[twinself]

If you said that German was spoken in Silesian towns starting 13th century I would agree. Actually the same could be said about Flemish. Towns were set upon so called "German law" by both Polish and German settlers (Zlotoryja, Lwowek were examples of German settlements). But I repeat: SILESIA WAS NOT MOSTLY GERMAN SINCE 13 TH CENTURY. It is a silly lie, believe me. Short recap from Silesia's history:

1000 - Christian episcopate in Wroclaw is constituted by Boleslaw Chrobry

1138 - Polish king Boleslaw Krzywousty divides his land into smaller prinipalities, Silesia goes to his son Wladyslaw.

1348 - Polish king Kasimir the Great gives Silesia to Czech Jagiellon - Jan of Luxemburg after peace treaty of Namyslow (Czech Bohemia was an autononymous part of Roman Empire of course).

1526 - Austrian Habsburgs start to rule Silesia.

Silesia became Prussian in 1741 after the battle of Malujowice lost by Austrian Habsburgs to Prussian Hohenzellerns.

It only became German in 1871 after German Empire consituted as a separate country. :)

[A. Pole]

It only became German in 1871 after German Empire consituted as a separate country. :)

Yeah, but it is only in the very artificial legal sense in which Germany did not exist until she was united by Prussia in XIX (while Austria lost the same attempt).

Same way, Greek nation came into existance in XIX c. The fact is that Silesia was part of Poland in middle ages for a short time and that Slavic Silesians became Germanized by the spontaneous cultural process. And before they were as Polish as they were Czech.