by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – The Princely House of Liechtenstein 

Johann Nepomuk Karl Borromäus Josef Franz de Paula was born on July 8, 1724, in Vienna, Austria. He was the second but the only surviving son of the two sons and the fourth of the five children of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein and his third wife Maria Anna Katharina, Countess of Oettingen-Spielberg (1693 – 1729).

Johann Nepomuk Karl had had three half-siblings from two of his father’s three other marriages but they all died in infancy. He had four siblings but only his sister Maria Theresia survived childhood:

• Princess Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
• Prince Joseph Anton of Liechtenstein (1720 – 1723), died in childhood
• Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1721 – 1753), married Joseph I Adam, 4th Prince of Schwarzenberg, had nine children
• Princess Maria Elisabeth of Liechtenstein (born and died 1728), died on the day of her birth

Johann Nepomuk Karl as a boy; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 17, 1732, eight-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein when his 42-year-old father died. The former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I served as regent and guardian for Johann Nepomuk Karl until he reached his majority in 1745. He carefully prepared Johann Nepomuk Karl to take over the business of government. However, when Johann Nepomuk Karl reached the age of 21 and took over the government, it appeared he had not learned anything. He was soon neglecting his government duties.

On March 19, 1744, in Vienna, Austria, Johann Nepomuk Karl married his first cousin Countess Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, daughter of Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau and Princess Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein, daughter of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Johann Nepomuk Karl and Maria Josefa had three children:

• Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1745 – 1752), died in childhood
• Prince Joseph Johannes Nepomuk of Liechtenstein (born and died 1747), died in infancy
• Princess Maria Antonia of Liechtenstein (1749 – 1813), born after her father’s death, married Prince Wenzel Chrisostumus von Paar, had ten children

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic: Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

On December 22, 1748, Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24 in Wischau, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Because Johann Nepomuk Karl had no male heir, the former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I once again became the reigning Prince. Maria Josefa survived her husband by forty years dying at the age of 61 on February 15, 1788. She was buried at the Capuchin Church in  Roudnice nad Laberm, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, but her tomb has not survived.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• “Century: 18th Century.” Das Fürstenhaus Von Liechtenstein, https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/.
• “Johann Nepomuk, Fürst Von Liechtenstein.” geni_family_tree, 24 May 2018, https://www.geni.com/people/Johann-Nepomuk-Fürst-von-Liechtenstein/5062396647720020024.
• “Johann Nepomuk Karl (Liechtenstein).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 July 2020, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nepomuk_Karl_(Liechtenstein).
• “Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nepomuk_Karl,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein was born in Vienna, Austria on May 27, 1690. He was the third but the only surviving son of the five sons and the fifth of the eleven children of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein.

Josef had ten siblings but six of his siblings did not survive childhood:

• Franz Augustin of Liechtenstein (1680 – 1681), died in infancy
• Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1681 -1682), died in infancy
• Antonia Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1683 -1715), married (1) Count Johann Adam von Lamberg, no children (2) Count Maximilian von Kuefstein, had four children
• Karl Josef Florian of Liechtenstein (born and died 1685), died in infancy
• Anton Ignaz Josef of Liechtenstein (1689 – 1690), died in infancy
• Innocent Franz Anton of Liechtenstein (1693 – 1707), died in his teens
• Maria Karoline Anna of Liechtenstein (1694 – 1735), married Count Franz Wilhelm von Salm-Reifferscheidt, had one son
• Karl Josef (1697 – 1704), died in childhood
• Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein (1699 – 1753), married her first cousin Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had five children who all died in childhood
• Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1703 – 1757), married Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, had ten children

Josef Johann Adam was married four times. See Unofficial Royalty: The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein.

