Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
| Francis Joseph II | |
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| Prince of Liechtenstein | |
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| Franz Joseph II official portrait | |
| Reign | 25 July 1938 – 13 November 1989 (51 years, 111 days) |
| Predecessor | Franz I |
| Successor | Hans-Adam II |
| Spouse | Countess Georgina von Wilczek |
| Issue | |
| Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein Prince Phillipp Prince Nikolaus Princess Nora Prince Franz Joseph |
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| House | House of Liechtenstein |
| Father | Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein |
| Mother | Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria |
| Born | 16 August 1906 Schloss Frauenthal, Styria, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy |
| Died | 13 November 1989 (aged 83) Grabs, Switzerland |
| Burial | St. Florian Cathedral, Vaduz, Liechtenstein |
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein, (Franz Joseph Maria Aloys Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella), (16 August 1906, Schloss Frauenthal, Styria, Austria – 13 November 1989, Grabs, Switzerland) was the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein from 1938 until his death. His full title was Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein, Herzog von Troppau und Jägerndorf, Graf zu Rietberg.
He was the son of Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein and his wife Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (daughter of Archduke Karl Ludwig). He succeeded his childless first cousin twice removed, Prince Franz I, after his father renounced his right of succession in his favour in 1921.
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.
He was the 1,240th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria.
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World War II
Liechtenstein remained neutral throughout World War II, and its neutrality was never violated by any of the combatants. However, in 2005, it was revealed that Franz Joseph II profited directly from the Holocaust. Labourers from the Strasshof concentration camp, provided by the SS, had worked on estates in Austria owned by the Liechtensteinian Princely House.1
Marriage and children
On 7 March 1943, at Vaduz, Franz Joseph II married Georgine ("Gina") Countess of Wilczeck (24 October 1921 – 18 October 1989). They had five children:
- HSH Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein (born 1945)
- HSH 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:
- HSH Prince Alexander 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:
- HSH Princess Theodora Alexandra Isabella Antonia Nora Marie of Liechtenstein (born 20 November 2004, Chêne-Bougeries, Geneva, Switzerland)
- HSH Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein (born 12 May 1974, Uccle). He used to date model Adriana Lima.
- HSH Prince Rudolf Ferdinand of Liechtenstein (b. Uccle, 7 September 1975)
- HSH Prince Alexander 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:
- HSH Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein (born 1947), married Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, and had four children
- HSH 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 Marquess de Mariño (Madrid, 30 November 1931 - Ibiza, 22 June 2002), and had an only daughter:
- María Teresa Sartorius y de Liechtenstein (b. Madrid, 21 November 1992)
- HSH Prince Franz Josef Wenzeslaus (Wenzel) Georg Maria of Liechtenstein (Zurich, 19 November 1962 – Vaduz, 28 February 1991) One theory about the prince's death is that he was involved with erotic asphyxiation but had miscalculated resulting in his death. Another theory is that he was gay and that he committed suicide due to family pressures 2 Very little information has been published about him and he is the only child not to have a wikipedia page.
Final years
Franz Joseph handed over most of his powers to his son, Hans-Adam, in 1984. 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 at the time of his death.
Ancestry
Footnotes
- ^ BBC, "Nazi crimes taint Liechtenstein" 14 April, 2005 Access date: 3 April 2007.
- ^ [1] Article about Prince Wenzel.
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 Franz I |
Prince of Liechtenstein 1938–1989 |
Succeeded by Hans-Adam II |