Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
| Francis Joseph II | |||||
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Franz Joseph II official portrait
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| Prince of Liechtenstein | |||||
| Reign | 25 July 1938 – 13 November 1989 | ||||
| Predecessor | Franz I | ||||
| Successor | Hans-Adam II | ||||
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| Born | 16 August 1906 Schloss Frauenthal, Deutschlandsberg, Austria-Hungary |
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| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Grabs, Switzerland |
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| Burial | St. Florian Cathedral Vaduz | ||||
| Spouse | Countess Georgina von Wilczek | ||||
| Issue | Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein Prince Phillipp Prince Nikolaus Princess Nora, Marchioness of Mariño Prince Wenzel |
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| House | Liechtenstein | ||||
| Father | Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein | ||||
| Mother | Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (Franz Josef Maria Aloys Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella; 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989) was the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein from 1938 until his death.
Franz Joseph was the son of Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria. He succeeded his childless great-uncle, Prince Franz I, after his father renounced his right of succession in his favour in 1923.
During his reign women received voting rights for the first time, following a referendum on the topic (among men only) in 1984.
Franz Joseph was an extremely popular sovereign in Liechtenstein. He was the first ruling prince to live full-time in the principality. He also oversaw the economic development of Liechtenstein from a poor agricultural backwater into one of the richest countries (per capita) in the world.
Contents
World War II
Liechtenstein remained neutral throughout World War II, and its neutrality was never violated by any of the combatants.
Just end of the war the Prince granted political asylum for 494 Russian White emigres led by General Boris Smyslovsky.[1]
However, in 2005, it was revealed that Jewish labourers from the Strasshof concentration camp, provided by the SS, had worked on estates in Austria owned by Liechtenstein's Princely House.[2]
Marriage and children
On 7 March 1943, at Vaduz, Franz Joseph II married Countess Georgina von Wilczek (24 October 1921 – 18 October 1989). They had five children:
- Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein (born 14 February 1945, Zurich), married Countess Marie Aglaë of Wchinitz and Tettau and had four children.
- Prince Philipp Erasmus of Liechtenstein (full name: Prince Philipp Erasmus Alois Ferdinand Maria Sebaldus, born 19 August 1946, Zürich). Married in Brussels on 11 September 1971 Isabelle Fernande Ghislaine Guillemette Elisabeth de L'Arbre de Malander (born 24 November 1947, Ronse), daughter of Jean Baptiste de L'Arbre de Malander and wife Guillemette Grassal. Together, they have 3 sons:
- Prince Alexander Wilhelm Hans Adam of Liechtenstein (born 19 May 1972, Basel). Married civilly in Vaduz on 24 January 2003 and religiously in Salzburg on 8 February 2003 Astrid Barbara Kohl (born 13 September 1968, Regensburg), daughter of Theodor Kohl and wife Ingrid Schlechta. They had one daughter:
- Princess Theodora Alexandra Isabella Antonia Nora Marie of Liechtenstein (born 20 November 2004, Chêne-Bougeries, Geneva, Switzerland), founder of the Green Teen Team wildlife project.[3]
- Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein (born 12 May 1974, Uccle). He used to date model Adriana Lima.
- Prince Rudolf Ferdinand of Liechtenstein (b. Uccle, 7 September 1975). Married in Istanbul on 20 April 2012 Miss Tilsim Tanberk.
- Princess Alienor Faye of Liechtenstein (29 September 2014 - 13 December 2015) [4]
- Prince Alexander Wilhelm Hans Adam of Liechtenstein (born 19 May 1972, Basel). Married civilly in Vaduz on 24 January 2003 and religiously in Salzburg on 8 February 2003 Astrid Barbara Kohl (born 13 September 1968, Regensburg), daughter of Theodor Kohl and wife Ingrid Schlechta. They had one daughter:
- Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein (born 24 October 1947, Zurich), married Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, and had four children.
- Princess Nora of Liechtenstein (born 31 October 1950, Zurich), married in Vaduz civilly on 10 June 1988 and religiously on 11 June 1988 Vicente Sartorius y Cabeza de Vaca, 3rd Marqués de Mariño (Madrid, 30 November 1931 – Ibiza, 22 June 2002), and had an only daughter:
- Doña María Teresa Sartorius y de Liechtenstein (b. Madrid, 21 November 1992).
- Prince Franz Josef of Liechtenstein (Zurich, 19 November 1962 – Vaduz, 28 February 1991).
Final years
Franz Joseph handed over most of his powers to his son, Hans-Adam, on 26 August 1984.[5] Franz Joseph II died on 13 November 1989, a mere twenty-six days after his wife. Ruling Liechtenstein for 51 years, he was the longest-ruling sovereign in Europe and the longest-serving national leader in the world at the time of his death.
Honours
- National honour
Liechtenstein: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein[6][7][8][9]
- Foreign honours
- Austria
Austrian-Hungarian Imperial and Royal family: 1, 240th Knight with Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece[10]
Austria: Grand Cross of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria[11]
Greek Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer[12]
Holy See: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre[13]
Iranian Imperial family: Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the 2, 500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire[14]
Ancestry
Footnotes
- ↑ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,818218,00.html ARGENTINA: Last of the Wehrmacht – Monday, Apr. 13, 1953
- ↑ BBC, "Nazi crimes taint Liechtenstein" 14 April, 2005 Access date: 3 April 2007.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ [1] Access date: 29 December 2015.
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See also
External links
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Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Born: 16 August 1906 Died: 13 November 1989 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Prince of Liechtenstein 1938–1989 |
Succeeded by Hans-Adam II |
- Use dmy dates from October 2012
- 1906 births
- 1989 deaths
- Princely Family of Liechtenstein
- Liechtenstein people of Polish descent
- International Olympic Committee members
- Grand Stars of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein
- Knights of the Golden Fleece
- Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
- Princes of Liechtenstein
- Roman Catholic monarchs
- Liechtenstein Roman Catholics
- World War II political leaders
- Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
- Honorary Knights of the Teutonic Order
