Josef Wenzel I (Josef Wenzel Lorenz; 9 August 1696 – 10 February 1772), often referred to as just Wenzel, was the

Prince of Liechtenstein The prince regnant of Liechtenstein (german: Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein) is the monarch and head of state of Liechtenstein.Principality of Liechtenstein Family - Die fürstliche Familie (in German) The Liechtenstein family, after which t ...

between 1712 and 1718, and 1748 and 1772, as well as regent of Liechtenstein between 1732 and 1745. He first succeeded his distant cousin Hans-Adam I, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian, he was not very popular among the family and therefore Hans-Adam chose Josef Wenzel as his heir. He later decided to hand over the Principality in exchange for him getting the Dominion of

Rumburk Rumburk (; german: Rumburg) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. It lies on the border with Germany. Administrative parts Rumburk is made up of town parts of Rumburk ...

in 1718. Thirty years later he inherited Liechtenstein again after his nephew Prince Johann Nepomuk Karl died without male issue.

Biography

Born in 1696 at

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Josef Wenzel was the eldest son of Prince Philipp Erasmus of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

(11 September 1664 – 13 January 1704) and Countess Christina Theresa von Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (12 October 1665 – 14 April 1730). He was a great-grandnephew of

Karl Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

, the first Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1712, he succeeded his distant cousin Hans-Adam I, as the Prince of Liechtenstein, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian, he was not very popular among the family. Hans-Adam therefore chose Josef Wenzel as his heir, but in 1718 he negotiated with Anton Florian and later swapped the

County of Vaduz The County of Vaduz (german: Grafschaft Vaduz) was a historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, now located in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Its capital was the town of Vaduz.Lordship of Schellenberg The Lordship of Schellenberg (german: Herrschaft Schellenberg) was a historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, now located in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Its capital was the town of Schellenberg.Rumburk Rumburk (; german: Rumburg) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. It lies on the border with Germany. Administrative parts Rumburk is made up of town parts of Rumburk ...

. He also married Anton Florian's daughter Anna Maria Antonie, who was Wenzel's cousin. A year later the two dominions were united into the new

Principality of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

. He then enjoyed a long life of military successes. Wenzel was primarily a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and was a very successful campaigner. His first venture was in 1717, when he fought against the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

in the Austro-Turkish War, alongside famed military commander

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...

. He also participated in the

War of Polish succession The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of their ...

, once again alongside Prince Eugene. In 1745, he was made

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and was victorious the following year at the

Battle of Piacenza The Battle of Piacenza was fought between a Franco-Spanish army and the Austrian army near Piacenza, in Northern Italy on June 16, 1746. It formed part of later operations in the War of the Austrian Succession. The result was a victory for the ...

. In 1753 he was made General Chief Commander in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. In one of the greatest achievements of his career, he reorganised the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

, partially financed out of his own pocket. He was the 698th

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

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 ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. From 1735 to 1736, he was Imperial Envoy to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and he was Imperial Ambassador to Paris between 1738 and 1741. In 1760, he escorted the future bride of

Josef II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. In 1732, Prince Josef Johann Adam died and was succeeded by his son Johann Nepomuk Karl. However, the new Prince was only eight years old at the time, so Wenzel was established as his regent and guardian until he came of age in 1745. Johann Nepomuk did not live long however, dying only three years later in 1748. With no surviving male issue, the Principality passed back to Wenzel. He then went on to rule Liechtenstein until his death in 1772. With no surviving issue, Liechtenstein went to his nephew

Franz Josef I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

Legacy

Though not one of the more well known Princes of Liechtenstein, Josef Wenzel I is still remembered for his military campaigns, as well as his patronage to the arts. When

Hereditary Prince Alois Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968), is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. The heir apparent ...

's eldest son was born in 1995, Alois decided to name him Josef Wenzel after this Prince.

Marriage and issue

On 19 April 1718 Josef Wenzel married his cousin, Princess Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein (1699–1753), daughter of Anton Florian and

Eleonore Barbara von Thun und Hohenstein Countess Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun und Hohenstein (4 May 1661 – 10 February 1723) was an Austrian noblewoman who, as the wife of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, was the Princess of Liechtenstein from 1718 to 1721. She accompani ...

, in 1718. They had five children, all of whom died in early childhood: *Prince Philipp Anton (1719). *Prince Philipp Anton (1720). *Prince Philipp Ernst (1722–1723). *Princess Maria Elisabeth (1724). *Princess Marie Alexandra (1727).

References

External links

Princely House of Liechtenstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph Wenzel 01 1696 births 1772 deaths Nobility from Prague Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Princes of Liechtenstein Generals of the Holy Roman Empire 18th-century Liechtenstein people Military personnel from Prague Diplomats from Prague