Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein

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Franz Joseph II (Franz Josef Maria Alois Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella;Template:Efn 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989) was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death in November 1989.

Franz Joseph was the son of Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria. He succeeded his childless grand-uncle, Prince Franz I, after his father renounced his right of succession in his favour in 1923. He was an extremely popular sovereign in Liechtenstein. He was the first ruling prince to live full-time in the principality. He also oversaw the economic development of Liechtenstein from a poor agricultural backwater into one of the richest countries (per capita) in the world.

Early life

An infant Franz Joseph with his parents Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie

Franz Joseph was born on 16 August 1906 in Schloss Frauenthal, Deutschlandsberg, Austria-Hungary as the first child of Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria. He had 7 siblings throughout his lifetime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His god-parent was his great-uncle Franz Joseph I of Austria.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref>

He spent most of his youth throughout various family-owned estates in Austria-Hungary (later Czechoslovakia), notably the Groß Ullersdorf castle in Moravia.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He attended the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, where he graduated from in 1925 with a passion for mathematics, natural history and the Greek language. He then went on to study forestry at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, which he received a diploma on forestry engineering in 1930.<ref name=":5" />

Franz Joseph was made heir presumptive of Prince of Liechtenstein on 26 February 1923 when his father renounced his right of succession in his favour as he was concerned about his age should he assume the role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 17 April 1930 Franz Joseph was appointed to be the deputy of Franz I. In this role, he frequently travelled to the principality as a representative of him. He also visited several European countries during this time and the United States.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref>

Reign

Early reign

Franz Joseph with Josef Hoop and Alois Vogt in Balzers, 8 May 1938

On 31 March 1938, Franz I made Franz Joseph his regent following the Anschluss of Austria. Franz I then moved to Feldsberg (Valtice), Czechoslovakia, and on 25 July, he died while at one of his family's castles. Franz Joseph II formally succeeded him as the Prince of Liechtenstein.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Although officially Franz stated that he had given the regency to Franz Joseph due to his old age, it was speculated that he did not wish to remain in control of Liechtenstein if Nazi Germany were to invade, primarily because his wife, Elisabeth von Gutmann was of Jewish relation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> Upon becoming Prince of Liechtenstein in 1938, Franz Joseph settled permanently in the principality, making him the first ruling prince to live there full-time.<ref name=":7" />

World War II

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Franz Joseph (far left) with Marcel Pilet-Golaz and Enrico Celio in Bern, 1943

Liechtenstein remained neutral throughout World War II, and its neutrality was not violated by any of the combatants. Franz Joseph supported then Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Josef Hoop's policy of non-binding, non-provocative diplomacy towards Nazi Germany<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while personally tying the country as closely as possible to Switzerland during the war in hopes of retaining Liechtenstein's neutrality.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He visited the Swiss Federal Council in April 1938 and again in 1943, along with to Victor Emmanuel III of Italy in November 1941.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref>

Franz Joseph oversaw the formation of a coalition government between the Progressive Citizens' Party and the Patriotic Union that would prevent government deadlock and help retain Liechtenstein's neutrality.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Franz Joseph (centre) outside the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, 2 March 1939

In March 1939 he along with Josef Hoop paid an official visit to Berlin where they met Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop where they discussed safeguarding Liechtenstein's independence and neutrality while maintaining good relations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Franz Joseph later reminisced on the visit and stated that Hitler showed little interest in them and that it only took place in order to "flatter Hitler's ego".<ref name=":4"/>

While this visit was ongoing, the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VBDL) staged an amateurish coup attempt, first trying to provoke an intervention from Nazi Germany by burning swastikas, followed by declaring an Anschluß with Germany. The leaders were almost immediately arrested and the hoped-for German invasion failed to materialise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite this, he periodically sent congratulatory letters to Hitler throughout the war, such as the thwarting of the 20 July plot, of which he briefly replied.<ref name=":8" />

During the war, Liechtenstein's princely family owned land in Austria whose managers hired Nazi forced labour, but a much later inquiry found the family not to have known about this.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1945 all the family's estates in Czechoslovakia and Poland were expropriated without compensation by the Third Czechoslovak Republic and the Provisional Government of Poland.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Just before the end of the war, Franz Joseph granted political asylum to First Russian National Army pro-Axis pro-emperor Vladimir White emigres led by General Boris Smyslovsky, who were being cared for by the Liechtenstein Red Cross.<ref>ARGENTINA: Last of the Wehrmacht – Monday, Apr. 13, 1953 Template:Webarchive</ref> On 16 August 1945, the Soviet Union sent a delegation to Liechtenstein in an attempt to repatriate the Russians, which was refused despite increasing Soviet pressure to participate in the repatriation program.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref> Eventually the government of Argentina offered the Russians asylum, and about a hundred people left.<ref name=":7" />

According to Alexander Frick, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein at the time, the Russians were at no point in danger of being extradited. Franz Joseph had explicitly given support for the asylum of the Russians. The general population of Liechtenstein supported the government in providing asylum to the Russians.<ref name=":2" />

Later life

After losing roughly 80% of their property, Franz Joseph and his family sought to sell artworks from their collection in order to generate income, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci in 1967 and Frans Hals's Willem van Heythuysen portrait that was sold to the Bavarian State Painting Collections in 1969.<ref name=":1" />

Franz Joseph oversaw a family-owned bank which was run by the House of Liechtenstein with branches in London, Zürich, New York City and Frankfurt.<ref name=":0" /> This made the principality an ideal tax haven for wealthy individuals and private foreign companies, allowing Liechtenstein to experience rapid economic growth throughout his reign, transforming the principality into one of the richest countries in the world.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Franz Joseph played a role in maintaining Liechtenstein's diplomatic relations. He and Georgina von Wilczek hosted Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and Anne, Princess Royal in the Vaduz Castle on 29 December 1965 and again for Prince Philip and Elizabeth II in April 1980.Template:Citation needed

Franz Joseph and Countess Georgina von Wilczek, 1988

During his reign, women received voting rights for the first time, following a referendum on the topic (among men only) in 1984.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That same year, he appointed Maria Foser as the first woman Deputy Government Councillor for Social Affairs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He exercised his veto power just once, in 1985, against a new hunting law that would have granted increased rights to hunters.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="NS">Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1175 Template:ISBN</ref> He explained this by saying “It was a silly law. It would have turned every garden into a shooting ground".<ref name=":4" />

Franz Joseph handed over most of day-to-day governmental decision making to his son, Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam, on 26 August 1984. He remained the legal head of state and sovereign prince of Liechtenstein.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died on 13 November 1989, 26 days after his wife, after suffering from poor health.<ref name=":4" /> Ruling Liechtenstein for 51 years, he was among the longest-ruling sovereigns in Europe and the longest-serving national leader in the world at the time of his death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was succeeded by his son, who became Hans-Adam II.

Marriage and children

Franz Joseph and his family in 1955

On 7 March 1943, at St. Florin's in Vaduz, Franz Joseph II married Countess Georgina of Wilczek (24 October 1921 – 18 October 1989).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was the first time that the wedding of a ruling Prince had taken place in Liechtenstein.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They had five children, twelve grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren:

Honours

See also

Notes

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References

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