The House of Liechtenstein (German: Haus Liechtenstein), from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's membership, rights and responsibilities are defined by a law of the family, which is enforced by the reigning prince and may be altered by vote among the family's dynasts, but which may not be altered by the Government or Parliament of Liechtenstein.[1]
The family originates from Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria (near Vienna), which the family possessed from at least 1136 to the 13th century, and from 1807 onwards.
The progenitor Hugo von Liechtenstein (d. 1156) built Liechtenstein Castle around 1122-36 on a fief that he received from the Babenberg margraves of Austria. He also received Petronell on the Danube and Rohrau Castle, near the then border with the Kingdom of Hungary, at first as a fief, from 1142 as a free property (allod).
Heinrich I (d. 1265), lord of Liechtenstein and Petronell, was given the lordship of Nikolsburg in southern Moravia as free property from Ottokar II of Bohemia, whom he supported politically, in 1249. It remained one of the most important seats until it was sold in 1560. In 1394, John I of Liechtenstein, lord of Nikolsburg (d. 1397), acquired the Feldsberg estate (then Lower Austria, today Valtice, Czech Republic). When he fell out of favor with Albert III, Duke of Austria, for whom he had long conducted government business, he lost his lands south of the Danube, but could keep Nikolsburg because Bohemia and Moravia did not come to the Habsburgs until 1526.
Through the centuries, the dynasty acquired vast swathes of land, predominantly in Moravia, Lower Austria, Silesia and Styria, though in all cases, these territories were parts of countries that were ruled by other dynasties, particularly the House of Habsburg, to whom several Liechtenstein princes served as close advisers.
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the three brothers Karl, Maximilian and Gundakar initiated a new period in the family history. They reconverted from Protestantism to Catholicism and supported the Habsburg Emperors in crushing the Bohemian Revolt. Maximilian, as Field Marshal, won the Battle of White Mountain for Emperor Ferdinand II. On diplomatic missions, Gundaker prepared the Catholic League, which fought for the Habsburgs in the Thirty Years' War. Karl restored order as Viceroy of Bohemia and oversaw the arrests and executions of the 27 leaders of the uprising. For this they were all three made princes. In addition, they were able to cheaply acquire huge lands from expelled and dispossessed Protestant nobles in Bohemia and Moravia, especially since Karl himself, as the Emperor's representative, carried out these confiscations. He also received the Duchy of Troppau and the Duchy of Krnov (Jägerndorf) in Silesia from the Emperor. The respective Fürst still holds these two ducal titles to this day.
The Moravian and Bohemian possessions acquired at the time included: Bučovice, Moravská Třebová, Moravský Krumlov, Uherský Ostroh (with Kunovice and Hluk), Šternberk and a palace in Prague (on Malostranské náměstí). In 1802 Velké Losiny was added. Most of these estates remained in the possession of the princely house until Czechoslovakia expropriated them in 1945. In 1622, Maximilian founded a monastery in Vranov, in whose family crypt almost all Liechtenstein princes were buried, until a new crypt was built in Vaduz in 1960.
Without any territory held directly under the Imperial throne, the Liechtenstein dynasty was unable to meet a primary requirement to qualify for a seat in the Imperial Diet (Reichstag). A seat would add power, and would be afforded by lands which would be immediate, or held without any feudal personage other than the Holy Roman Emperor himself having rights on the land. The head of the family was able to arrange the purchase from the Hohenems family of the minuscule Lordship of Schellenberg in 1699, and the County of Vaduz in 1712. Schellenberg and Vaduz indeed had no feudal lord other than their comital sovereign and the suzerain Emperor.
On 23 January 1719, after the purchase had been made, Charles VI as Holy Roman Emperor decreed Vaduz and Schellenberg to be united and raised to the dignity of a Principality by the name of "Liechtenstein", in honour of "[his] true servant, Anton Florian of Liechtenstein". On this date, Liechtenstein became a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Princes of Liechtenstein did not set foot in their new principality for several decades, a testament to the pure political expediency of the purchases. Since the distant little country consisted only of small farming villages, the administration was installed in the nearest town, Feldkirch in Austria, where the prince had an office building built for this purpose. Vaduz Castle, the center of the medieval county of that name, remained unused and was rented out as a restaurant for hikers until the late 19th century.
With the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Principality of Liechtenstein became sovereign and was recognized in this status by the Congress of Vienna in 1814/1815. Johann I became the first sovereign ruler. He acquired a number of castles and estates in Austria for his numerous sons, which are still mostly inhabited by their descendants today. The reigning princes continued to live in their magnificent Vienna residences, Liechtenstein City Palace and Liechtenstein Garden Palace, and on their Moravian and Bohemian estates, with Lednice and Valtice (German names: Eisgrub and Feldsberg) as their main residence. The border between Austria and Bohemia-Moravia, both member states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire under the Habsburg rule, ran through the park between the two castles. The local administration of the Principality of Liechtenstein was overseen by a governor, and the government office was located at the prince's seat.
It was not until the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945) by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II that the residence was moved from Valtice to Vaduz. The prince had opposed the annexation of Czech territory, including Valtice and Lednice, into Sudetenland, and as a consequence his properties were confiscated by the Nazis, and the family then relocated to Vaduz in 1939.[citation needed] Austria had also been annexed by Germany through the Anschluss in 1938.
