by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Johann, Prince II of Liechtenstein is one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs – he reigned for 70 years, 91 days. Johann Maria Franz Placidus was born on October 5, 1840, at Schloss Eisgrub, today called Schloss Lednice, in the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic. He was the elder of the two sons and the sixth of the eleven children of Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.

Johann’s birthplace, Schloss Lednice; By Holgereberle – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22505155

Johann had ten siblings: nine sisters and one brother. The eleven children in Johann’s family spanned 15 years. Before Johann was born, the elder of the two sons, five girls were born. His brother Franz, the youngest in the family and who succeeded Johan, was thirteen years younger.

• • Princess Marie (1834 – 1909), married Ferdinand Graf von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg, had children
  • Princess Carolina (1836 – 1885), married Alexander Fürst von Schönburg-Hartenstein, had children
  • Princess Sophie (1837 – 1899), married Karl, 6th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had eight children
  • Princess Aloysia (1838 – 1920), married Heinrich Graf von Fünfkirchen, no children
  • Princess Ida (1839 – 1921), married Adolf Joseph 8th Prince of Schwarzenberg, had children
  • Princess Franziska (1841 – 1858), unmarried
  • Princess Henriette (1843 – 1931), married her first cousin Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein, had ten children, the current Princely Family of Liechtenstein is their descendants via their grandson Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein
  • Princess Anna Maria (1846 – 1924), married Georg Christian, Prince of Lobkowicz, had twelve children
  • Princess Therese (1850 – 1938), married Prince Arnulf of Bavaria, had one son Prince Heinrich of Bavaria who died in World War I
  • Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1853–1938), married Elisabeth von Gutmann, no children

   

Johann in 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Johann received a good education from tutors and could speak German, English, French, Italian, and Czech. He studied for a time at the University of Bonn and the University of Karlsruhe. In 1858, when Johann was eighteen-years-old, his father died and he became the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein. From 1859 – 1860, Johann’s mother served as regent while her son traveled through Europe, expanding the Liechtenstein art collection and learning about botany, archeology, and geography.

Johann led a solitary life. He was rather unsocial, did not participate in social events, and never married. Some considered him pathologically shy. However, he did enact a number of initiatives in Liechtenstein including compulsory education until the age of 14, the first constitution in 1862, and another constitution in 1921 which is still in effect. Johann was an art connoisseur and added works to the princely collections but also donated artwork to museums.  Johann ordered extensive renovations at Vaduz Castle, the home of the princely family, even though he never lived in the castle or even in Liechtenstein. He also was generous in his support of science, culture, and charities for the needy, and for this support, he was given the nickname Johann the Good.

Johann, circa 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

During Johann’s reign, relations cooled with Liechtenstein’s traditional ally Austria-Hungary. When Liechtenstein remained neutral during World War I, the alliance completely broke. Liechtenstein made an alliance with another neutral country, Switzerland, and in 1924 adopted the Swiss franc as its currency.

Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 88, on February 11, 1929, at Valtice Castle in Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. He was buried in the New Crypt of the Princely Mausoleum on the grounds of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, near Brno, in the Czech Republic. As he had no children, Johann was succeeded by his brother Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Princely Mausoleum, Vranov, Czech Republic; Credit – Wikipedia

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Principality of Liechtenstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Principality of Liechtenstein Index
• Liechtenstein FAQs
• Liechtenstein Royal Burial Sites
• Liechtenstein Royal Residences
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Liechtenstein
• Profiles of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Johann II. (Liechtenstein). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_II._(Liechtenstein) [Accessed 21 Sep. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_II,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein [Accessed 21 Sep. 2018].
• Web.archive.org. (2018). Prince Johann II.. [online] Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20160107100157/http://www.fuerstenhaus.li/en/fuerstenhaus/fuersten/fuerst_johann_2.html [Accessed 21 Sep. 2018].