The House of Liechtenstein, from which the

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall un ...

takes its name, is the family which

reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Andorra), of a people (e.g., the Franks, the Zulus) or of a spiritual community (e.g., Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism ...

s by hereditary right over the principality of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...

. Only

dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

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 A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

Parliament of Liechtenstein The Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: Landtag des Fürstentums Liechtenstein), commonly referred to as the Landtag of Liechtenstein (german: Liechtensteinischer Landtag), is the unicameral parliament of Liechtenstein. Qua ...

.Princely House of Liechtenstein.
House Laws
'

History

The family originates from

Liechtenstein Castle Liechtenstein Castle (german: Burg Liechtenstein) is a privately owned castle near Maria Enzersdorf in Lower Austria, bordering Vienna. It is on the edge of the '' Wienerwald'' (Vienna Woods). The castle, originally built during the 12th cen ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

(near

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

), which the family possessed from at least 1140 to the 13th century, and from 1807 onwards. Heinrich I von Liechtenstein (d. 1265) was lord of

Nikolsburg Mikulov (; german: Nikolsburg; yi, ניקאלשבורג, ''Nikolshburg'') is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic centre of Mikulov is well preserved and i ...

and

Petronell Petronell-Carnuntum is a community of Bruck an der Leitha in Austria. It is known for its annual World Theatre Festival. History The village derives the second half of its name, Carnuntum, from the ancient Roman legionary fortress and headquar ...

. Through the centuries, the dynasty acquired vast swathes of land, predominantly in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

and

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...

, though in all cases, these territories were held in

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

under other more senior feudal lords, particularly under various lines of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

family, to whom several Liechtenstein princes served as close advisers. Thus, 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 in the Imperial government 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 The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

himself having rights on the land. The head of the family was able to arrange the purchase from the

Hohenems Hohenems (High Alemannic: ''Ems'') is a town in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg in the Dornbirn district. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a population of 15,200, it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlb ...

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 Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

sovereign and the

suzerain Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

Emperor. On 23 January 1719, after the purchase had been made, Charles VI as

decreed Vaduz and Schellenberg to be united and raised to the dignity of a Principality by the name of "Liechtenstein", in honour of " istrue servant,

Anton Florian of Liechtenstein Anton Florian (28 May 1656 – 11 October 1721) was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1718 and 1721. Anton Florian was born in Wilfersdorf, in what is now Lower Austria. During the War of the Spanish Succession, he went to Spain, where he was ...

". 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. According to the Constitution of the Princely House of Liechtenstein of 26 October 1993, all members other than the reigning prince shall bear the titles of Prince or Princess of Liechtenstein and Count or Countess of

Rietberg Rietberg () is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km south of Gütersloh and 25 km north-west of Paderborn in the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The town is lo ...

. File:Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein.jpg,

Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein Karl I (30 July 1569 – 12 February 1627), was the first member of the Liechtenstein family to become a Prince of Liechtenstein, thus he was the founder of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. Karl was the elder son of Hartmann II, Baron o ...

(1569–1627), created

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

in 1608,

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

1622 File:Johann Adam Andreas v Liechtenstein.jpg, Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1662–1712), acquired the territory of the

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall un ...

File:Johann Josef I von Liechtenstein.jpg, Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein (1760–1836), the last prince to rule under the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

and the first ruler of a sovereign state from 1806 File:JohannesII.jpg,

Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein Johann II (Johann Maria Franz Placidus; 5 October 1840 – 11 February 1929), nicknamed the Good (german: Johann II. der Gute), was Prince of Liechtenstein from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929. His reign of 70 years and 91 days is the th ...

(1840–1929), allied the principality with Switzerland after the downfall of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

in 1918 File:Fürst Franz Josef II..jpg,

Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein Franz Joseph II (Franz Josef Maria Aloys Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella; 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989) was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death. Franz Jose ...

(1906–1989), remained neutral throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

21st-century princely family (closest members)

