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The Branches of the House of Liechtenstein

The House of Liechtenstein does not have cadet houses with separate names, as the Bourbons or Hohenzollerns do. Its structure is defined by a House Law, published in the principality's official law gazette. The House Law defines who belongs to the house and how the succession works, counting lines from a common ancestor, Prince Johann I (1760–1836) [2][3]. This page explains the historic lines of the family and the house's present rules, using only the sources listed at the end.

The three brothers

At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, three brothers began a new period in the family's history: Karl, Maximilian and Gundaker [1]. They returned to the Catholic faith and supported Emperor Ferdinand II against the Bohemian Revolt [1]. According to the house's official history, the brothers received the princely dignity in stages [2]:

• Karl in 1608, confirmed in 1620 by Ferdinand II;
• Maximilian and Gundaker in 1623, from Ferdinand II.

Karl also received the Silesian duchies of Troppau and Jägerndorf from the Emperor [1]. The reigning prince still bears those two ducal titles. Under the House Law, the Prince is "Prince of and to Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg" [1][3].

From Karl's line to Gundaker's line

The princely title alone did not give a seat among the princes of the Holy Roman Empire. That required territory held directly from the Emperor [1]. Karl's grandson, Prince Hans-Adam I (1662–1712), son of Prince Karl Eusebius, bought the Lordship of Schellenberg in 1699 and the County of Vaduz in 1712 [1][2].

When Hans-Adam I died in 1712, he was succeeded by Anton Florian (1656–1721), second son of Prince Hartmann III. Hartmann III was a son of Gundaker [1]. On 23 January 1719, Emperor Charles VI united Vaduz and Schellenberg as the Principality of Liechtenstein. The imperial decree honoured "[his] true servant, Anton Florian of Liechtenstein" [1][2]. In 1712 the princely dignity thus passed to Gundaker's descendants [1].

Johann I, common ancestor of the living house

Under Prince Johann I, Napoleon admitted Liechtenstein to the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806, laying the foundation for its sovereignty [2]. The house's official history states that "all family members living today are descended from Prince Johann I" [2].

The 1993 House Law built on that fact. In its original version, members by birth were the Prince and all those who "descend in the male line from Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein (1760 to 1836)" and were born of a recognised marriage [3]. The seniority of a line was judged "by its descent from Prince Johann I" [3]. In this sense the lines of the modern house are the male lines descending from Johann I's sons. GOTHA does not list those lines here, because they are not set out in our sources.

The House Law of 1993

The House Law of the Princely House of Liechtenstein is dated 26 October 1993. It was published in the Liechtenstein law gazette (LGBl. 1993 No. 100) and came into force on 6 December 1993 [3]. Its preamble says the family "has for centuries given itself its own law" and that the Catholic faith should guide future decisions, while respecting freedom of conscience [3].

In the original version [3]:

• The succession followed primogeniture: "the first-born of the eldest line" was always called to the throne.
• "The rank of the male members" followed the rank of their right of succession, while "the female members" had "a right of precedence instead of a rank".
• The Prince unites the functions of head of state, head of the Princely House, and chairman of the princely foundations.

The 2026 amendment

On 11 August 2026 the House Law was amended (LGBl. 2026 No. 300), with effect from 4 September 2026 [4]. The changes cover a long list of articles [3][4]. Two matter most here.

Membership by birth (Art. 1). The amended text lists three groups of members by birth [3]:

1. those born of a recognised marriage of a Prince or Princess regnant, or of a Hereditary Prince or Hereditary Princess;
2. those born of a recognised marriage of a Prince of Liechtenstein who descend from a Princess regnant or Hereditary Princess, but not in the male line from Johann I;
3. those born of a recognised marriage of a Prince of Liechtenstein who descend in the male line from Johann I.

Succession (Art. 12). The amended article states that members by birth are entitled to succeed, under primogeniture: "the first-born child of the eldest line", ordered by the three groups above, is called to the throne [3].

A transitional provision states that Art. 12(1) "is not to be applied to princesses by birth who were born before this amendment came into force" [3]. On GOTHA's reading, princesses born before 4 September 2026 therefore do not gain a right of succession under the new wording. GOTHA has not found an official commentary on the amendment, so this page quotes the text and does not go further.

Summary

Licence: contains material adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). This article is released under the same licence. Primary and institutional sources are summarised or briefly quoted.