User:Schlesien/Silesia

Silesia, officially the Grand Duchy of Silesia (German: Großherzogtum Schlesien) is a landlocked microstate with limited recognition, located in Central Europe. Silesia is bordered by three nations: Poland to the North and East, the Czech Republic to the South, and Germany to the West.

Silesia's capital city is Breslau (Polish: Wroc&#322;aw). It has a population of 634,287 (2014) at a density of 2,200/km2. Breslau rests on the Oder river, roughly 350 km from the Baltic Sea to the north and 40 km from Sudeten Mountains to the south.

Silesia is a Grand Duchy ruled under a form of constitutional monarchy with Grand Duke Wilhelm II as head of state. The current party in power is the Silesian Nationalist Party (SNP). The official languages are English and German, however, Polish and Czech are also widely spoken and recognized languages within Silesia.

History
Silesia has been virtually at the center of European history. Because of it's central location in Europe, many different power laid claim to it, including but not limited to: Poland, Bohemia, The Holy Roman Empire, and Prussia. It has been involved and contested in numerous wars, like World War I and World War II. For most of pre-history Silesia was populated by hunter-gatherers like the rest of Central Europe and nothing really develops in the area until we reach the Medieval Ages.

Early History and the Medieval Ages
Silesia's history really starts in the 7th century when Slavic peoples arrived in the region, and by the early 9th century their settlements had stabilized. In the 10th century, Polish ruler Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty incorporated Silesia into the Polish state. Silesia was divided up into many independent duchies during the Fragmentation of Poland in later parts of the 12th century. During this time, German cultural and ethnic influence increased as a result of immigration from German-speaking parts of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1335 Polish kings renounced their hereditary rights to Silesia and the province became a part of the Bohemian Crown under the Holy Roman Empire, and passed with that the crown to the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria in 1526.

Modern History
In 1742, most of Silesia was seized by King Frederick the Great of Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession, becoming the Prussian Province of Silesia; consequently, Silesia became a part of the German Empire when it was proclaimed in 1871.

Upper Silesia was contested by Germany and the newly independent Second Polish Republic after World War I. The League of Nations organized a plebiscite to decide the issue in 1921. It resulted in 60% of the votes being cast for Germany and 40% for Poland. Polish Silesia was among the first regions invaded during Germany's 1939 attack on Poland. Many of the Jews and Poles living in Silesia were subjected to genocide involving ethnic cleansing and mass murder, while German colonists were settled in pursuit of Lebensraum.

After World War II, millions of Germans either fled or were expelled, and were replaced by Polish population settled from other regions. Many Silesian residents who resented the Germans for their 1939 invasion now resented the newly formed Polish communist government for their population shifting and interference in agricultural and industrial affairs.

As recognized by most macronational entites, today's Silesia is divided between Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, with Poland having the most of Silesia's land.

In late 2015, a fourth generation Silesian-German named Wilhelm Heinzelmann sought to once again unify Silesia under one flag - to unite a people that have been divided and partitioned for centuries. Currently, most of Silesia remains in control of Poland. Self-proclaimed Grand Duke Wilhelm II vows that his government and he will soon make a trip to Silesia for an attempt at restoring Silesia's borders.

Politics and Government
The Grand Duchy of Silesia is de jure a constitutional monarchy that is run under a stratocratic system. The stratocratic system means that all government positions are held by military personell.

The Monarchy
The current Silesian monarchy is consisted of a Grand Duke/Duchess, who is the de jure head of state. The monarch rules much like that of the monarch of the United Kingdom. He/she is mainly a ceremonial figure as well as a representative of the nation as a whole. The monarch's duties include but are not limited to: International Representation, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ceremonial head, etc. If the reigning monarch is politically enlightened, he/she may dabble in parliamentary affairs.

Succession
Upon the death of the Sovereign, his or her heir immediately