These are the individuals who, at any given time, were considered next in line to inherit the throne of Liechtenstein, should the incumbent monarch die. Those who actually succeeded (at any time) are shown in bold.
This list begins with the reign of Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein follows the Salic law, which means no female member can succeed to the throne, limiting the line of succession to the eligible male-line descendants of Prince Johann I Joseph.
Monarch | Heir | Relationship to monarch | Became heir (Date; Reason) | Ceased to be heir (Date; Reason) | Next in line of succession |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Johann I Josef | Hereditary Prince Alois | Son | 24 March 1805 Father became Prince | 20 April 1836 Father died, became Prince | Prince Franz de Paula, brother |
Alois II | Prince Franz de Paula | Brother | 20 April 1836 Brother became Prince | 5 October 1840 Son born to Prince | Prince Karl Johann, brother |
Hereditary Prince Johann | Son | 5 October 1840 Born | 12 November 1858 Father died, became Prince | Prince Franz de Paula, 1840–1853, uncle | |
Prince Franz , 1853–1858, brother | |||||
Johann II | Prince Franz | Brother | 12 November 1858 Brother became Prince | 11 February 1929 Brother died, became Prince | Prince Franz de Paula, 1840–1853, uncle |
Prince Alfred, 1887–1907, first cousin | |||||
Prince Franz de Paula, 1907–1923, first cousin once removed | |||||
Prince Franz Josef [a] , 1923–1929, first cousin twice removed | |||||
Franz I | Prince Franz Josef | First cousin twice removed | 11 February 1929 First cousin twice removed became Prince | 25 July 1938 First cousin twice removed died, became Prince | Prince Karl Alfred, brother |
Franz Josef II | Prince Karl Alfred | Brother | 25 July 1938 Brother became Prince | 14 February 1945 Son born to Prince | Prince Georg Hartmann, brother |
Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam | Son | 14 February 1945 Born | 13 November 1989 Father died, became Prince | Prince Karl Alfred, 1945–1946, uncle | |
Prince Philipp, 1946–1968, brother | |||||
Prince Alois, 1968–1989, son | |||||
Hans-Adam II | Hereditary Prince Alois | Son | 13 November 1989 Father became Prince | Incumbent | Prince Maximilian, 1989–1995, brother |
Prince Joseph Wenzel, 1995–present, son |
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.
Johann II, nicknamed the Good, was Prince of Liechtenstein from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929.
Joseph Johann Adam was the Prince of Liechtenstein from 1721 to his death.
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 his 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.
Franz Joseph II was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death in November 1989.
Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein, born Franz de Paula Josef Johann Nepomuk Andreas, was the Prince of Liechtenstein from 1772 until his death.
Aloys II was the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein from 20 April 1836 until his death in 1858.
The Jacobite succession is the line through which Jacobites believed that the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland should have descended, applying male preference primogeniture, since the deposition of James II and VII in 1688 and his death in 1701. It is in opposition to the legal line of succession to the British throne since that time.
Franz I was Prince of Liechtenstein from 11 February 1929 until his death in 1938.
The House of 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.
Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg is the eldest child of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, and his wife, Duchess Sophie Elizabeth Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria, He is also the eldest grandchild of the current ruling prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II, and Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.
Succession to the Liechtensteiner throne is governed by the house laws of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, which stipulate agnatic primogeniture. In 2004, the head of state, Hans-Adam II, publicly responded to criticism from a committee of the UN which had voiced concerns about the exclusion of women from the line of succession, stating that the rule was older than the state itself.
The Swiss franc has been the currency of Liechtenstein since 1920. The Swiss franc is legal tender since Liechtenstein is in a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. The 1980 treaty between Switzerland and Liechtenstein allows Liechtenstein to mint limited amounts of Swiss francs with a Liechtenstein inscription, but only in the form of commemorative coins, and they are not allowed to issue banknotes.
An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility. This sequence may be regulated through descent or by statute.
Prince Alois of Liechtenstein was the son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein (1842–1907) and Princess Henriette of Liechtenstein (1843–1931), daughter of Alois II of Liechtenstein.
Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein was the father and brother to two of Liechtenstein's monarchs.
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.
Elisabeth Sarolta "Elsa" von Gutmann was Princess of Liechtenstein from 1929 to 1938 as the wife of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein.
Countess Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun und Hohenstein was an Austrian noblewoman who, as the wife of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, was the Princess of Liechtenstein from 1718 to 1721. She accompanied her husband on diplomatic missions to Rome and Barcelona. After her husband's death in 1721, she spent the remaining two years of her life in Vienna. Her husband was succeeded by their son, Prince Joseph Johann Adam. Eleonore's daughter, Princess Anna Maria, later became Princess consort of Liechtenstein as the wife of Joseph Wenzel I.
John Leopold Donat of Trautson was an Austrian nobleman and politician. Since 1711 he was the first Prince of Trautson, Imperial Count von Falkenstein and Baron zu Sprechenstein. He was educator, chamberlain and Obersthofmeister of Emperor Joseph I.