Johann II (Johann Maria Franz Placidus; 5 October 1840 – 11 February 1929), nicknamed the Good (german: Johann II. der Gute), was

Prince of Liechtenstein The prince regnant of Liechtenstein (german: Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein) is the monarch and head of state of Liechtenstein.Principality of Liechtenstein Family - Die fürstliche Familie (in German) The Liechtenstein family, after which t ...

from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929. His reign of 70 years and 91 days is the third-longest of any sovereign monarch in European history, after those of

King Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

respectively, and fourth-longest overall (for which exact dates are known) after King Louis XIV, Queen Elizabeth II, and

King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

respectively.

Early life

Johann II was the elder son of

Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein Aloys II (Aloys Maria Josef Johann Baptista Joachim Philipp Nerius; 25/26 May 1796 – 12 November 1858) was the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein from 20 April 1836 until his death in 1858. He was a son of Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenste ...

and

Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau Countess Franziska de Paula Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (8 August 1813, Vienna – 5 February 1881, Vienna) was Princess of Liechtenstein, princess consort of Liechtenstein from 1836 to 1858 as the wife of Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein, Aloy ...

. He ascended to the throne shortly after his 18th birthday. Until he was surpassed by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

on 9 May 2022, his reign had been the longest precisely documented tenure of any European monarch since antiquity in which a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

(that is, a regent serving in place of an underage sovereign) was never employed.Worldstatesmen.org – Liechtenstein
Retrieved 16 December 2007 Although his mother acted as his regent from 10 February 1859 to November 1860, she was not the regent for a minor, but was appointed by her son to fulfill his duties because he wished to finish his education before he began his rule.

Law and reform

In 1862, Johann II issued Liechtenstein's first constitution. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Johann II granted a new constitution in 1921. It granted considerable political rights to common Liechtensteiners and made the principality a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. The constitution has survived but with revisions, most notably in 2003. Liechtenstein left the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

in 1866. Not long afterward, the Liechtenstein Army was abolished as it was regarded as an unnecessary expense.

Foreign affairs

Johann II somewhat cooled relations with Liechtenstein's traditional ally,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and its successor states, to forge closer relations with

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, particularly after

. Liechtenstein was neutral during the war, which broke Liechtenstein's alliance with

and led it to go into a customs union with

. In 1924, late in Johann's reign, the

Swiss franc The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the ...

became Liechtenstein's official currency.Welcome.li Yellow Pages of Liechtenstein
Retrieved 16 December 2007

Patron of arts

5 kronen Johann II of Liechtenstein 1904

Johann II added much to the Liechtenstein Princely Collections. Although considered a prominent patron of the arts and sciences during his long reign,Portal of the Principality of Liechtenstein – Princely House – Prince Johann II
Retrieved 16 December 2007 Johann II was also considered to be rather unsociable and did not participate in social events. He never married or had any children, like several other members of his family.
Retrieved 16 December 2007 Between 1905 and 1920, Schloss Vaduz was renovated and expanded. Prince Johann II did not live in the castle or even in Liechtenstein, but his successors made the castle the princely residence in 1938. Upon his death in 1929, Johann II was succeeded by his brother Franz I.

Honours

* Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, ''1860'' (

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Ha ...

) *

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Knights of the Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th Century !Year of Induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , ...

, ''1862'' (

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

) * Grand Cross of St. Stephen, ''1896'' (

) * Knight of St. Hubert, ''1882'' (

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...

)
Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern
' (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 7 * Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion (

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

)Justus Perthes, ''Almanach de Gotha'' (1922
p. 55
/ref>

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johann 02, Prince of Liechtenstein 1840 births 1929 deaths Princes of Liechtenstein People from Břeclav District Burials in the Czech Republic Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary 19th-century Liechtenstein people