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The House of Liechtenstein

The princely family of Liechtenstein is unusual: the house is far older than the country that bears its name. For centuries its power lay in Austria, Bohemia and Moravia, and only in 1719 did it acquire the small Alpine territory that became the Principality of Liechtenstein [2].

Origins: Liechtenstein Castle

The name Liechtenstein was first mentioned around the year 1136. Hugo von Liechtenstein probably named himself after Liechtenstein Castle, south of Vienna [2]. The family's unbroken line of ancestors begins with Heinrich I of Liechtenstein, who died around 1265/66 [2]. In 1249, Heinrich I received the lordship of Nikolsburg (Mikulov), in southern Moravia, from Ottokar II [2]. It remained one of the family's most important seats until it was sold in 1560 [1].

Moravian and Bohemian Magnates

The family acquired large estates in Moravia and Bohemia. For a long time its main residences were Lednice and Valtice (Eisgrub and Feldsberg), together with its palaces in Vienna [1]. In 1622 Prince Maximilian founded a monastery at Vranov, whose family crypt was the burial place of almost all the princes until a new crypt was built in Vaduz in 1960 [1]. Most of the Bohemian and Moravian estates stayed with the family until Czechoslovakia expropriated them in 1945 [1].

1608: Princes of the Empire

In 1608, Karl von Liechtenstein received the hereditary dignity of prince [2]. A princely title alone did not give a seat among the princes of the Holy Roman Empire, which required territory held directly from the Emperor [1].

1719: The Principality

The family bought the Lordship of Schellenberg in 1699 and the County of Vaduz in 1712. Vaduz Castle has belonged to the Princes of Liechtenstein ever since [2]. On 23 January 1719, Emperor Charles VI united the two territories and raised them to the Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein [1][2].

Sovereignty and the Modern State

Under Prince Johann I, Napoleon admitted Liechtenstein to the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806, which laid the foundation for its sovereignty [2]. All living members of the family descend from Johann I [2]. Prince Johann II gave the country its first constitution on a parliamentary-democratic basis in 1921 [2]. Prince Franz Josef II was the first prince ever to take up residence in Liechtenstein, in 1938, and preserved the country's independence during the Second World War [2].

Prince Hans-Adam II

Hans-Adam II was born on 14 February 1945. He is the eldest son of Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Gina, the 15th reigning Prince of the house, and the first head of state to grow up in Liechtenstein [3]. In 1984 he was appointed his father's permanent representative. He took over the reign on 13 November 1989, after his father's death [3].

Hereditary Prince Alois

On 15 August 2004, Hans-Adam II appointed his eldest son, Hereditary Prince Alois, as his deputy, preparing him for the succession [3]. Since then Alois has carried out the duties of head of state as his father's deputy [4]. He is named after his great-grandfather, Prince Alois, grew up at Vaduz Castle and trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst [4]. His wife is Hereditary Princess Sophie [4].

Succession and the House Law

The Constitution of the Principality leaves the rules of succession to the family itself. Its Article 3 states that the hereditary succession to the throne in the Princely House, the coming of age of the Prince and the Hereditary Prince, and any guardianship "are regulated by the Princely House in the form of a House Law" [5]. Article 13bis allows the Prince to entrust "the next prince of his house entitled to succeed", once of age, with the exercise of his sovereign powers as his deputy, either during a temporary impediment or to prepare for the succession [5]. This is the provision under which Hereditary Prince Alois has acted since 2004 [3][5].

The House Law in force today is dated 26 October 1993 and came into force on 6 December 1993 [6]. In its original version, the succession followed primogeniture: "the first-born of the eldest line" was called to the throne, and membership by birth was limited to those descending "in the male line from Prince Johann I" [6].

The 2026 amendment

On 11 August 2026 the House Law was amended (LGBl. 2026 No. 300), with effect from 4 September 2026 [7]. The amended Article 1 adds those born of a recognised marriage of a Princess regnant or Hereditary Princess, and of Princes of Liechtenstein descending from such a princess, alongside the male-line descendants of Johann I [6]. The amended Article 12(1) calls to the throne "the first-born child of the eldest line" [6].

A transitional provision states that Article 12(1) "is not to be applied to princesses by birth who were born before this amendment came into force" [6]. On GOTHA's reading, princesses born before 4 September 2026 therefore gain no right of succession under the new wording, and the present order of succession is not changed by it. GOTHA has not found an official commentary on the amendment; the branches page quotes the changes in more detail.

Key Dates

In the historical Almanach de Gotha

• The House of Liechtenstein in the historical Almanach de Gotha, 1871–1924

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