Anton Florian (28 May 1656 – 11 October 1721) was the

Prince of Liechtenstein The monarchy of Liechtenstein is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of Liechtenstein. The current monarch is Prince Hans-Adam II. The House of Liechtenstein, after which the sove ...

between 1718 and 1721. Anton Florian was born in Wilfersdorf, in what is now

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

. During the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, he went to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, where he was the Chief Intendant and Prime Minister of the Archduke Karl, who became Emperor Charles VI after the sudden death of his

brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

in 1711. Florian returned to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

for Charles's coronation. He was the Obersthofmeister (Imperial Chief Intendant) and Chairman of the Secret Council until he died in 1721. On 23 January 1719,Principality of Liechtenstein
/ref> Charles VI created the new principality of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

from the domains of Seigneury of Schellenberg and County of Vaduz, which were both held by the Liechtenstein family. This was done so that Anton Florian could be admitted to the Reichstag, which required that all members had land that was subordinate only to the Emperor himself (as opposed to land held in fief by higher nobles). Thus, Anton Florian became the first Prince of Liechtenstein. Anton Florian was the 591st

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. He died in

in 1721.

Marriage and issue

Anton Florian married Countess Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun und Hohenstein (4 May 1661 – 10 February 1723) on 15 October 1679. They had 11 children, most of whom died in early childhood: * Prince Franz Augustin (1680–1681) * Princess Eleonore (1681–1682) * Princess Antonia Maria Eleonore (12 January 1683 – 19 December 1715) * Prince Karl Joseph Florian (b. and d. 1685) * Prince Anton Ignaz Joseph (1689–1690) * Joseph Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein (27 May 1690 – 17 December 1732) * Prince Innozenz Franz Anton (1693–1707) * Princess Maria Karoline Anna (23 August 1694 – 16 April 1735) * Prince Karl Joseph (1697–1704) * Princess Anna Maria Antonie (1699–1753); married her cousin,

Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I (Josef Wenzel Lorenz; 9 August 1696 – 10 February 1772), often referred to as just Wenzel, was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1712 and 1718, and 1748 and 1772, as well as regent of Liechtenstein between 1732 and 1745. He f ...

* Princess Maria Eleonore (1703 – 18 July 1757); married Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau

References

External links

Princely House of Liechtenstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein 1656 births 1721 deaths 18th-century princes of Liechtenstein People from Mistelbach District Knights of the Golden Fleece Obersthofmeister People of the War of the Spanish Succession Liechtenstein princes Princes of Liechtenstein