Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein

Johann II (Johann Maria Franz Placidus; 5 October 1840 – 11 February 1929), nicknamed the Good (German: Johann II. der Gute), was Prince of Liechtenstein from 12 November 1858 until his death in 1929. His reign of 70 years and 91 days is the third-longest of any sovereign monarch in European history, after those of Louis XIV and Elizabeth II respectively, and fourth-longest overall for which exact dates are known (after King Louis, Queen Elizabeth, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej respectively).

Johann II
Portrait by John Quincy Adams, 1908
Prince of Liechtenstein
Reign12 November 1858 – 11 February 1929
PredecessorAloys II
SuccessorFranz I
Prime Ministers
See list
Born(1840-10-05)5 October 1840
Eisgrub, Margraviate of Moravia, Austrian Empire
Died11 February 1929(1929-02-11) (aged 88)
Valtice, First Czechoslovak Republic
Burial
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Vranov
Names
Johann Maria Franz Placidus
HouseLiechtenstein
FatherAloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein
MotherCountess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau

Early life

Johann II was the elder son of Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. He ascended to the throne shortly after his 18th birthday. Until he was surpassed by Elizabeth II on 9 May 2022, his reign had been the longest precisely documented tenure of any European monarch since antiquity in which a regent (that is, a regent serving in place of an underage sovereign) was never employed.[1] Although his mother acted as his regent from 10 February 1859 to November 1860,[2][3] she was not the regent for a minor, but was appointed by her son to fulfil his duties because he wished to finish his education before he began his rule.

Law and reform

In 1862, Johann II issued Liechtenstein's first constitution, which was heavily influenced by the likes of Vorarlberg.[4] After World War I and due to significant popular demand, Johann II granted a new constitution, which was ratified on 5 October 1921. It granted considerable political rights to common Liechtensteiners and made the principality a constitutional monarchy.[5] The constitution has survived but with revisions, most notably in 2003.[6]

Foreign affairs

Liechtenstein left the German Confederation in 1866. Not long afterward, the Liechtenstein Army was abolished as it was regarded as an unnecessary expense.

In 1867 Alexander II of Russia had offered Johann to purchase Russian Alaska, but he refused as he believed the territory was useless.[7][8]

Johann II somewhat cooled relations with Liechtenstein's traditional ally, Austria-Hungary and its successor states, to forge closer relations with Switzerland, particularly after World War I. Liechtenstein was neutral during the war, which broke Liechtenstein's alliance with Austria-Hungary and led it to go into a customs union with Switzerland. In 1924, late in Johann's reign, the Swiss franc became Liechtenstein's official currency.[9]

Patron of arts
Silver coin: 5 kronen of Liechtenstein, 1904, the front of the coin is a portrait of Johann II

Johann II, an outstanding art connoisseur and a generous patron, added much to the Liechtenstein Princely Collections. Although considered a prominent patron of the arts and sciences during his long reign,[10] Johann II was also considered to be rather unsociable and did not participate in social events. Rarely did he show up in his magnificent Vienna residences, Liechtenstein City Palace and Liechtenstein Garden Palace. He also never assumed any tasks of the Austrian politics or the Austrian military. And he never married or had any children, like several other members of his family.[11]

From 1884 he had Liechtenstein Castle rebuilt, the ancestral seat of his family near Vienna which had fallen into ruins. Between 1905 and 1920, Schloss Vaduz was renovated and expanded. Like all of his ancestors he never lived in the principality of Liechtenstein, but on the vast Austrian and Moravian estates of the House of Liechtenstein which were 7.5 times the total area of the Principality itself. His main home were the castles of Lednice and Valtice (German names: Eisgrub and Feldsberg) in what is today the Czech Republic (then part of Austria-Hungary with the Austrian-Bohemian border running through the park between the two castles). The local administration of the Principality was overseen by a governor, and the government office was located at the prince's seat. It was not until the German occupation of the Czech lands at the beginning of World War II that the residence was moved to Vaduz.

Declining health and death

As Johann entered his later years his eyesight began to decline rapidly and on 12 November 1928 he underwent surgery to remove cataracts.[12] He died on 11 February 1929 and was succeeded by his nephew Franz I.[13][14]

Honours

References
  1. Worldstatesmen.org – Liechtenstein. Retrieved 16 December 2007
  2. Peter Geiger: Geschichte des Fürstentums Liechtenstein 1848 bis 1866. In: Jahrbuch des Historischen Vereins für das Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Band 70. Vaduz 1970, S. 242 ff.
  3. "Fürst und Volk - eine liechtensteinische Staatskunde". Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  4. Beattie, David (4 September 2004). Liechtenstein: A Modern History. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-85043-459-7.
  5. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1156 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  6. Liechtenstein prince wins powers BBC News Online, 16 March 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  7. Langer, Matthias (2019). Das Fürstentum Liechtenstein (in German). pp. 1–18. ISBN 978-3-658-27091-9.
  8. ИноСМИ (21 December 2019). "Русская Америка на продажу: как и почему Россия продала Аляску США за бесценок?". ИноСМИ.Ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. Welcome.li Yellow Pages of Liechtenstein Archived 6 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 December 2007
  10. Portal of the Principality of Liechtenstein – Princely House – Prince Johann II Archived 21 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 December 2007
  11. Prince Johann II. Retrieved 16 December 2007
  12. "REIGNS 70 YEARS OVER LIECHTENSTEIN; Prince John the Good Gets Greetings From World's Rulers at His Vienna Palace. HIS EYESIGHT NEARLY GONE At 88 He May Undergo an Operation for Removal ofCataracts". The New York Times. 13 November 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  13. "OLDEST RULER DIES IN LIECHTENSTEIN; Johann II, Who Was 88, Reigned Over Tiny Principality for Seventy Years. HE PAID TAXES OF PEOPLE Often Was Unseen Host at Lavish Entertainments--Grandnephew May Succeed Him". The New York Times. 12 February 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  14. "BROTHER SUCCEEDS JOHANN; Prince Franz von Paula Is New Ruler of Liechtenstein". The New York Times. 13 February 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  15. Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 79.
  16. Boettger, T. F. "Chevaliers de la Toisón d'Or – Knights of the Golden Fleece". La Confrérie Amicale. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  17. "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 7
  19. Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1922) p. 55
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