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

(the monarch) ** The Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess (the Prince's son and daughter-in-law) *** Prince Joseph Wenzel (the Prince's grandson) *** Princess Marie Caroline (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Prince Georg (the Prince's grandson) *** Prince Nikolaus (the Prince's grandson) ** Prince Maximilian and Princess Angela (the Prince's son and daughter-in-law) *** Prince Alfons (the Prince's grandson) ** Prince Constantin and Princess Marie (the Prince's son and daughter-in-law) *** Prince Moritz (the Prince's grandson) *** Princess Georgina (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Prince Benedikt (the Prince's grandson) ** Princess Tatjana and Baron Philipp von Lattorff (the Prince's daughter and son-in-law) *** Baron Lukas von Lattorff (the Prince's grandson) *** Elisabeth von Latorff (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Marie von Latorff (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Camilla von Latorff (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Anna von Latorff (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Sophie von Latorff (the Prince's granddaughter) *** Maximilian von Lattorff (the Prince's grandson) * Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle (the Prince's brother and sister-in-law) ** Prince Alexander and Princess Astrid (the Prince's nephew and niece-in-law) *** Princess Theodora (the Prince's great-niece) ** Prince Wenzeslaus (the Prince's nephew) ** Prince Rudolf and Princess Tılsım (the Prince's nephew and niece-in-law) *** Princess Laetitia (the Prince's great-niece) *** Prince Karl Ludwig (the Prince's great-nephew) * Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha (the Prince's brother and sister-in-law) ** Princess Maria-Anunciata and Emanuele Musini (the Prince's niece and nephew-in-law) ** Princess Marie-Astrid and Raphael Worthington (the Prince's niece and nephew-in-law) *** Althaea Worthington (the Prince's great-niece). ** Prince Josef-Emanuel and Princess Maria Claudia (the Prince's nephew and niece-in-law) * The Dowager Marchioness of Mariño (the Prince's sister) ** 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. * '' Prince Johann I Josef (1760–1836)'' ** '' Prince Alois II (1796–1858)'' *** '' Prince Johann II (1840–1929)'' *** '' Prince Franz I (1853–1938)'' ** '' Prince Franz de Paula (1802–1887)'' *** '' Prince Alfred (1842–1907)'' **** ''Prince Franz de Paula (1868–1929)'' **** ''

Prince Alois Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968), is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. The heir apparent ...

(1869–1955)'' ***** '' Prince Franz Josef II (1906–1989)'' ******

Prince Hans-Adam II Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He a ...

(born 1945) ******* (1)

Hereditary Prince Alois Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968), is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. The heir apparent ...

(b. 1968) ******** (2) Prince Joseph Wenzel (b. 1995) ******** (3) Prince Georg (b. 1999) ******** (4) Prince Nikolaus (b. 2000) ******* (5) Prince Maximilian (b. 1969) ******** (6) Prince Alfons (b. 2001) ******* (7) Prince Constantin (b. 1972) ******** (8) Prince Moritz (b. 2003) ******** (9) Prince Benedikt (b. 2008) ****** (10) Prince Philipp (b. 1946) ******* (11) Prince Alexander (b. 1972) ******* (12) Prince Wenzeslaus (b. 1974) ******* (13) Prince Rudolf (b. 1975) ******** (14) Prince Karl Ludwig (b. 2016) ****** (15) Prince Nikolaus (b. 1947) ******* ''Prince Leopold (1984)'' ******* (16) Prince Josef-Emanuel (b. 1989) ****** '' Prince Franz Josef "Wenzel" (1962–1991)'' ***** '' Prince Karl Alfred (1910–1985)'' ****** ''Prince Dominik (1950–2009)'' ****** (17) Prince Andreas (b. 1952) ****** (18) Prince Gregor (b. 1954) ***** ''Prince Georg Hartmann (1911–1998)'' ****** (19) Prince Christoph (b. 1958) ***** ''Prince Ulrich Dietmar (1913–1978)'' ***** ''Prince Alois Heinrich (1917–1967)'' ***** '' Prince Heinrich Hartneid (1920–1993)'' ****** (20) Prince Hubertus (b. 1971) **** '' Prince Johannes (1873–1959)'' ***** ''Prince Alfred (1907–1991)'' ****** (21) Prince Franz (b. 1935) ******* (22) Prince Alfred (b. 1972) ******** (23) Prince Franz (b. 2009) ******* (24) Prince Lukas (b. 1974) ****** ''Prince Friedrich (1937–2010)'' ******* (25) Prince Emanuel (b. 1978) ******** (26) Prince Leopold (b. 2010) ******** (27) Prince Heinrich (b. 2012) ******* (28) Prince Ulrich (b. 1983) ****** (29) Prince Anton (b. 1940) ******* (30) Prince Georg (b. 1977) ***** '' Prince Emanuel (1908–1987)'' ***** ''Prince Johannes (1910–1975)'' ****** (31) Prince Eugen (b. 1939) ******* (32) Prince Johannes (b. 1969) ****** ''Prince Albrecht'' (b. 1940) (took the title of Baron von

Lanškroun Lanškroun (; german: Landskron) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,300 inhabitants. It lies on the border of the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The historic town centr ...

