History of Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein has had a long history. The borders of this micro-state have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the boundary between the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss cantons.
The modern territory known as Liechtenstein was once a (albeit tiny) part of the province of Recia (Rætia) of the ancient Roman Empire. For centuries this territory, geographically excluded from European strategic interests, contributed little to European history. Before the rule of the current dynasty, the region was a feudal compound of one of the front lines of the House of Habsburg. The House of Liechtenstein that currently rules has its origins in faraway Silesia.
Middle Ages
The house of the prince of Liechtenstein is one of the oldest noble families. The bearer of this surname, Hugo de Liechtenstein, has been mentioned for the first time in 1136; at that time Hugo de Weikersdorf married the daughter and heir to Haderich III, Lord of Liechtenstein and Mödling.
Henry I of Liechtenstein (1216-1265), obtained the dominion of Nikolsburg in Southern Moravia, in the east. The acquisition was of great political importance, because the family thus obtained an important possession in the territory of the Crown of San Venceslao. He also got the Petronell lordship.
The importance of this acquisition was demonstrated in 1394, when Baron Juan I of Liechtenstein-Nikolsburg (deceased in 1397), after nearly 30 years of negotiations with the government on behalf of Duke Alberto III of Austria, for whom he was a butler in court, became a victim of the political efforts of the Austrians, and gave up everything.Modern Age
The Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the Principality takes its name (rather than the other way around) was among the most powerful noble families in Germany at the end of the Middle Ages. Despite this, and although they owned large landholdings in Germany (Lower Austria, Bohemia and Styria), these rich territories were given in a feudal regime under the domination of higher-ranking feudal lords, mainly the House of Habsburg. It remained virtually under Spanish rule when King Charles I of Spain is also named Holy Roman Emperor. These powers passed to his brother Fernando once he abdicated.
On January 18, 1699, Prince John Adam Andrew of Liechtenstein bought the lordship of Schellenberg and on February 22, 1712, the county of Vaduz. By acquiring these two domains he claimed, in this way, a place in the court of the Holy Roman Empire. On January 23, 1719, Emperor Charles VI decreed that the county of Vaduz and the lordship of Schellenberg were united to form a principality with the name of Liechtenstein in honor of Prince Antonio Florian of Liechtenstein, his subject. It is at this time that Liechtenstein becomes a sovereign state of the Holy Roman Empire. Ironically, although as proof of the political importance of these purchases of territories, the Princes of Liechtenstein did not set foot on their domains in the principality until several decades later.
Contemporary Age
In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was invaded by France. This fact brought great consequences for Liechtenstein. The legal and political machines of the Empire collapsed when the Emperor abdicated. The Empire itself dissolved. The result of the dissolution was that Liechtenstein no longer had obligations to any feudal lords beyond its borders. Some modern publications (incorrectly) attribute Liechtenstein's sovereignty to these events. In reality, their prince became the sole sovereign lord of the principality. After the separation of the German Empire, it allied itself with the Confederation of the Rhine, which had been created by Napoleon I.
Although the country tended to be a peripheral place of interest in the nineteenth century (at that time the family still resided in Feldsberg - in the present Czech Republic- and Vienna), because it occupied an increasingly central position after the attainment of sovereignty in 1806, and in the twentieth century it became the residence of the ruling princes. Prince Francis Joseph II of Liechtenstein (1906 - 1989) transferred his permanent residence to Vaduz in 1938. All members of the family currently living descend from Prince John I Joseph of Liechtenstein, who died in 1836.
Prince John II of Liechtenstein came to have the second longest reign in history and the longest in a conscious way, celebrating the 70th anniversary of his ascent to the throne, shortly before his death.Until the end of World War I, Liechtenstein was closely tied to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced the country to conclude a monetary and customs union with Switzerland.
World War II
During World War II Liechtenstein remained neutral, however it maintained cooperation and favorable treatment with the Nazi government of Hitler for fear of retaliation if invaded.
- The German National Movement (VDBL)
In March 1939, the VDBL organized an attempted coup d'etat of fans, first trying to provoke a swastika burning German intervention, and then declaring a Anschluß with Germany. Leaders were arrested almost immediately and the expected German invasion did not materialize.
The party ' s inability to participate in the 1939 elections (after a pact between the main parties to keep the date of the elections secret), combined with the drastic decline in national Socialist sympathy following the outbreak of World War II led to a temporary disappearance of the party. However, in June 1940 it was reconstituted under the leadership of Dr. Alfons Goop. During 1941 and 1942, the party was involved in a vehement anti-Semite agitation, urging a solution to the so-called "Jewish question" of the country, accusing Jewish families in Liechtenstein of spying on allies. In early 1943, the VDBL had become a shame for Germany: its recruitment for the Waffen-SS committed the neutrality of Liechtenstein, disturbing the Swiss. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany in March 1943 forced the VDBL to hold talks with the Patriotic Union (VU), in Friedrichshafen, under the auspices of the Waffen-SS, for a merger of both parties, who shared an anti-Bolshevik struggle and anti-clerical program. Very disappointed, Goop resigned as party leader. In the end, the VU only consented to some "cultural cooperation." When Germany's war fortune decreased in July 1943 Der Umbruch was banned by the authorities. In 1946, the party leaders were prosecuted for the coup attempt of 1939. Goop was sentenced in 1947 for high treason, to a thirty-month prison.Since 1989
On November 13, 1989, Prince John Adam II succeeded his father Franz Joseph II to the throne, and in 1996, Russia returned the Liechtenstein family archives, thus ending a longstanding dispute between the two countries. In 1978, Liechtenstein became a member of the Council of Europe, later joining the United Nations in 1990, the European Free Trade Association in 1991, and the European Economic Area and World Trade Organization in 1995.
In a referendum called on March 16, 2003, Prince Hans-Adam, who had threatened to leave the country if he lost, won with a large majority (64.3%) in favor of changing the constitution to give him more powers than any other monarchy in Europe. The new constitution gives the prince the power to dissolve governments and approve judge candidates, as well as allowing him to veto laws simply by not signing them within six months.
- Liechtenstein-European Union
On 28 February 2008, Liechtenstein signed the Schengen Agreement and became part of the Schengen space on 19 December 2011. Before that, Switzerland shared an open border with Liechtenstein and was already a full member of the Schengen Area. This open border was not considered a threat to European security because it would be very difficult or impossible to enter Liechtenstein without first landing or entering a Schengen state. The border with Austria was not open, and Austria and Liechtenstein treated it as an external border post, so it was necessary to pass through customs and passports before crossing.
Liechtenstein signed a Schengen partnership agreement with the European Union on 28 February 2008, and originally planned to join the Schengen Area on 1 November 2009. However, ratification was initially delayed at the request of Sweden and Germany, who considered that Liechtenstein had not done enough to combat tax evasion, The Council of Ministers finally consented to the ratification of the protocol on 7 March 2011 with the protocol coming into force one month later. Liechtenstein had to join the Schengen space at the end of 2011 and did so on 19 December.Contenido relacionado
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