(1) Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein was born July 12, 1692, the daughter of Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein and Princess Edmunda Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg. She married her third cousin Josef Johann Adam on December 1, 1712. Gabrielle, aged 21, died due to childbirth complications on November 7, 1713. She was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

Josef Johann Adam and Gabrielle had one child who died in early childhood:

• Prince Karl Anton of Liechtenstein (1713 – 1715)

(2) Countess Marianne of Thun-Hohenstein was born on November 27, 1698. She was the daughter of Johann Maximilian Graf von Thun and Hohenstein and Maria Theresia Countess von Sternberg. On February 3, 1716, Marianne married Josef Johann Adam. Just three weeks after the marriage, on February 23, 1716, Marianne died in Vienna, Austria at the age of 17. She was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

(3) Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg was born September 21, 1693, in Vienna, Austria. She was the eldest of sixteen children of Count Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg and his wife Johanna Margaretha von Schwendt. Maria Anna Katharina married Josef Johann Adam on August 3, 1716, in Vienna, Austria. She died on April 15, 1729, at the age of 35, and was buried at the Parish Church of St. Nicholas at Glogów, in Silesia, now in Poland. The church was destroyed in 1945 and the tomb was not preserved.

Josef Johann Adam and Maria Anna Katharina had five children:

• Princess Maria Eleonore (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
• Prince Joseph Anton of Liechtenstein (1720 – 1723), died in childhood
• Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1721 – 1753), married Joseph I Adam, 4th Prince of Schwarzenberg, had nine children
• Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein (1724 – 1748), married Maria Josepha, Countess of Harrach-Rohrau, had three children
• Princess Maria Elisabeth Eleonore (born and died 1728), died on the day of her birth

(4) Born on May 12, 1707, Countess Maria Anna Kottulinska von Kottulin was the daughter of Franz Karl Kottulinsky, Baron von Kottulin and Krzizkowitz and Countess Maria Antonia von Rottal. Maria Anna and Josef Johann Adam were married on August 22, 1729, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. After Josef Johann Adam died in 1732, Maria Anna married Count Ludwig Ferdinand von Schulenburg-Oeynhausen. Maria Anna, aged 80, died on February 6, 1788, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried at the Parish and Pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of Mary in Vienna, Austria but her tomb has not been preserved.

Josef Johann Adam and Maria Anna had two children who died in infancy:

• Prince Anton Thomas of Liechtenstein (1730 – 1731)
• Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1733 – 1734), born after her father’s death, died in infancy

Josef Johann Adam, circa 1710; Credit – Wikipedia

Josef Johann Adam served in the army of the Holy Roman Empire under his father during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714) and later fought against the French under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. After the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, Josef Johann Adam moved to Vienna and was appointed the imperial representative to the parliament of Moravia. He became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein on October 11, 1721. From 1723 he served as a member of the Imperial Privy Council, and in 1729, he chaired a meeting of the princely council of Silesia as a special representative of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI.

Eventually, Josef Johann Adam retired from active politics to devote himself to the administration of his vast estates and the Principality of Liechtenstein which had been devastated by the debts left by his father. Despite pressure from within Liechtenstein, Josef Johann Adam refused to establish a more liberal government and continued with the absolutism of his father’s reign.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic: Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

Josef Johann Adam died, aged 42, on December 17, 1732, in Valtice, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, and was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. He was succeeded by his eight-year-old son Johann Nepomuk Karl. The former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I served as regent and guardian for Johann Nepomuk Karl until he reached his majority in 1745. However, Johann Nepomuk Karl died without an heir three years later, and Josef Wenzel once again became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Century: 18th century. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/
• Giuseppe Giovanni Adamo del Liechtenstein. (2021, November 05). Retrieved from https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Giovanni_Adamo_del_Liechtenstein
• Joseph Johann Adam. (2021, August 14). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Johann_Adam

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein was born on May 28, 1656, at Wilfersdorf Castle in Wilfersdorf, Austria. He was the second of the three sons of Prince Hartmann of Liechtenstein and Countess Sidonie Elisabeth of Salm-Reifferscheidt. Anton Florian was the grandson of Prince Gundakar of Liechtenstein, the brother of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Anton Florian had an elder brother and a younger brother:

• Maximilian of Liechtenstein (1641-1709), married (1) Johanna Beatrix of Liechtenstein, his second cousin, daughter of Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein, had two children (2) Eleanor of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg, had two children (3) Elisabeth of Liechtenstein, daughter of Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had four children
• Philippe-Erasmus of Liechtenstein (1664 – 1704), married Countess Christina Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort, had three sons including Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein

Anton Florian’s wife Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Anton Florian received an excellent education and from a young age, he was prepared for a life of political responsibility. In 1676, at the age of twenty, he began his career at the imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire in Vienna, Austria by being appointed a chamberlain of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. On October 15, 1679, Anton Florian married Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein (1661 – 1723), a daughter of Count Michael Oswald von Thun and Hohenstein, an imperial chamberlain and advisor, and Countess Elisabeth von Lodron.

Anton Florian and Eleonore Barbara had eleven children:

• Franz Augustin of Liechtenstein (1680 – 1681), died in infancy
• Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1681 -1682), died in infancy
• Antonia Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1683 -1715), married (1) Count Johann Adam von Lamberg, no children (2) Count Maximilian von Kuefstein, had four children
• Karl Josef Florian of Liechtenstein (born and died 1685), died in infancy
• Anton Ignaz Josef of Liechtenstein (1689 – 1690), died in infancy
• Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein (1690 – 1732), The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein – married (1) Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein, his first cousin, daughter of Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had one son who died in childhood (2) Countess Marianne of Thun-Hohenstein, died twenty days after the wedding (3) Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg, had five children including Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein (4) Countess Maria Anna Kottulinska von Kottulin, had two children who died in childhood
• Innocent Franz Anton of Liechtenstein (1693 – 1707), died in his teens
• Maria Karoline Anna of Liechtenstein (1694 – 1735), married Count Franz Wilhelm von Salm-Reifferscheidt, had one son
• Karl Josef (1697 – 1704), died in childhood
• Anna Maria of Liechtenstein (1699 – 1753), married her first cousin Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had five children who all died in childhood
• Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1703 – 1757), married Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, had sixteen children including Maria Josepha von Harrach-Rohrau who married her first cousin Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein

The future Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1689, Anton Florian became a member of the Imperial Privy Council and in 1691, he became ambassador to the papal court in Rome. Due to his extensive knowledge, in 1693, Anton Florian became responsible for the education of Archduke Karl, son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. In 1711, upon the sudden death of his elder brother Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke Karl was elected to succeed him as Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Anton Florian headed the imperial government as Chairman of the Council of State and served as Karl VI’s Chief Chamberlain for the rest of his life.

On June 16, 1712, Anton Florian’s nephew Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died without a male heir. Anton Florian was the heir according to primogeniture however he was not very popular with the family, and so Hans-Adam I had named his second cousin once removed Josef Wenzel as his heir. In 1718, after negotiations, Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein swapped the County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg in exchange for the Dominion of Rumburk. Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein and Josef Wenzel concentrated on his military career. In 1719, Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor elevated Liechtenstein to an Imperial Principality, and Liechtenstein became a sovereign member state of the Holy Roman Empire.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic: Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 65, died in Vienna, Austria, on October 11, 1721, and was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. His wife Eleonore Barbara survived him by less than two years, dying at the age of 62 on February 10, 1723, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried in a crypt under the Pauline Church in Vienna, Austria. The crypt no longer exists and the tombs were not preserved.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Anton Florian, Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein. geni_family_tree. (2018, May 24). Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://www.geni.com/people/Anton-Florian-F%C3%BCrst-von-und-zu-Liechtenstein/5062381288350042103.
• “Century: 18. Jahrhundert.” Das Fürstenhaus Von Liechtenstein, https://fuerstenhaus.li/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-jahrhundert/.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, October 11). Anton Florian (Liechtenstein). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Florian_(Liechtenstein)
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, March 7). Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Florian,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