) ***** '' Prince Constantin (1911–2001)'' **** '' Prince Alfred Roman (1875–1930)'' ***** ''Prince Hans-Moritz (1914–2004)'' ****** (33) Prince Gundakar (b. 1949) ******* (34) Prince Johann (b. 1993) ******* (35) Prince Gabriel (b. 1998) ****** (36) Prince Alfred (b. 1951) ****** (37) Prince Karl (b. 1955) ****** (38) Prince Hugo (b. 1964) ***** ''Prince Heinrich (1916–1991)'' ****** '' Prince Vincenz (1950–2008)'' ****** (39) Prince Michael (b. 1951) ****** (40) Prince Christof (b. 1956) ****** (41) Prince Karl (b. 1957) **** ''Prince Heinrich (1877–1915)'' **** '' Prince Karl Aloys (1878–1955)'' ***** '' Prince Wilhelm (1922–2006)'' (took the title of Graf von Hohenau) ***** (42) Prince Wolfgang (b. 1934) ****** (43) Prince Leopold (b. 1978) ******* (44) Prince Lorenz (b. 2012) **** ''Prince Georg (Pater Ildefons,

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

) (1880–1931)'' *** '' Prince Aloys (1846–1920)'' *** ''Prince Heinrich (1853–1914)'' ** '' Prince Karl Johann (1803–1871)'' *** ''Prince Rudolf (1833–1888)'' *** ''Prince Philipp (1837–1901)'' **** ''Prince Karl (1862–1893)'' **** ''Prince Joseph (1863)'' ** '' Prince Friedrich (1807–1885)'' ** '' Prince Eduard Franz (1809–1864)'' *** ''Prince Aloys (1840–1885)'' **** ''Prince Friedrich (1871–1959)'' ***** ''Prince Aloys (1898–1943)'' ****** ''Prince Luitpold (1940–2016)'' ******* ''Prince Friedrich (1970)'' ******* (45) Prince Carl (b. 1978) ***** ''Prince Alfred (1900–1972)'' ****** ''

Prince Alexander Prince Alexander may refer to: * Alexander, a character from the ''King's Quest'' series of video games * Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, born as Prince Alexander of Teck * Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia (r. 1842–1858) * Ale ...

(1929–2012)'' ******* (46) Prince Christian (b. 1961) ******** (47) Prince Augustinus (b. 1992) ******** (48) Prince Johannes (b. 1995) ******* (49) Prince Stefan (b. 1961) ******** (50) Prince Lukas (b. 1990) ******** (51) Prince Konrad (b. 1992) ******* (52) Prince Emanuel (b. 1964) ******** (53) Prince Josef (b. 1998) ****** ''Prince Franz de Paula (1935–1987)'' ***** ''Prince Alexander (1901–1926)'' **** ''Prince Eduard (1872–1951)'' ***** '' Prince Johannes (1899–1979)'' ***** '' Prince Ferdinand (1901–1981)'' ** ''Prince August (1810–1824)'' ** ''Prince Rudolf (1816–1848)''

Palaces and residences

File:Schlossvaduz.jpg,

Vaduz Castle Vaduz Castle (German: ''Schloss Vaduz'') 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. History The f ...

, the Sovereign's residence in the Principality of

File:Maria Enzersdorf - Burg Liechtenstein (4).JPG,

, ancestral seat, now family museum File:Canaletto (I) 060.jpg,

Liechtenstein Garden Palace The Liechtenstein Museum is a private art museum in Vienna, Austria. It contains much of the art collection of its owners, the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, rulers of the principality of Liechtenstein. It includes important European works of ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

(painted by Bellotto 1759/60), now home to the princely 16th to 18th century art collection File:Palais Liechtenstein Vienna June 2006 401.jpg, Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna, private residence and home to the princely 19th century art collection File:Schloss Wilfersdorf.JPG,

Wilfersdorf Wilfersdorf is a town in the district of Mistelbach in the Austrian state of Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the n ...

Castle, Lower Austria, the prince's Austrian country estate Image:Valtice castle.jpg,

Valtice Valtice (; german: Feldsberg) 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 town c ...

Castle in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

(principal seat of the Liechtenstein family until after

, when the government confiscated it) File:Lednice (Eisgrub) - zámek.JPG,

Lednice Lednice (; german: Eisgrub) is a municipality and village in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants. It is known as part of Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritag ...

Castle in the Czech Republic (confiscated in 1945) File:Velke Losiny chateau 1.jpg,

Velké Losiny Velké Losiny (german: Groß Ullersdorf) is a spa municipality and village in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Bukovice, Ludvíkov, Maršíkov and Žár ...

Castle in the Czech Republic (confiscated in 1945) File:Riegersburg - Burg, Südwestansicht.JPG,

Riegersburg Castle Riegersburg Castle is a medieval castle situated on a dormant volcano above the town of Riegersburg in the Austrian state of Styria. The castle is owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein and contains a museum with changing exhibitions. Rie ...

, Austria, seat of a branch line File:Schloss Frauental Deutschlandsberg3.jpg, Frauental Castle, Austria, seat of a branch line File:Schloss Waldstein Deutschfeistritz.JPG, Waldstein Castle, Deutschfeistritz, Austria, seat of a branch line File:Rosegg Schloss Suedansicht 31122010 222.jpg, Rosegg House, Austria, seat of a branch line File:Hollenegg Schloss Ostseite.jpg,

Hollenegg Hollenegg is a former municipality in the district of Deutschlandsberg in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Schwanberg Schwanberg is a mountain, or hill of higher el ...

Castle, Austria, seat of a branch line

References

External links