Josef Wenzel I (Josef Wenzel Lorenz; 9 August 1696 – 10 February 1772), often referred to as just Wenzel, 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 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, who was not very popular among the family. Therefore Hans-Adam chose Josef Wenzel as his heir. He later decided to hand over the Principality in exchange for his getting the Dominion of

Rumburk Rumburk (; ) 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 division Rumburk consists of three municipal parts (in brackets ...

in 1718. Thirty years later he inherited Liechtenstein again after his nephew Prince Johann Nepomuk Karl died without male issue. As a military figure, Wenzel is known for his command of the Austrians at the Battle of Piacenza (

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

Biography

Born in 1696 at

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

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

(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 of Austria, last Austrian Emperor * Karl (footballer) (born 1993), Karl Cac ...

, 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, who was not very popular among the family. Hans-Adam therefore chose Josef Wenzel as his heir, but in 1718 the latter negotiated with Anton Florian and swapped the County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg in exchange for the Dominion of

. 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 ( ), is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east and north and Switzerland in the west and south. Liechtenst ...

, headed by Anton Florian. Joseph Wenzel then enjoyed a long life of military successes. He was primarily a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

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

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

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 distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

. He also participated in the War of Polish succession, once again alongside Prince Eugene. In 1745, he was made

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ), also generalissimus, 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 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and was victorious the following year at the Battle of Piacenza. In 1753 he was made General Chief Commander in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

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

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

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

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 ...

. From 1735 to 1736, he was Imperial Envoy to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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

. In 1732, Prince Josef Johann Adam, son and heir of the aforesaid Anton Florian, 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.

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'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, in 1718. They had five children, all of whom died in early childhood: *Prince Philipp Anton (1 June 1719) died in infancy. *Prince Philipp Ernst (5 June 1722 – 26 December 1723) died in early childhood *Princess Maria Elisabeth (3 May 1724) died in infancy *Princess Marie Alexandra (9 May 1727) died in infancy

References

External links

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