Outbreak of the First Silesian War

Date: December 16, 1740 • Location: Jutrosin, Poland

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1740–1742.

Prussian forces, led by Frederick the Great, moved into the Habsburg region of Silesia, starting the First Silesian War.

Frederick II was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia, declaring himself King of Prussia after annexing Royal Prussia from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772. His most significant accomplishments include military successes in the Silesian wars, reorganisation of the Prussian Army, the First Partition of Poland, and patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment. Prussia greatly increased its territories and became a major military power in Europe under his rule. He became known as Frederick the Great and was nicknamed "Old Fritz".