| Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein | |
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Coat of arms of Liechtenstein |
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| Incumbent: Hans-Adam II |
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| Style: | His Serene Majesty |
| Heir apparent: | Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein |
| First monarch: | Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein |
| Formation: | 1608 |
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| Liechtenstein |
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The Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein is the sovereign monarch and head of state of Liechtenstein. The Princely Family of Liechtenstein, after which the sovereign principality was named in 1719, hails from Castle Liechtenstein in Lower Austria, which the family possessed from at least 1140 to the thirteenth century, and from 1807 onward.
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Through the centuries, the dynasty acquired vast swathes of land, predominantly in Moravia, Lower Austria, Silesia, and Styria, though in all cases, these territories were held in fief under other more senior feudal lords, particularly under various lines of the Habsburg family, to whom several Liechtenstein princes served as close advisors. Thus, and without any territory held directly under the Imperial throne, the Liechtenstein dynasty was unable to meet a primary requirement to qualify for a seat in the Imperial diet, the Reichstag.
The family yearned greatly for the added power which a seat in the Imperial government would garner, and therefore, searched for lands to acquire which would be unmittelbar (non-intermediate), held without any feudal personage other than the Holy Roman Emperor himself having rights on the land. After some time, the family was able to arrange the purchase of the minuscule Herrschaft ("Lordship") of Schellenberg and countship of Vaduz (in 1699 and 1712 respectively) from the Hohenems. Tiny Schellenberg and Vaduz possessed exactly the political status required, no feudal lord other than their comital sovereign and the suzerain Emperor.
Thereby, on January 23, 1719, after purchase had been duly made, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, decreed Vaduz and Schellenberg were united, and raised to the dignity of Fürstentum (principality) with the name "Liechtenstein" in honour of "[his] true servant, Anton Florian of Liechtenstein". It is on this date that Liechtenstein became a sovereign member state of the Holy Roman Empire. Ironically, but as testament to the pure political expediency of the purchases, the Princes of Liechtenstein did not permanently live in their new principality for over 200 years, moving only in 1938 into the Alpine territory.
The Prince of Liechtenstein has sweepingly broad powers; a referendum to adopt Hans-Adam's revision of the constitution to expand his powers passed in 2003.[1] The changes also included a republican option, whereby the Prince was henceforth formally barred from vetoing any bill to establish a republic, but the Prince can veto any other law. In addition, the right to secede of the parishes that make up the Principality was recognized. Prince Hans-Adam had threatened that he and his family would move to Austria if the referendum had failed. Despite opposition from Mario Frick, a former Prime Minister, the Prince's referendum motion was carried by the electorate. Opponents accused Hans-Adam of engaging in emotional blackmail to achieve his goal and constitutional experts from the Council of Europe branded the event as a retrograde move.[2]
On 15 August 2004 Prince Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to his son Prince Alois, as a way of transitioning to a new generation. Formally, Hans-Adam remains Head of State.[3]
The U.S. Senate's subcommittee on tax haven banks has charged that the documents and information provided by Heinrich Kieber show that the LGT bank which is owned by the princely family, on whose board it serves and "is a willing partner, and an aider and abettor to clients trying to evade taxes, dodge creditors or defy court orders."[4] For the same reasons, a 1999 German secret service report more bluntly described Liechtenstein as "a criminal state in the heart of Europe".[5]
According to their House Laws,[6] the Reigning Prince shall bear the title:
| # | Picture | Name | Prince From | Prince Until |
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| 1 | Karl I | 1608 | 12 February 1627 | |
| 2 | Karl Eusebius | 12 February 1627 | 5 April 1684 (57 years, 53 days) |
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| 3 | Hans-Adam I | 1699 | 6 June 1712 | |
| 4 | Joseph Wenzel I | 16 June 1712 | 1718 | |
| 5 | Anton Florian | 1718 | 11 October 1721 | |
| 6 | Joseph Johann Adam | 11 October 1721 | 16 December 1732 (11 years, 66 days) |
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| 4 | Joseph Wenzel I | 1732 | 1745 | |
| 7 | Johann Nepomuk Karl | 16 December 1732 | 22 December 1748 (16 years, 6 days) |
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| 4 | Joseph Wenzel I | 22 December 1748 | 10 February 1772 (23 years, 50 days) |
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| 8 | Franz Joseph I | 10 February 1772 | 18 August 1781 (9 years, 189 days) |
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| 9 | Aloys I | 18 August 1781 | 24 March 1805 (23 years, 218 days) |
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| 10 | Johann I Joseph | 24 March 1805 | 20 April 1836 (31 years, 27 days) |
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| 11 | Aloys II | 20 April 1836 | 12 November 1858 (22 years, 206 days) |
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| 12 | Johann II | 12 November 1858 | 11 February 1929 (70 years, 91 days) |
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| 13 | Franz I | 11 February 1929 | 25 July 1938 (9 years, 164 days) |
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| 14 | Franz Joseph II | 25 July 1938 | 13 November 1989 (51 years, 111 days) |
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| 15 | Hans-Adam II | 13 November 1989 (22 years, 96 days) |
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