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There have been 16 monarchs of the Principality of Liechtenstein since 1608. The current Prince of Liechtenstein is Hans-Adam II, since 13 November 1989. [1] The current Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein is Alois, since 15 August 2004. [2]
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl I | 30 July 1569 – 12 February 1627 (aged 57) | 20 December 1608 | 12 February 1627 (18 years, 54 days) | — | Liechtenstein |  |
| Karl Eusebius | 11 April 1611 – 5 April 1684 (aged 72) | 12 February 1627 | 5 April 1684 (57 years, 53 days) | Son of Karl I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Hans-Adam I | 16 August 1662 – 16 June 1712 (aged 49) | 5 April 1684 | 16 June 1712 (28 years, 72 days) | Son of Karl Eusebius | Liechtenstein |  |
| Joseph Wenzel I | 9 August 1696 – 10 February 1772 (aged 75) | 16 June 1712 | 12 March 1718 (5 years, 269 days) | Great-grandnephew of Karl I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Anton Florian | 28 May 1656 – 11 October 1721 (aged 65) | 12 March 1718 | 11 October 1721 (3 years, 213 days) | Uncle of Joseph Wenzel I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Joseph Johann Adam | 25 May 1690 – 17 December 1732 (aged 42) | 11 October 1721 | 17 December 1732 (11 years, 67 days) | Son of Anton Florian | Liechtenstein |  |
| Johann Nepomuk Karl | 6 July 1724 – 22 December 1748 (aged 24) | 17 December 1732 | 22 December 1748 (16 years, 5 days) | Son of Joseph Johann Adam | Liechtenstein |  |
| Joseph Wenzel I | 9 August 1696 – 10 February 1772 (aged 75) | 22 December 1748 | 10 February 1772 (23 years, 50 days) | Great-grandnephew of Karl I | Liechtenstein | |
| Franz Joseph I | 19 November 1726 – 18 August 1781 (aged 54) | 10 February 1772 | 18 August 1781 (9 years, 189 days) | Nephew of Joseph Wenzel I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Aloys I | 14 May 1759 – 24 March 1805 (aged 45) | 18 August 1781 | 24 March 1805 (23 years, 218 days) | Son of Franz Joseph I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Johann I Joseph | 26 June 1760 – 20 April 1836 (aged 75) | 24 March 1805 | 20 April 1836 (31 years, 27 days) | Son of Franz Joseph I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Aloys II | 26 May 1796 – 12 November 1858 (aged 62) | 20 April 1836 | 12 November 1858 (22 years, 206 days) | Son of Johann I Joseph | Liechtenstein |  |
| Johann II | 5 October 1840 – 11 February 1929 (aged 88) | 12 November 1858 | 11 February 1929 (70 years, 91 days) | Son of Aloys II | Liechtenstein |  |
| Franz I | 28 August 1853 – 25 July 1938 (aged 84) | 11 February 1929 | 25 July 1938 (9 years, 164 days) | Son of Aloys II | Liechtenstein |  |
| Franz Joseph II | 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989 (aged 83) | 25 July 1938 | 13 November 1989 (51 years, 111 days) | Grand-nephew of Franz I | Liechtenstein |  |
| Hans-Adam II | 14 February 1945 | 13 November 1989 | Reigning (34 years, 218 days) | Son of Franz Joseph II | Liechtenstein |  |
The names in bold signify official reigning monarchs of Liechtenstein.
| Hartmann II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Karl I | Gundakar | Maximilian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Karl Eusebius | Hartmann III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hans-Adam I | Anton Florian | Philipp Erasmus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Josef Johann Adam | Anna Maria | Josef Wenzel I | Emanuel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Johann Nepomuk Karl | Franz Josef I | Karl Borromäus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aloys I | Johann I Joseph | Joseph Wenzel Franz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aloys II | Franz de Paula | Eduard Franz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Johann II | Franz I | Henriette | Alfred | Louis | Aloys | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aloys | Johann | Alfred Roman | Karl Aloys | Friedrich | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franz Josef II | Karl Alfred | Emanuel | Constantin | Heinrich Karl | Alfred Joseph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hans-Adam II | Philipp | Nikolaus | Vincenz | Alexander | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alois | Maximilian | Wenzeslaus | Stefen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph Wenzel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of Liechtenstein, is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in the Alps, between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy headed by the prince of Liechtenstein of the House of Liechtenstein, currently led by Hans-Adam II. Liechtenstein is bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and Austria to the east and north. It is Europe's fourth-smallest country, with an area of just over 160 square kilometres and a population of 39,790. It is the world's smallest country to border two countries.