The great-grandnephew of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein, Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein reigned from 1712 – 1718, was the Regent of Liechtenstein from 1732 – 1745 and reigned again from 1748 – 1772. Josef Wenzel Lorenz was born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic on August 9, 1696. He was the eldest son of Prince Philipp Erasmus of Liechtenstein (1664 – 1704) and Countess Christina Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1665 – 1730). Josef Wenzel was a great-grandson of Gundakar of Liechtenstein, the brother of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Josef Wenzel’s father Philipp Erasmus was a Field Marshal in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He was killed during a skirmish with French troops at Castelnuovo in Lombardy, now in Italy, on January 9, 1704, when Josef Wenzel was seven years old.

Josef Wenzel had two younger brothers:

• Prince Emmanuel of Liechtenstein (1700 – 1771), married Countess Marie von Dietrichstein-Weichselstädt ( 1707 – 1777), had thirteen children including Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein
• Prince Johann of Liechtenstein (1702 – 1724), unmarried, died in his 20s

On June 16, 1712, Josef Wenzel’s second cousin once removed, Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died without a male heir. The heir according to primogeniture was Hans-Adam’s paternal uncle Anton Florian but he was not very popular with the family, and so Hans-Adam I had named Josef Wenzel as his heir. In 1718, after negotiations, Josef Wenzel swapped the County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg in exchange for the Dominion of Rumburk. Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein and Josef Wenzel concentrated on his military career.

Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein, Josef Wenzel’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

As part of the negotiations with Anton Florian, Josef Wenzel married Princess Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein, his first cousin and Anton Florian’s daughter, on April 19, 1718. She predeceased her husband dying on January 20, 1753, in Vienna, Austria, aged 53, and was buried in a crypt under the Pauline Church in Vienna, Austria. The crypt no longer exists and the tombs were not preserved.

Josef Wenzel and Maria Antonie had five children who all died in childhood:

• Prince Philipp Anton (1719 – 1723)
• Prince Philipp Anton (born and died 1720)
• Prince Philipp Ernst (1722 – 1723)
• Princess Maria Elisabeth (born and died 1724)
• Princess Marie Alexandra (born and died 1727)

Josef Wenzel had a successful military career in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire. With the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he fought against the Ottoman Turks in the Austro-Turkish War (1716 – 1718). During the War of Polish Succession (1733 – 1735), he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal. In 1745, he was promoted to Field Marshal and given the high command of the Imperial Army in Italy. Eight years later, he was made General Chief Commander in Hungary. Josef Wenzel reorganized the Imperial Army’s artillery, partially financed with his own funds.

Josef Wenzel in the Regalia of the Order of the Golden Fleece which he received in1739; Credit – Wikipedia

Josef Wenzel also served as a diplomat for Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI from 1735 – 1740, as envoy to the Prussian court in Berlin and the French court in Paris. In 1760, Empress Maria Theresa gave him the honor of escorting Isabella of Bourbon-Parma, the bride of her son the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, from her homeland to Vienna, Austria. His last major political position was in 1764 when he was the principal commissioner for the election and coronation of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II.

While Josef Wenzel was serving as a diplomat and a military leader, Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein had died in 1721 after only a three-year reign. He was succeeded by his son Josef Johann Adam as Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1732, Josef Johann Adam died and was succeeded by his eight-year-old son Johann Nepomuk Karl. Josef Wenzel served as regent and guardian of Johann Nepomuk Karl until he reached his majority in 1745. However, Johann Nepomuk Karl died without an heir three years later, and Josef Wenzel once again became Prince of Liechtenstein.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic: Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

Josef Wenzel, Prince of Liechtenstein died on February 10, 1772, aged 75, in Vienna Austria. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. With no surviving sons, Josef Wenzel was succeeded by his nephew, the son of his brother Prince Emmanuel, as Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Liechtenstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Principality of Liechtenstein Index
• Liechtenstein Links
• Liechtenstein Royal Burial Sites
• Liechtenstein Royal Residences
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Liechtenstein
• Profiles of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein
• Reigning Princes of Liechtenstein

