Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein
| Franz I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Franz as ambassador to Russia from Austria | |||||
| Prince of Liechtenstein | |||||
| Reign | 11 February 1929 – 25 July 1938 | ||||
| Predecessor | Johann II | ||||
| Successor | Franz Josef II | ||||
| Born | August 28, 1853 Liechtenstein Castle, Austrian Empire | ||||
| Died | July 25, 1938 (aged 84) Feldberg, Czechoslovakia | ||||
| Burial | Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Brno, Czechoslovakia | ||||
| Spouse | Elisabeth von Gutmann | ||||
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| House | Liechtenstein | ||||
| Father | Aloys II | ||||
| Mother | Franziska Kinsky | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein, born Franz de Paula Maria Karl August (28 August 1853 – 25 July 1938), was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1929 and 1938.
Early life[]
Franz de Paula Maria Karl August was born on 28 August 1853, to Aloys II and Franziska Kinsky in Liechtenstein Castle. He attended the University of Vienna and the University of Prague before serving as the successor to Count Anton Graf von Wolkenstein-Trostburg as the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to the Russian Empire from 1894 to 1898.[1] He was the 1,204th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria.[2]
He fell in love with Elisabeth von Gutmann, a widow who had converted to Roman Catholicism from Judaism in 1899, but his brother Johann disapproved of the relationship and refused to consent to it. In 1919, he secretly married Gutmann in Salzberg and remarried her following Johann's death on 22 July 1929.[3][4]
Reign[]
On 11 February 1929, Johann II died passing the title of Prince of Liechtenstein to Franz. A few weeks after he took the title, 395,360 acres of land belonging to the Liechtenstein family was seized by Czechoslovakia. A delegation of farmers petitioned him to establish a republic in Liechtenstein, but ended their attempts when he stated that he would not give any his money towards the country forcing it to rely solely on taxation.[5]
In 1937, Prime Minister Josef Hoop admitted that Austrian pretender Otto von Habsburg was living in Liechtenstein Castle as a guest of Franz I in order to be closer to Austria rather than in his previous residence of Steenokkerzeel, Belgium.[6] An extradition treaty was also signed between Liechtenstein and the United States.[7]
He had no children so his nephew Prince Aloys was heir presumptive, but Aloys removed himself from the line of succession in favor of his son, Franz Joseph, in 1923.[2]
On 31 March 1938, he made his grandnephew Franz Joseph his regent following the Anschluss of Austria. After making his grandnephew regent he moved to Feldberg, Czechoslovakia and on 25 July, he died while at one of his family's castles, Castle Feldberg, and Franz Joseph formally succeeded him as the Prince of Liechtenstein.[8][9]
Although Franz stated that he had given the regency to Franz Joseph due to his old age it was speculated that he did not wish to remain in control of the principality if Nazi Germany were to invade.[3]
Honours[]
Liechtenstein: Founder of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein, 1937 – on the anniversary of his marriage.[10]
Austria-Hungary:[11]
- Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1897
- Knight of the Golden Fleece, 1917
Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion[12]
Russian Empire:
- Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky[12]
- Knight of St. Andrew, 1906
Kingdom of Bavaria: Knight of St. Hubert, 1909[13]
Ancestry[]
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References[]
- ^ "Prince Franz Liechtenstein". The Times. 19 October 1894. p. 3. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Prince Franz von Liechtenstein The Hall of Holography Collection".
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Prince Franz of the 'Postage Stamp State' Retires". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1 May 1938. p. 76. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Intrigue Suspected In Royal Romance". Daily News. 12 June 1938. p. 5. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prince Franz". The Evening Sun. 22 March 1938. p. 3. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nearer to Goal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 16 December 1937. p. 4. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "U.S. And Liechtenstein Sign Extradition Pact". The Morning Post. 21 May 1936. p. 6. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prince Franz to Return to Estate". Daily News. 1 April 1938. p. 216. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Oldest Former Ruler Succumbs". Kenosha News. 26 July 1938. p. 1. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Megan C. Robertson (9 August 2008). "Principality of Liechtenstein: Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein". Medals of the World. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 51, 57, retrieved 18 March 2021
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Ministerium des kaiserlichen und königlichen Hauses und des Aeussern", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1898, p. 217, retrieved 18 March 2021
- ^ Hof- und - Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern (1914), "Königliche Orden". p. 10
External links[]
- Princely House of Liechtenstein
- Newspaper clippings about Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
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- 1853 births
- 1938 deaths
- 19th-century Roman Catholics
- 20th-century Roman Catholics
- Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary to Russia
- Austro-Hungarian diplomats
- Charles University alumni
- Liechtenstein Roman Catholics
- Princes of Liechtenstein
- University of Vienna alumni
- Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
- Knights of Malta