he provoked a degree of praise that was reserved for nobody else in modern history, except, perhaps, Louis XIV.[Cody Franchetti, "Frederick’s Greatness" International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities 5, No. 2 (2013): 159]
Frederick II (Frederick the Great) was born on January 24, 1712, to Frederick-Wilhelm; Emperor of the Prussian Empire Frederick II was raised at Potsdam Palace. He was reported to be child who loved playing the flute and writing poetry. His father on the other hand despised these pursuits and decided to raise him in a militaristic manner. History tells that Frederick II was actually mistreated as a child but was however given an excellent education. At age 18 the crown prince feeling he was being subjected to gross injustice decided to flee. Upon discovery of this, his father Frederick-Wilhelm put his son in solitary confinement and has his friend and co-conspirator beheaded in the presence of Frederick.[Ritter, Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile. 22]
Frederick’s harsh childhood was largely influenced the type of man he became. His artistic tendencies coupled with his harsh militaristic training had an effect on the man he was became. After becoming king in 1740, Frederick II lost no time in using his army. As already mentioned, he boldly seized Silesia from Austria, sparking the War of the Austrian Succession. Throughout his reign as king he continually succeeded in winning battles make genius decisions that ensured that Prussia became a great power in Europe.
Frederick the Great through his actions as king, his policies and his military prowess came to be known as the "Enlightened one”. Voltaire, one of the biggest critics of the European regimes, describes Frederick II as;[The 1700s was a period that saw the introduction of the doctrine of enlightenment in Europe. Frenchman Voltaire is widely regarded as the star of the Enlightenment movement especially in the mid to late 18th century.]
A man who gives battle as readily as he writes an opera; who takes advantage of all the hours that other kings waste following a dog chasing after a stag; he has written more books than any of his contemporary princes has sired bastards; and he has won more victories than he has written books.[MacDonogh, Giles. Frederick the Great: a Life in Deed and Letters. (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 1999). 17]
Frederick was an astute student of raison d’état, he believed that the best way to rule was putting the state before personal interests. Frederick described himself as merely the first servant of this all-powerful state, his goal was to make the Prussian government as coherent as a system of philosophy, so that finance, policy, and the army were coordinated to the same end: the consolidation of the state and the increase of its power. Thus, the Prussian army was able to capture Silesia because of their military might.[Ritter, Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile. 16]
The major reason behind the Silesian wars and capture was economic. Silesia was an economically rich province which the Habsburg Prussians where forced to concede their claim over to the Austrian after the reconciliation with Emperor Leopold I in 1685 in return for the cessation of Schwiebus. Frederick II seeing his opportunity to revive the Prussian claims to Silesia attacked and won the province in 1740. Frederick's goal was to modernize and unite his vulnerably disconnected lands. Frederick established Prussia as the fifth and smallest European great power by using the resources his frugal father had cultivated. Again the rationale behind the invasion gives insights into ideology of Frederick II. It points the ma...