Works Cited

• “Century: 18. Jahrhundert.” Das Fürstenhaus Von Liechtenstein, https://fuerstenhaus.li/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-jahrhundert/.
• “Josef Wenzel (Liechtenstein).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Oct. 2021, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Wenzel_(Liechtenstein).
• “Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Wenzel_I,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein.
• “Philipp Erasmus, Prince of Liechtenstein.” geni_family_tree, 24 Aug. 2021, https://www.geni.com/people/Philipp-Erasmus-Prince-of-Liechtenstein/5062362628960061280.
• “Philippe-Érasme De Liechtenstein.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Sept. 2021, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe-%C3%89rasme_de_Liechtenstein.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein was born on August 16, 1662, in Brno, Moravia, now Vranov, Czech Republic. He was the youngest of the nine children and the only surviving son of the four sons of Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein and Johanna Beatrix of Dietrichstein (circa 1625 – 1676).

Hans-Adam had eight older siblings but only three sisters survived childhood:

• Princess Eleonora Maria of Liechtenstein (1647 – 1704), married Prince Johann Seyfried von Eggenberg, had seven children
• Princess Anna Maria of Liechtenstein (1648 – 1654), died in childhood
• Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1649 – 1716), married James Leslie, 2nd Count Leslie of the Holy Roman Empire (his father was a Scottish lord, Alexander Leslie, 14th Baron of Balquhain, 1st Count of the Holy Roman Empire), had one son
• Princess Johanna Beatrix of Liechtenstein (1650 – 1672), married her second cousin Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, had two children
• Prince Franz Dominik Eusebius of Liechtenstein (born and died 1652), died in infancy
• Prince Karl Joseph of Liechtenstein (born and died 1652), died in infancy
• Prince Franz Eusebius Wenzel of Liechtenstein (1654 – 1655), died in infancy
• Princess Cäcilie of Liechtenstein (born and died 1655), died in infancy

Twenty-two-year-old Hans-Adam became Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein on April 5, 1684. Karl Eusebius left his son a rich inheritance and an extensive collection of artworks that were added to by his son and other descendants.

Hans-Adam’s wife and first cousin Erdmuthe; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 16, 1681, in Vienna, Austria, Hans-Adam married his first cousin Princess Erdmuthe Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg.  Hans-Adam and Erdmuthe had eleven children but all their sons predeceased Hans-Adam.

• A son (born and died 1682)
• Princess Maria Elisabeth of Liechtenstein (1683 – 1744), Leopold, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg, had five children
• Karl Josef Wenzel, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (1684 – 1704), died at age 20
• Princess Maria Antonia of Liechtenstein (1687 – 1750), married (1) Markus Anton Adam, Count Czobor de Czoborszentmihály, had two children (2) Karl, Count Hrzán of Harras
• Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1687 – 1750)
• Franz Dominik, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (1689 – 1711), died at age 22
• Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein (1692 – 1713), married her third cousin Joseph Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein, had one son who died in early childhood
• Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1694 – 1772), married Emmanuele Tomasso of Savoy-Carignano, Count of Soissons, had one son
• Princess Maria Margaretha of Liechtenstein (1697 – 1702), died in childhood
• Princess Maria Dominika of Liechtenstein (1698 – 1724), married Heinrich Joseph Johann, Prince of Auersperg, had three children
• Prince Johann Baptist of Liechtenstein (born and died 1700)

Hans-Adam acquired the Lordship of Schellenberg in 1699, and the County of Vaduz in 1712 which would later form the present Principality of Liechtenstein (not formally established until 1719). Unlike his predecessors, Hans-Adam did not accept any position with the Imperial Court. He reorganized the administration of his principality and the personal finances of the princely family.

Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna, Austria; Credit – By Thomas Ledl – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35948506

Like his father, Hans-Adam had a great interest in art. He increased the size of the family art collection started by his father by purchasing works by Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck and other artists. Hans-Adam also had a reputation as a master builder. Among his buildings were two grand palaces in Vienna, Liechtenstein City Palace, still used as a residence by the princely family, and the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. which is now a museum, the home to part of the private art collection of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, one of the largest private collections in the world.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic. The entrance to the burial crypts can be seen at the rear of the church; Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein died in Vienna, Austria on June 16, 1712, at the age of 49. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Brno, Moravia, now Vranov, Czech Republic. Because Hans-Adam had no sons, he had chosen his distant cousin Prince Joseph Wenzel, the great-grandnephew of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian but he was not very popular with the family. At a later date, Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein. Hans-Adam’s wife Erdmuthe survived her husband by twenty-five years, dying on March 16, 1737, in Vienna, Austria at the age of 84. She was buried with her husband.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Adam_I,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
• Es.wikipedia.org. 2021. Juan Adán Andrés de Liechtenstein – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ad%C3%A1n_Andr%C3%A9s_de_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
• Flantzer, S., 2021. Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-eusebius-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
• geni_family_tree. 2021. Hans Adam I, III. Prinz von Liechtenstein. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Hans-Adam-I-III-Prinz-von-Liechtenstein/5068583326340113880> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
• Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.
• Princely House of Liechtenstein. 2021. Biographies of all Reigning Princes – 17th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/17-century/> [Accessed 2 October 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on April 11, 1611, Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein, was the fourth of the four children and the second but the only surviving son of Karl I, the first Prince of Liechtenstein and Baroness Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora (1575 – 1625).

Karl Eusebius had three older siblings:

• Princess Anna Maria Franziska (1601 – 1640), married Maximilian, 2nd Prince of Dietrichstein, had thirteen children
• Princess Franziska Barbara (1604 – 1655), married Wenzel Werner of T’Serclaes, Count of Tilly, had nine children
• Prince Heinrich (died young)

When Karl Eusebius was fifteen years old, his father died on February 12, 1627, and he became the second Prince of Liechtenstein. He was considered underage, and his paternal uncles Maxilimilan of Liechtenstein and Gundakar of Liechtenstein acted as regents until he turned twenty-one in 1632.

On August 6, 1644, Karl Eusebius married his niece Johanna Beatrix of Dietrichstein (circa 1625 – 1676), the daughter of his sister Princess Anna Maria Franziska of Liechtenstein and Maximilian, 2nd Prince of Dietrichstein. Johanna Beatrix predeceased Karl Eusebius, dying on March 26, 1676. She was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

Karl Eusebius and Johanna Beatrix had nine children:

• Princess Eleonora Maria of Liechtenstein (1647 – 1704), married Prince Johann Seyfried von Eggenberg, had seven children
• Princess Anna Maria of Liechtenstein (1648 – 1654), died in childhood
• Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1649 – 1716), married James Leslie, 2nd Count Leslie of the Holy Roman Empire (his father was a Scottish lord, Alexander Leslie, 14th Baron of Balquhain, 1st Count of the Holy Roman Empire), had one son
• Princess Johanna Beatrix of Liechtenstein (1650 – 1672), married her second cousin Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, had two children
• Prince Franz Dominik Eusebius of Liechtenstein (born and died 1652), died in infancy
• Prince Karl Joseph of Liechtenstein (born and died 1652), died in infancy
• Prince Franz Eusebius Wenzel of Liechtenstein (1654 – 1655), died in infancy
• Princess Cäcilie of Liechtenstein (born and died 1655), died in infancy
• Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1657–1712), married his first cousin Princess Edmunda Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein, had seven children

The devastating Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648) was still occurring during Karl Eusebius’ reign. It is considered one of the most destructive wars in European history with death estimates ranging from 4.5 to 8 million. Some areas of Germany had population declines of over 50%. The war was a continuation of the German religious struggle started by the Reformation, but it also involved the struggle for dominance between the Habsburgs in Austria and Spain and the Bourbons in France. Karl Eusebius I successfully consolidated and rebuilt the House of Liechtenstein territories devastated by the Thirty Years’ War.

