Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein

Anton Florian
Prince of Liechtenstein
Reign 12 March 1718 – 11 October 1721
Predecessor Joseph Wenzel I
Successor Joseph Johann Adam
Spouse Countess Eleonore Barbara of Thun-Hohenstein
Full name
Anton Florian
House House of Liechtenstein
Father Prince Hartmann III of Liechtenstein
Mother Countess Sidonie Elisabeth of Salm-Reifferscheidt
Born 28 May 1656
Wilfersdorf
Died 11 October 1721 (aged 65)
Vienna
Burial Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Brno

Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein (28 May 1656 – 11 October 1721) was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1718 and 1721.

He was born in Wilfersdorf, in what is now Lower Austria. During the War of the Spanish Succession, he went to Spain, 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 in 1711. Florian returned to Vienna for Charles's coronation. He was the Imperial Chief Intendant and Chairman of the Secret Council until he died in 1721.

On 23 January 1719,[1] Charles VI created the new principality of Liechtenstein 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. It and Luxembourg are the only states of the Holy Roman Empire that still exist.

He was the 591st Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria. He died in Vienna in 1721.

Marriage and issue

Anton Florian married Eleonore Barbara Catharina, Countess of Thun-Hohenstein (4 May 1661 – 10 February 1723) on 15 October 1679. They had 11 children, most of whom died in early childhood:

Ancestry

References

External links

Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein
Born: 1656 Died: 1721
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Joseph Wenzel I
Prince of Liechtenstein
1718–1721
Succeeded by
Joseph Johann Adam