Elisabeth von Gutmann
| Elisabeth von Gutmann | |
|---|---|
| Princess consort of Liechtenstein | |
 | |
| Tenure | 22 July 1929 – 25 July 1938 |
| Spouse |
Baron Géza Erős of Bethlenfalva Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein |
| Father | Wilhelm Isak, Ritter von Gutmann |
| Mother | Ida Wodianer |
| Born |
6 January 1875 Vienna, Austria-Hungary |
| Died |
28 September 1947 (aged 72) Vitznau, Switzerland |
| Burial |
St. Florian Cathedral, Vaduz, Liechtenstein |
Elisabeth von Gutmann (6 January 1875 – 28 September 1947) was Princess of Liechtenstein as the wife of Prince Franz I.[1]
Early life
Elisabeth (also known as Elsa) was born at Vienna, Austria-Hungary, she was the daughter of Wilhelm Isak, Ritter von Gutmann, and his second wife Ida Wodianer.[2] Her father was a Jewish businessman from Moravia, his coal trading company a leading position in the market occupied by the Habsburg monarchy, he was knighted in 1878 by Emperor Franz Joseph I. Between 1891–1892 he was president of the Vienna Israelite Community.
Marriage
First marriage
Elisabeth married in Vienna to Hungarian Baron Géza Erős of Bethlenfalva (1866-1908). He died on 7 August 1908. They had no children.
Second marriage
In 1914, she met at the relief fund for soldiers, Prince Franz of Liechtenstein. Prince Franz's brother Prince Johann II did not approve of this relationship. On 11 February 1929 Prince Franz succeeded his brother as Franz I, as his brother had died unmarried and childless. In 22 July 1929 Elisabeth and Franz I married in Vienna. They had no children. His wife was, as a wealthy Jewish woman from Vienna. The couple was the first Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein to make proper contact with the public by an active representation. As Princess, Elisabeth participated in official ceremonies, visited institution and the poor, and became quite popular. She founded Franz und Elsa-Stiftung für die liechtensteinische Jugend, an organisation for teenagers, which is still existing.[3] She was, however, identified by local Liechtenstein Nazis as their Jewish "problem". Although Liechtenstein had no official Nazi party, a Nazi sympathy movement had been simmering for years within its National Union party.[4] In early 1938, just after the annexation of Austria into Greater Nazi Germany, 84-year-old Prince Franz I relinquished decision-making to his 31-year-old grandnephew, who would later succeed him as Prince Franz Joseph II.
Later years
After the death of her husband in 1938, she lived at Semmering Pass, until the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany she went into exile to Switzerland, where she died at Vitznau in 1947.
She was the first princess, who was buried not in Vranov, but in the new royal crypt next to the Vaduz Cathedral.
Notes and sources
- ↑ Princess Elisabeth of Liechtenstein
- ↑ Genealogy
- ↑ Fürst und Volk
- ↑ "LIECHTENSTEIN: Nazi Pressure?". TIME. 1938-04-11. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
- thePeerage.com - Elisabeth von Gutmann
- Genealogics - Leo van de Pas - Elisabeth von Gutmann
- Wodianer Family
- Gutmann Family
- Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, Reference: 1968
| Liechtensteiner royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau |
Princess consort of Liechtenstein 1929–1938 |
Vacant Title next held by Georgina von Wilczek |