Prince Rudolf of Liechtenstein (18 April 1838 – 15 December 1908) was an Austrian

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

, a general in the Common Army and one of the highest officials in the court of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Biography

Rudolf was the youngest child and second son of Prince Karl Joseph of Liechtenstein and Countess Franziska von Wrbna-Freudenthal. His family was a cadet branch of the reigning Princely House of Liechtenstein, the Moravský-Krumlov line, which was descended from Prince Karl Borromäus, the younger brother of Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Upon the death of his older brother Karl Rudolf – who was unmarried and childless – in 1899, Rudolf became head of the family. After completing his education, Rudolf joined the military, eventually becoming General of the Cavalry in 1904. In 1862 he entered the service of the imperial court in Vienna, first as treasurer and later, privy councilor and Acting Minister of the Horse, as well as an honorary colonel of the Imperial Life-guards. In 1896 he was personally appointed by the Emperor as First Oberhofmeister (''Lord High Steward''), the premier official of the court, after the death of Prince Konstantin of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. Rudolf's tenure at court was fraught with multiple events: the Badeni riots in Bohemia in 1897, the assassination of the

Empress Elisabeth Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...

in 1898, and the morganatic marriage of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to Countess Sophie Chotek in 1900. He was also present during the state visits of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in 1903. An accomplished musician, Rudolf composed music for the texts of Walther von der Vogelweide and

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

. In the later years of his life, Rudolf was often plagued by illness; his duties were taken over by his deputy Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo. He eventually died unmarried in 1908, and was interred in the family crypt in Moravský Krumlov castle, Moravia. With his death, the Moravský-Krumlov line of the House of Liechtenstein became extinct.

Honours

;National orders and decorations * Knight of the Golden Fleece, ''1892'' * Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, ''1896'' * Golden Jubilee Court Medal, ''1898'' * Golden Jubilee Medal for the Armed Forces, ''1898'' * Service Award for Officers, 3rd Class ;Foreign orders and decorations

Ancestry

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolf of Liechtenstein, Prince 19th-century Austrian people 20th-century Austrian people 1838 births 1908 deaths Austrian Roman Catholics Austrian composers Nobility from Vienna Austro-Hungarian Army officers Austro-Hungarian generals Princes of Liechtenstein Members of the House of Lords (Austria) Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Knights of the Order of Saint Joseph Obersthofmeister