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 King Louis XIV and Queen Elizabeth II respectively, and fourth-longest overall (for which exact dates are known) after King Louis XIV, Queen Elizabeth II, 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 fulfill 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. After World War I, Johann II granted a new constitution in 1921. It granted considerable political rights to common Liechtensteiners and made the principality a constitutional monarchy. The constitution has survived but with revisions, most notably in 2003.

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

Foreign affairs

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.[4]

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

Johann II added much to the Liechtenstein Princely Collections. Although considered a prominent patron of the arts and sciences during his long reign,[5] Johann II was also considered to be rather unsociable and did not participate in social events. He never married or had any children, like several other members of his family.[6]

Between 1905 and 1920, Schloss Vaduz was renovated and expanded. Prince Johann II did not live in the castle or even in Liechtenstein, but his successors made the castle the princely residence in 1938.

Upon his death in 1929, Johann II was succeeded by his brother Franz I.

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. Welcome.li Yellow Pages of Liechtenstein Archived 6 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 December 2007
  5. Portal of the Principality of Liechtenstein – Princely House – Prince Johann II Archived 21 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 December 2007
  6. Prince Johann II. Retrieved 16 December 2007
  7. Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 79.
  8. Boettger, T. F. "Chevaliers de la Toisón d'Or – Knights of the Golden Fleece". La Confrérie Amicale. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  9. "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 7
  11. Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1922) p. 55
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