Why was Silesia important to the Habsburg monarchy?

Silesia was of critical importance to the Habsburg monarchy primarily due to its immense economic value. By the 18th century, the region’s flourishing mining and textile industries had established it as the wealthiest of all the Habsburgs' Austrian provinces.1

When Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia invaded and seized the province in 1740, he targeted it specifically for this wealth. The loss of Silesia during the War of the Austrian Succession was a significant blow to Maria Theresa, as it not only deprived the monarchy of its richest land but also facilitated the rise of Prussia as the Habsburgs' most formidable rival in Germany. Furthermore, the loss resulted in a notable decrease in the proportion of German-speaking subjects within the Habsburg lands, which had long-term consequences for the rise of national tensions in the following century.21