After the Second World War, not only were the family's Czechoslovak properties expropriated, but in Allied-occupied Austria most of their properties were also located in the Soviet occupation zone and were therefore inaccessible until the end of the occupation in 1955. Due to the expropriations in Czechoslovakia as a result of the Beneš decrees in 1945, the family lost a large part of their land holdings, with about 1,200 square kilometers (463 square miles), 7.5 times the total area of the Principality itself.[2] It was only able to restore its prosperity, including the upkeep of numerous castles in Austria and of the world-famous art collections, in the last quarter of the 20th century by expanding its small Liechtenstein bank into the internationally operating financial company LGT Group.
María Teresa Sartorius y Liechtenstein (the Prince's niece)
Tree list
Below are all male and male-line dynastic descendants of Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein. The numbers represent the positions in the line of succession.
Valtice Castle in the Czech Republic (principal seat of the Liechtenstein princes until World War II, when the Nazi occupiers confiscated it, followed by Czech expropriation after the war)
Lednice Castle in the Czech Republic (confiscated, later expropriated)
Velké Losiny Castle in the Czech Republic (confiscated, later expropriated)
Political identity came to the territory now occupied by the Principality of Liechtenstein in 814, with the formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhætia. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss cantons.
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a family of German nobility that is part of the Briefadel. It was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and became well known as the owner of breweries and commissioner of several castles. The family has resided in Regensburg since 1748 with their seat at St. Emmeram Castle from 1803. The family is one of the wealthiest in Germany, and the current head of the House is Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis.
The House of Kinsky is a prominent Czech noble family originating from the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky family rose from minor nobles to comital (1628) and later princely status (1747) under the rule of the Habsburgs. The family, recorded in the Almanach de Gotha, is considered to have been one of the most illustrious of Austria-Hungary.
Anton Florian was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1718 and 1721.
Johann II, nicknamed the Good, was Prince of Liechtenstein from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929.
Josef Wenzel I, often referred to as just Wenzel, was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1712 and 1718, and 1748 and 1772, as well as regent of Liechtenstein between 1732 and 1745. He first succeeded his distant cousin Hans-Adam I, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian, who was not very popular among the family. Therefore Hans-Adam chose Josef Wenzel as his heir. He later decided to hand over the Principality in exchange for him getting the Dominion of Rumburk in 1718. Thirty years later he inherited Liechtenstein again after his nephew Prince Johann Nepomuk Karl died without male issue. As a military figure, Wenzel is known for his command of the Austrians at the Battle of Piacenza.
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The House of Windischgrätz, also spelled Windischgraetz, is an Austrian aristocratic family, descending from Windischgrätz in Lower Styria. The noble dynasty serving the House of Habsburg achieved the rank of Freiherren in 1551, of Imperial Counts in 1682 and of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in 1804. The family belongs to high nobility.
Valtice is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. It is known as part of Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
The House of Harrach is the name of an old and influential Austro-German noble family, which was also part of the Bohemian nobility. The Grafen (Counts) of Harrach were among the most prominent families in the Habsburg Empire. As one of a small number of mediatized families, it belongs to the Uradel.
Vaduz Castle is the palace and official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The castle gave its name to the town of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, which it overlooks from an adjacent hilltop.
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Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein was the heiress to the Silesian Duchy of Troppau. Countess of Soissons by marriage, she was the last person to hold the title. She had one son who predeceased her in 1734. Her son was engaged to Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, duchess of Massa and heiress to the Principality of Carrara.
Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria was a daughter of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and his third wife Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal. She was the mother of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and the paternal grandmother of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
Princess Elsa of Liechtenstein was Princess of Liechtenstein from 1929 to 1938 as the wife of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein.
The House of Khevenhüller is the name of an old and important Carinthian noble family, documented there since 1356, with its ancestral seat at Landskron Castle. In the 16th century, the family split into the two branches of Khevenhüller-Frankenburg, Imperial Counts from 1593, and Khevenhüller-Hochosterwitz, raised to Imperial Counts in 1725 and, as Khevenhüller-Metsch, to princely rank (Fürsten) in 1763. The family belongs to high nobility.
The Dietrichstein family was one of the oldest and most prominent Austrian noble families originating from the Duchy of Carinthia. The family belonged to the high nobility. The Nikolsburg (Mikulov) branch was elevated to the rank of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1624, while a member of the Hollenburg branch was elevated to the same dignity in 1684. The family held two groups of territories – the Principality of Dietrichstein, some castles in Carinthia and Moravia, and the Barony of Tarasp in Switzerland.
Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg, was the elder son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa und Wognin, Duchess von Hohenberg. Because his parents' marriage was morganatic, he was excluded from succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne, to which his father was heir presumptive, and to inheritance of any of his father's dynastic titles, income, and properties, although not from the archduke's personal estate nor from his mother's property.
Maximilian, Prince of Dietrichstein, was a German prince member of the House of Dietrichstein, Imperial Count (Reichsgraf) of Dietrichstein and owner of the Lordship of Nikolsburg in Moravia; since 1629 2nd Prince (Fürst) of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Baron (Freiherr) of Hollenburg, Finkenstein and Thalberg, was a diplomat and minister in the service of the House of Habsburg. He was a Kämmerer, Lord Chamberlain (Obersthofmeister), Conference Minister (Konferenzminister) and Privy Councillor of Emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece since and ruler over Nikolsburg, Polná, Kanitz, Leipnik, Weisskirch and Saar.
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