**Map of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Johann Jacob Heber, 1721** LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

How the Principality of Liechtenstein came into being

The Principality of Liechtenstein has existed for over 300 years. The small country situated between Switzerland and Austria was not established on conquered territory, nor did it emerge from a post-war peace treaty. Instead, it was purchased by the Princely House of Liechtenstein, which gave the nation state its name.

Günther Meier

Günther Meier was editor-in-chief of the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt. He writes for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung from Liechtenstein.

Europe in the Age of Absolutism: a continent ruled over by emperors and kings, princes and dukes. Among them, the Princes of Liechtenstein, blessed with extreme wealth, but lacking the right to vote at the Imperial Diet, the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire. Although Emperor Ferdinand II (1587-1637) had elevated Prince Karl von Liechtenstein to the rank of Imperial Prince in 1620, the privilege of representation at the Imperial Diet was reserved for those in possession of territory classed as 'immediate' to the Empire (i.e. self-governing under the Emperor). However, the sundry estates held by the Princely House in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Austria were not subject to the Emperor's jurisdiction, but formed part of the Habsburg kingdom instead.

**Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II made...** Wikimedia

**...Karl von Liechtenstein an imperial prince in 1620.** Wikimedia

In the search for a territory with the status of imperial immediacy, Prince Johann Adam Andreas von Liechtenstein (1657-1712) came across an area in the Alpine Rhine Valley that satisfied all the requirements. A purchaser was being sought for the lordship of Schellenberg and the county of Vaduz, both of which found themselves in dire economic straits. In the Prince's way of thinking, if the House of Liechtenstein could succeed in acquiring the two, it would have achieved its goal of gaining a seat and a vote at the Imperial Diet.

Purchase of the lordship of Schellenberg

The 17th century was one of the most difficult periods in the history of what was to become the Principality of Liechtenstein. The spread of the plague claimed many lives, the Thirty Years' War brought famine, and more than three hundred people were condemned to death and executed during witch-hunts.

At that time, the lands in question were ruled over by the counts of Hohenems, whose actions hastened the area's economic decline. Writing in the 19th century, historian Peter Kaiser described the despotic rule of Count Ferdinand Carl von Hohenems as follows:

With a propensity for profligacy, tyranny and violence, he showed scant regard for the law, preferring to follow the moods of his impetuous and passionate temperament.

His brother Jakob Hannibal, who succeeded him in 1668, was equally detested by the populace. This culminated in a complaint being brought before the Emperor, who stripped the count of his title, put the area over which he ruled under involuntary administration and tasked Rupert von Bodman, the Prince-Abbot of Kempten, with overseeing the process in the lordship of Schellenberg and Vaduz.

A commission headed by the Prince-Abbot came to the conclusion that the situation could only be remedied by putting the two territories up for sale. Negotiations to that effect then began, with a view to clearing the debts amassed by the counts of Hohenems.

Secular as well as religious parties showed an interest in the territory, including the Prince-Abbot of St. Gallen and the Bishop of Chur. On 12 June 1697, Prince Johann Adam Andreas von Liechtenstein wrote a missive to the Emperor announcing his interest in the lordship of Schellenberg. The prince, in search of a territory with imperial immediacy, offered the largest sum and won the day. The purchase price of 115,000 guilders far exceeded the actual value of the area, hard-hit as it was by war, plague and witch-hunts.

**Gold medal with a portrait of Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein, 1694.** LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

A ceremony of homage was held on 16 March 1699, but the Prince chose not to attend in person, sending a member of the princely household instead. In fact, by the time he died in 1712, the successful bidder had never once laid eyes on the 35 square kilometres of territory he had acquired. The same is true of his direct successors. It was not until 1842 that Prince Alois II became the first member of the ruling dynasty to visit his estates in the Alpine Rhine Valley.

Acquisition of the county of Vaduz

The purchase of the lordship of Schellenberg did not immediately open the door to membership of the college of Imperial Princes, which would have enabled the Princely House to attend the Imperial Diet in Regensburg, as the tiny area was considered too insignificant. Prince Johann Adam Andreas had apparently foreseen just such an eventuality and taken the wise precaution of acquiring a right of first refusal over the county of Vaduz as part of the deal. But it would be another 13 years before the Princely House could exercise that right and acquire the county, whose economy was by now beset with major difficulties. The relatively high purchase price of 290,000 guilders, however, had already been negotiated as part of the right of first refusal.

**On 7 March 1712, Emperor Charles VI ratified the contract by which Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein purchased the Imperial County of Vaduz.** LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

Once the purchase had been completed, a ceremony of homage was scheduled for 9 June 1712. The male subjects of the county old enough to take up arms met with the Prince's new bailiff, who had been sent to Vaduz from far off Vienna to represent the regent. The ceremony of homage was not an out and out success like the one in 1699 in the lordship of Schellenberg. The subjects only declared themselves willing to swear an oath to their new ruler after receiving assurances that they would continue to enjoy the rights and freedoms afforded them under the old counts of Hohenems.

1719: Schellenberg and Vaduz unite to form a Principality

Following its purchase of the lordship of Schellenberg and the county of Vaduz, the Princely House of Liechtenstein possessed two small territories with imperial immediacy. Nevertheless, it took another few years before they were united. The main reason was a change of ownership within the House of Liechtenstein: Prince Joseph Wenzel, who had inherited Schellenberg and Vaduz while still a minor, was given the lordship of Rumburg in exchange, and Prince Anton Florian became the owner of the landed estates acquired from the nobility of Hohenems. This change of hands led to another ceremony of homage on 5 September 1718 – and yet again the Prince failed to attend.

**Portrait of Prince Joseph Wenzel I von Liechtenstein (1696-1772)** LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

**Portrait of Prince Anton Florian I von Liechtenstein (1656-1721)** LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

The goal of creating a new principality was achieved a short time later. In 1719, Emperor Charles VI decreed the two parts, Schellenberg and Vaduz, united and raised to the status of an imperial principality named 'Principality of Liechtenstein' after the ruling dynasty. The newly founded principality was the 343rd member state of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. When Napoleon established the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806, he promised the 16 states that joined, thereby leaving the Holy Roman Empire, national sovereignty. Liechtenstein thus became an independent sovereign state – a sovereignty it proudly maintains to this day.

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