Tomenable
Well-known member
- Messages
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- Location
- Poland
- Ethnic group
- Polish
- Y-DNA haplogroup
- R1b-L617
- mtDNA haplogroup
- W6a
Let's start with Silesia:
According to Polish historian Karol Maleczynski Silesia had about 250,000 inhabitants in year 1000 and this number increased to 330,000 by year 1150, before the influx of German settlers started. In 1241 Mongol army ravaged Silesia causing a considerable loss of life among the population, and especially after that event a large influx of German settlers to Silesia took place. By year 1350 the population of Silesia increased to 490,000 including 360,000 in Lower Silesia and 130,000 in Upper Silesia accordng to Józef Kokot. According to Karol Maleczynski around 150,000 German settlers had arrived to Silesia prior to 1350. So Germans were probably at least 30% of Silesia's population in 1350. By around 1820 the percentage of Germans in Prussian Silesia increased to at least 70% (according to Stanisław Plater) including 85% in Lower Silesia and 28% in Upper Silesia (see the map). In Austrian Cieszyn Silesia in 1800 Germans were 8% (Poles 73%, Czechs 19% and Jews less than 1% according to Alicja Pylypenko-Czepczor). In Troppau Silesia Germans were over 80% in 1880 (according to the census).
As can be seen there was a significant increase of the percentage of Germans during 500 years. From 30% to roughly 70%.
My question is whether that was a gradual process with roughly the same pace during the entire 500 years long period (so on average 0.08% increase per year), or were there periods of time when Germanization was making faster than average progress (for example maybe after the Prussian takeover of 1740)? And were there other waves of German immigration to Silesia after 1350, or can the entire progress of Germanization between 1350 and 1850 be attributed to ethnic conversion of the local Slavic population to German language and culture? Also it can be noted that apparently some German historians disagree with those estimates which say that Germans were only 30% of Silesian population in 1350 - Arno Lubos claims that in 1315 Lower Silesia had 430,000 inhabitants including 300,000 Germans (70%). But Arno's book is not about demography but about literature.*
*Arno Lubos, "Geschichte der Literatur Schlesiens: Bd. I, T. 1, Von den Anfängen bis ca. 1800" (1995), page 24.
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Now when it comes to Pomerania (what Germans call Pommern and Poles Pomorze Zachodnie, West Pomerania):
According to this book:
"In 1300 West Pomerania was inhabited by 240-300,000 people, among whom around 60,000 were Germans [so 25% or 20%]. In towns German were around 50% of all inhabitants while in the countryside their percentage was around 10-11%."
And during the next 500 years this percentage of Germans increased to 90% in the early 1800s (see the map).
This would indicate an average pace of Germanization during 500 years as around 0.13% or 0.14% per year.
Any alternative estimates for the year 1300 population? Maybe from German sources?
According to Polish historian Karol Maleczynski Silesia had about 250,000 inhabitants in year 1000 and this number increased to 330,000 by year 1150, before the influx of German settlers started. In 1241 Mongol army ravaged Silesia causing a considerable loss of life among the population, and especially after that event a large influx of German settlers to Silesia took place. By year 1350 the population of Silesia increased to 490,000 including 360,000 in Lower Silesia and 130,000 in Upper Silesia accordng to Józef Kokot. According to Karol Maleczynski around 150,000 German settlers had arrived to Silesia prior to 1350. So Germans were probably at least 30% of Silesia's population in 1350. By around 1820 the percentage of Germans in Prussian Silesia increased to at least 70% (according to Stanisław Plater) including 85% in Lower Silesia and 28% in Upper Silesia (see the map). In Austrian Cieszyn Silesia in 1800 Germans were 8% (Poles 73%, Czechs 19% and Jews less than 1% according to Alicja Pylypenko-Czepczor). In Troppau Silesia Germans were over 80% in 1880 (according to the census).
As can be seen there was a significant increase of the percentage of Germans during 500 years. From 30% to roughly 70%.
My question is whether that was a gradual process with roughly the same pace during the entire 500 years long period (so on average 0.08% increase per year), or were there periods of time when Germanization was making faster than average progress (for example maybe after the Prussian takeover of 1740)? And were there other waves of German immigration to Silesia after 1350, or can the entire progress of Germanization between 1350 and 1850 be attributed to ethnic conversion of the local Slavic population to German language and culture? Also it can be noted that apparently some German historians disagree with those estimates which say that Germans were only 30% of Silesian population in 1350 - Arno Lubos claims that in 1315 Lower Silesia had 430,000 inhabitants including 300,000 Germans (70%). But Arno's book is not about demography but about literature.*
*Arno Lubos, "Geschichte der Literatur Schlesiens: Bd. I, T. 1, Von den Anfängen bis ca. 1800" (1995), page 24.
=====
Now when it comes to Pomerania (what Germans call Pommern and Poles Pomorze Zachodnie, West Pomerania):
According to this book:
"In 1300 West Pomerania was inhabited by 240-300,000 people, among whom around 60,000 were Germans [so 25% or 20%]. In towns German were around 50% of all inhabitants while in the countryside their percentage was around 10-11%."
And during the next 500 years this percentage of Germans increased to 90% in the early 1800s (see the map).
This would indicate an average pace of Germanization during 500 years as around 0.13% or 0.14% per year.
Any alternative estimates for the year 1300 population? Maybe from German sources?
