Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein, born ''Franz de Paula Josef Johann Nepomuk Andreas'' (19 November 1726 – 18 August 1781), was the
Prince of Liechtenstein from 1772 until his death.
Biography
Born in
Milan, in what is now northern
Italy, he was the son of
Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein and Maria Anna Antonia, Countess of
Dietrichstein-Weichselstädt, Baroness zu Hollenburg und Finkenstein (10 September 1706 – 7 June 1777). Franz Josef was the eldest of their thirteen children. He was a nephew of
Joseph Wenzel I, whom he succeeded on 10 February 1772.
Franz Joseph had been recognised heir to Liechtenstein since 1723, when his uncle's only son had died. Joseph Wenzel took Franz Joseph under his wing and Franz Joseph accompanied him in a campaign in Northern
Italy, fighting with Wenzel at the
Battle of Piacenza. The battle was a victory for the
Holy Roman Empire, of which Liechtenstein was a part.
He was the 802nd
Knight of the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
in
Austria.
In 1763, Franz Josef traveled on behalf of the
Emperor to
Spain, to bring the bride of
Archduke Leopold a picture of the Archduke. In 1767, he became
Privy Councillor
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
, and in 1771, he received the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
.
Once Franz Joseph became Prince of Liechtenstein, he showed great interest in its economic problems and the ever-increasing Liechtenstein art collection. He died in
Metz in 1781.
Marriage and issue
Franz Josef married
Marie Leopoldine Gräfin von Sternberg (
Vienna, 11 December 1733 –
Feldsberg, 27 June 1809), a member of the Bohemian nobility, on 6 July 1750 in
Valtice or
Feldsberg. The couple had 8 children:
* Joseph Franz de Paula Emanuel Philipp Isaias (
Vienna, 6 July 1752 –
Vienna, 17 February 1754)
* Leopoldina Maria Anna Francisca de Paula Adelgunda (
Vienna, 30 January 1754 –
Frankfurt, 16 October 1823), married in
Felsberg Felsberg (german: rock hill, link=no) may refer to:
* Felsberg, Hessen, a town in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Hessen, Germany
* , a part of Überherrn, Landkreis Saarlouis, Saarland, Germany
* Felsberg (Odenwald), a mountain in the Odenwald hills, Landk ...
on 1 September 1771
Karl Emanuel, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, and had issue
* Maria Antonia Aloysia Walburga Mechthildis (
Vienna, 14 March 1756 –
Vienna, 1 December 1821), a
Nun
* Franz de Paula Joseph (
Vienna, 19 May 1758 –
Vienna, 15 August 1760)
*
Aloys I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1759–1805)
*
Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein (1760–1836)
* Philipp Joseph Aloys Martinianus (
Vienna, 2 July 1762 –
Vienna, 18 May 1802), unmarried and without issue
*
Maria Josepha Hermenegilde (
Vienna, 13 April 1768 –
Hütteldorf, 8 August 1845), married in
Vienna on 15 September 1783 Nikolaus 7te Fürst Esterházy von Galántha (
Vienna, 12 December 1765 –
Como, 24 November 1833), and had issue
References
External links
Princely House of Liechtenstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franz Joseph 01, Prince of Liechtenstein
1726 births
1781 deaths
Nobility from Milan
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
Princes of Liechtenstein
18th-century Liechtenstein people