Liechtenstein is a principality governed under a semi-constitutional monarchy. It has a form of mixed constitution in which political power is shared by the monarch and a democratically elected parliament. There is a two-party system and a form of representative democracy in which the prime minister and head of government is responsible to parliament. However the Prince of Liechtenstein is head of state and exercises considerable political powers.
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic, to fully autocratic, and can span across executive, legislative, and judicial domains.
A prince is a male ruler or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. Prince is also a title of nobility, often hereditary, in some European states. The female equivalent is a princess. The English word derives, via the French word prince, from the Latin noun prīnceps, from primus (first) and caput (head), meaning "the first, foremost, the chief, most distinguished, noble ruler, prince".
Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein and also the seat of the national parliament. The city, which is located along the Rhine, has 5,696 residents. The most prominent landmark of Vaduz is Vaduz Castle, perched atop a steep hill overlooking the city. It is home to the reigning prince of Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein princely family. The city's distinctive architecture is also displayed in landmarks such as the Cathedral of St. Florin, Government House, City Hall, the National Art Gallery, as well as the National Museum. Although Vaduz is the best-known town in the principality internationally, it is not the largest; neighbouring Schaan has a larger population.
Absolute monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the sovereign is the sole source of political power, unconstrained by constitutions, legislatures or other checks on their authority.
The grand ducal family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign grand duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, whose sovereign territories passed cognatically from the House of Nassau to the House of Bourbon-Parma, itself a branch of the Spanish royal house which is agnatically a cadet branch of the House of Capet that originated in France, itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians and the founding house of the Capetian dynasty.
Hans-Adam II is the Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, and Count of Rietberg. Under his reign, a 2003 constitutional referendum expanded the powers of the Prince of Liechtenstein. In 2004, Hans-Adam transferred day-to-day governmental duties to his eldest son Hereditary Prince Alois as regent, like his father had granted him in 1984 to prepare him for the role.
Johann II, nicknamed the Good, was Prince of Liechtenstein from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929.
Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau was Princess of Liechtenstein from 13 November 1989 until her death in 2021 as the wife of Prince Hans-Adam II. By birth, she was a member of the House of Kinsky.
Le privilège du blanc is a custom of the Roman Catholic Church that permits certain designated female royalty to wear white clothing during an audience with the pope. It is an exception to the traditional requirement of women to wear black garments on such occasions, which has become optional since the 1980s.
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.
In the European history, monarchy was the prevalent form of government throughout the Middle Ages, only occasionally competing with communalism, notably in the case of the maritime republics and the Swiss Confederacy.
Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg, is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. The heir apparent to the throne of Liechtenstein, Alois has also been regent of the country since 15 August 2004. He is married to Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, who is a member of the House of Wittelsbach, and second in line for the Jacobite succession.
The monarchy of Liechtenstein is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of Liechtenstein. The current monarch is Prince Hans-Adam II. The House of Liechtenstein, after which the sovereign principality was named in 1719, hails from Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria, which the family possessed from the middle of the twelfth century to the thirteenth century, and from 1807 onward. It is the only remaining European monarchy that practises strict agnatic primogeniture.
Maria-Pia Ludovika Ulrika Elisabeth Paschaline Katharina Ignazia Lucia Johanna Josefa Kothbauer, Princess of Liechtenstein, is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Liechtenstein to Austria and the Czech Republic, formerly also to Belgium and the European Union. She also serves as Liechtenstein's Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and to the United Nations.
Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein is a member of the princely family of Liechtenstein. He is a son of the late Franz Joseph II and the younger brother of current reigning prince Hans-Adam II.
