Prince Aloys Franz de Paula Maria (18 November 1846 – 25 March 1920), known in English as Prince Louis was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

politician and member of the

House of Liechtenstein 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 ...

. He was a deputy in the Austrian Imperial Council from 1878 to 1889 and 1891 to 1911. From 1910 to 1918 he chaired the Christian Social Party, in 1912 he was appointed to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. His commitment to

social reform A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

s in the spirit of the "Workers' Pope"

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

and his social encyclical '' Rerum novarum'' earned him the nickname "Red Prince" (''der rote Prinz'').

Early life

He was born as the son of

Prince Franz de Paula of Liechtenstein Prince Franz de Paula Joachim Joseph of Liechtenstein (25 February 1802 – 31 March 1887) was a son of Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein, and his princess consort, Landgravine Josepha of Fürstenberg-Weitra. Prince Franz de Paula was a nep ...

(1802-1887) and his wife, Countess Julia Potocka. Louis was younger brother of

Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein Prince Alfred Louis of Liechtenstein (Alfred Aloys Eduard; 11 July 1842 in Prague – 8 October 1907 in Frauenthal castle)

and first cousin of

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 ...

Life and career

As did most of his family, Aloys attended the Schottengymnasium in Vienna. After studying law at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

from 1864 to 1868, he joined the Austrian army's hussar regiment as a lieutenant. He changed to the diplomatic service in 1869, serving as an attaché in Munich, London and Berlin. He resigned the diplomatic service in 1873 and was transferred to the military reserves the following year, holding the rank of first lieutenant. An opponent of liberalism that dominated the politics of Cisleithania after the 1867

December Constitution The December Constitution (German: ''Dezemberverfassung'') is a set of six acts that served as the constitution of the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary. The acts were proclaimed by Emperor Franz Joseph on 21 December 1867 and functioned as th ...

, Prince Aloys joined the conservative Catholic People's Association in 1874. He served in the House of Deputies (lower house) of the Reichsrat from 1878 to 1889 as a Catholic-Conservative member of parliament. In 1881 he became a member, and from 1888–1889 was chairman of the conservative ''Zentrum-Klub''. In 1875, he met Karl von Vogelsang and in 1887 came into contact with

Karl Lueger Karl Lueger (; 24 October 1844 – 10 March 1910) was an Austrian politician, mayor of Vienna, and leader and founder of the Austrian Christian Social Party. He is credited with the transformation of the city of Vienna into a modern city. The pop ...

, joining the latter's Christian Social Party (''Christlichsozialen Partei'') when it was founded in 1891. Aloys, Lueger, Vogelsang and

Franz Martin Schindler Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

met regularly at the ''

Hotel Zur goldenen Ente A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'' (Golden Duck, Riemergasse 4) in Vienna's First District, and would refer to their meetings as ''Enten-Abende'' (Duck Evenings). This working group became the focus for social reform and they organised the Second Austrian

Katholikentag ''Katholikentag'' () is a festival-like gathering in German-speaking countries organized by laity of the Catholic Church. ''Katholikentag'' festivals occur approximately every 2–4 years in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. ''Katholikentag'' ...

in 1889. From this Schindler developed the platform of the fledgling Christian Social Party. He represented the party in parliament until 1911. He worked to bring the Catholic Conservatives and Christian Socials into a coalition between 1896–1907 to keep the liberals in

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

. After Lueger's death in 1910, he became chair of the party. From 1896 to 1918 he was a member of the

Landtag of Lower Austria The Landtag of Lower Austria is the state parliament of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It exercises the state legislation (legislature). The seat of the Landtag is in St. Pölten in the Landhausviertel. The Lower Austrian Parliament is compo ...

, serving as its president ''(Landmarschall)'' since 1906. In 1912 he was appointed to the House of Lords (''Herrenhaus'') but progressively withdrew from public life due to ill health since 1916. He resigned all offices with the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the abolition of monarchy in 1918. His campaigns for social reform, religious schools (''Konfessionsschulen'') and religious law were in the spirit of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. Like Lueger, he was considered an

Anti-Semite Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. He is buried in a dedicated grave in Vienna's central cemetery, the

Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery (german: Wiener Zentralfriedhof) is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its ...

(32A, 54).

Marriages and issue

He married firstly in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 27 June 1872

Marie Fox Princess Marie "Mary" Henriette Adélaïde of Liechtenstein (21 December 1850 – 26 December 1878) was a French-born English writer. A foundling of unknown paternity, she was adopted by the childless English nobleman Henry Fox, 4th Baron Holl ...

, adopted daughter of

Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland of Holland, 4th Baron Holland of Foxley (7 May 1802 – 18 December 1859) was briefly a British Whig politician and later an ambassador. Early life Fox was born at Holland House, London, the eldest legitim ...

and wife Lady Mary Augusta Coventry, and had issue, four daughters. Marie died in 1878, aged 28. Their children were: * Princess Sophie Maria Josepha (

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, 29 March 1873 – Graz, 2 March 1947); married Franz Ürményi d'Ürmény (14 January 1863 - 20 February 1934), without issue. * Princess Julie Margarethe Maria ( Schloss Burgstall, 20 July 1874 –

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in t ...

, 3 July 1950); unmarried and without issue * Princess Henriette Maria Josefa (Schloss Burgstall, 6 July 1875 –

Pertlstein Pertlstein is a former municipality in the district of Südoststeiermark in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Fehring Fehring is a municipality in the district of ...

, 21 April 1958), a

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

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

under the name Sister Adelgundis * Princess Marie Johanna Franziska Sophie (Schloss Burgstall, 21 August 1877 –

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

, 11 January 1939); married in

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

on 7 June 1902 Count Franz Peter Johann of Meran, Baron of Brandhofen ( Graz, 5 October 1868 –

Bad Aussee Bad Aussee (Central Bavarian: ''Bod Ossee'') is a town in the Austrian state of Styria, located at the confluence of the three sources of the Traun River in the Ausseerland region. Bad Aussee serves as the economic and cultural center of the Styr ...

, 10 November 1949), son of

Franz, Count of Meran Franz Ludwig Johann Baptist Count von Meran, Baron von Brandhofen (11 March 1839 in Vienna – 27 March 1891 in Opatija) was an Austrian nobleman and Viennese courtier. Family Franz was the only child of the morganatic marriage between Arc ...

(1868–1949), and had six children. Louis married secondly in

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

on 20 May 1890 Johanna Elisabeth Maria von Klinkosch (

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

, 13 August 1849 – Baden bei Wien, 31 January 1925), daughter of the master silversmith Josef Carl

Ritter Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above " Edler" and below "Freiherr" (Baron). As with most titles a ...

von Klinkosch (1822-1888) and his wife, Elisabeth Johanna Caroline Swoboda (1830-1910), without issue.

Ancestry

Works

* ''Über Interessenvertretung im Staat'', 1877 (Advocacy and the State) * ''Die soziale Frage'', 1877 (The Social Question) * ''Österreich-Ungarns äußere Politik'', 1916 (Austria-Hungary's Foreign Policy) * ''Österreichs neue politische Organisation'', 1916 (Austria's New Political Organisation) * Numerous journal articles, particularly '' Das Neue Reich'' (1918–1920)

Bibliography

* M. Banauch, Prinz A. von und zu Liechtenstein. Stationen im Leben eines ungewöhnlichen Politikers, Diplomarbeit, Wien 1997 * Neue Österreichische Biographie * Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon * Neue Deutsche Biographie

Early life

Life and career

Marriages and issue

Ancestry

Works

Bibliography

References

See also