Descent from the Cross, commissioned by Karl Eusebius, created by Adam Lenckhardt, the official sculptor of Karl Eusebius’ court

Karl Eusebius began to invest in a personal art collection and became one of the preeminent Central European art collectors of his time. He acquired and commissioned paintings, statues, and other artworks, laying the foundation for the Liechtenstein Museum, formerly a private art museum in Vienna, Austria. It has not been run as a museum since 2012 and is now called Palais Liechtenstein. The Palais Liechtenstein remains home to part of the private art collection of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, one of the largest private collections in the world, started by Karl Eusebius, and is available for visit by booked guided tours.

Part of the park at Lednice Castle; Credit – By Michal Klajban – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72579529

Karl Eusebius was famous all over Europe for his horse breeding. He showed a strong interest in architecture with his influence in the design of the park at Lednice Castle, now in the Czech Republic (link in German), and in his treatise on architectural theory, an important source for the understanding of royal and aristocratic builders of the 17th century.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic; Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

After a reign of 57 years, Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 72, on April 5, 1684, at Kostelec Castle in Schwarzkosteletz, now Kostelec nad Černými lesy in the Czech Republic. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Karl Eusebius left his son and successor Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein a rich inheritance and an extensive collection of artworks that were multiplied by his son and other descendants. The current Princely Family of Liechtenstein is the second richest European royal family after the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Eusebius_von_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 3 October 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Eusebius,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 3 October 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-i-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 3 October 2021].
• geni_family_tree. 2021. Karl Eusebius, II. Prinz von Liechtenstein. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Karl-Eusebius-II-Prinz-von-Liechtenstein/5068572954690061719> [Accessed 3 October 2021].
• Princely House of Liechtenstein. 2021. Biographies of all Reigning Princes – 17th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/17-century/> [Accessed 2 October 2021].
• Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Лихтенштейн, Карл Эйсебиус — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9B%D0%B8%D1%85%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%BD,_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB_%D0%AD%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%83%D1%81> [Accessed 3 October 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl I, the first Prince of Liechtenstein and the founder of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, was born on July 30, 1569, at Valtice Castle in Valtice, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. He was the eldest of the four children and the eldest of the three sons of Hartmann II, Baron of Liechtenstein (1544 – 1585) and Countess Anna Maria of Ortenburg (1547 – 1601).

Karl had three siblings:

• Maria Judith of Liechtenstein (1575 – 1621), married Johann Joachim von Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, had five children
• Maximilian of Liechtenstein (1578 – 1645), married Baroness Katharina von Boskowitz and Černahora, the sister of his brother Karl’s wife, no children
• Gundakar of Liechtenstein (1580 – 1658), married (1) Agnes von Ostfriesland, had seven children (2) Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Cieszyn, had three children

Karl’s wife Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1590, Karl married Baroness Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora (1575 – 1625), a Moravian noblewoman, the daughter of Baron Johann von Boskowitz and Černahora and Baroness Anna von Kraigk.

Karl and Anna Maria had four children:

• Princess Anna Maria Franziska (1601 – 1640), married Maximilian, 2nd Prince of Dietrichstein, had eight children
• Princess Franziska Barbara (1604 – 1655), married Wenzel Werner of T’Serclaes, Count of Tilly, had nine children
• Prince Heinrich (died young)
• Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein (1611 – 1684), married his niece Princess Johanna Beatrix of Dietrichstein, had nine children

Liechtenstein Castle; Credit – By Bwag – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57858198

The House of Liechtenstein, which takes its name from Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria, near Vienna, built circa 1140, had ruled in the area since the 12th century. Over the centuries, the family gained land in Moravia, Lower Austria, Silesia, and Styria. Several members of the House of Liechtenstein served as close advisors to the powerful Habsburg family who were the Holy Roman Emperors from 1440 until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 except for a brief period in the 18th century.

Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1592, Karl became the treasurer of Archduke Matthias of Austria, the brother and successor of the childless Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. Karl and his younger brothers Maximilian and Gundakar were raised in the Evangelical Lutheran faith but they converted to Catholicism in 1599. That same year Karl became the chief judge in Moravia. In 1600, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II appointed Karl Chief Steward at the Imperial Court in Vienna, Austria. Four years later, Karl was appointed Governor of Moravia.

Holy Roman Emperor Matthias; Credit – Wikipedia

Besides being the elected Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf held the traditional Habsburg territories as King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Archduke of Austria, and Margrave of Moravia. A power struggle developed between the childless Rudolf and his heir and brother Matthias. In April 1608, Matthias besieged the city of Prague and forced his brother Rudolf to negotiate and sign a peace treaty. This resulted in the redistribution of power. Rudolf kept Bohemia, Silesia, and Lusatia while Matthias received Hungary, Austria, and Moravia. Karl of Liechtenstein had supported Matthias in the power struggle. On December 20, 1608, Matthias raised Karl from Baron of Liechtenstein to Fürst of Liechtenstein (Prince), a reigning sovereign ruler or monarch. (Non-reigning descendants of a Fürst are referred to in German as Prinz (prince) or Prinzessin (princess.) Matthias was elected Holy Roman Emperor upon Rudolf’s death in 1612 and reigned until he died in 1619. In 1614, Holy Roman Emperor Matthias gave Karl another reward, the Duchy of Troppau in Silesia.

The Battle of White Mountain by Peter Snayers; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1620, Karl and his brother Maximilian took lead roles in the imperial victory at the Battle of White Mountain near Prague during the Thirty Years War. In 1622, Karl was appointed governor and then Viceroy of the Kingdom of Bohemia. In the same year, Karl was the first member of the family to receive the Order of the Golden Fleece, a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal. The Order of the Golden Fleece still exists today with King Felipe VI of Spain as the Grand Master of the Spanish branch and Karl von Habsburg, the Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, as the Grand Master of the Austrian branch. Being Catholic is no longer a requirement to become a member of the Spanish branch. Hans-Adam II, the current Prince of Liechtenstein, is a member of the Austria branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Karl’s younger brother Maximilian of Liechtenstein and his wife founded a Pauline monastery and had the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary built on the monastery grounds in the village of Vranov, then in Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. A crypt in the church served as the burial site for members of the House of Liechtenstein. When more room was needed for burials another crypt was built and the church then had the Old Crypt and the New Crypt.

Tomb of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein died on February 12, 1627, aged 57, at the Liechtenstein Palace (link in German) on Lesser Town Square in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, and was buried in the Old Crypt at Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Karl’s wife Anna Maria had predeceased him, dying at the age of 50, on June 6, 1625, in Plumov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. She was also buried in the Old Crypt at Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Liechtenstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Principality of Liechtenstein Index
• Liechtenstein Links
• Liechtenstein Royal Burial Sites
• Liechtenstein Royal Residences
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Liechtenstein
• Profiles of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein
• Reigning Princes of Liechtenstein

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl I. (Liechtenstein) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_I._(Liechtenstein)> [Accessed 2 October 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_I,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 2 October 2021].
• geni_family_tree. 2021. Karl I von Liechtenstein, I. Prinz von Liechtenstein. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Karl-I-von-Liechtenstein-I-Prinz-von-Liechtenstein/5068560487790089757> [Accessed 2 October 2021].
• Princely House of Liechtenstein. 2021. Biographies of all Reigning Princes – 17th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/17-century/> [Accessed 2 October 2021].