Prince Karl Aloys
Governor of Liechtenstein
In office
13 December 1918 – 15 September 1920
MonarchJohann II
Preceded byMartin Ritter (Chairman of the Provisional Executive Committee)
Succeeded byJosef Peer
Military service
Allegiance Austria-Hungary
Branch/serviceAustro-Hungarian Army
Years of serviceUnknown–1918
RankRittmaster
WarsWorld War I
Born(1878-09-16)16 September 1878
Frauenthal Castle, Austria-Hungary
Died20 June 1955(1955-06-20) (aged 76)
Frauenthal Castle, Austria
Burial
St. Florian Cathedral, Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1921)​
Names
Karl Aloys
HouseLiechtenstein
FatherPrince Alfred of Liechtenstein
MotherPrincess Henriette of Liechtenstein

Prince Karl Aloys von Liechtenstein (16 September 1878 – 20 June 1955) was Imperial and Royal Cavalry Master in Austria-Hungary until 1918 and then the Governor of Liechtenstein from 1918 to 1920.[1][2]

He was the fifth son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Princess Henriette of Liechtenstein and uncle of Franz Joseph II.

Early career

Karl attended the Schottengymnasium and studied law in Vienna. He worked in the Austrian civil service, and was captain regent of the Mistelbach District.[3]

During World War I, he was an Imperial and Royal Cavalry Master (Rittmeister) in the Austro-Hungarian Army.[1] He was seriously wounded during the war, yet continued to serve until the end of the monarchy in Austria-Hungary.[1][3]

Governor of Liechtenstein

Following the November 1918 Liechtenstein putsch, Karl arrived in Vaduz to act as a mediator between the different parties.[3] It was agreed the Provisional Executive Committee formed following the putsch would last one month when a replacement cabinet could be found.[4] On 7 December 1918 it was dissolved and Karl was appointed as Governor of Liechtenstein by Johann II upon the recommendation of the Landtag of Liechtenstein on 13 December.[2][3]

In this position, Karl appealed to Switzerland in order to begin recovery from the economic devastation World War I brought to the country.[3][5][6] As such, Switzerland continued food deliveries to Liechtenstein from 1919 onwards. In addition, he appealed to Felix Calonder to begin negotiations between the two countries for the eventual establishment of a customs union.[3] On 2 August 1919, Liechtenstein disestablished the customs union with Austria and then in October 1919, on its request, Switzerland agreed to represent Liechtenstein's interests abroad where it did not already have representation.[3]

During his time as governor he attempted to mediate relations between the Progressive Citizens' Party and Christian Social People's Party regarding the creation of a new constitution, which had been in popular demand since the 1918 putsch.[3][7] He created a draft constitution in April 1920, which made minimal changes to the existing 1862 Constitution of Liechtenstein and it was rejected by the Landtag.[3] Instead, the draft constitution presented by Wilhelm Beck was accepted which limited the power of the prince of Liechtenstein for a constitutional monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis, of which were loosely based on the Swiss Federal Constitution.[8]

On 15 September 1920, he was succeeded as Governor by Josef Peer.[2] He signed the constitution of Liechtenstein on behalf of Johann II alongside Josef Ospelt as a government representative on 5 October 1921.[9]

Marriage and family

Prince Karl was a son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Princess Henriette. He married on 31 March 1921 at the civil registry in Stuttgart Elizabeth, Princess of Urach and Countess of Württemberg. The church wedding was celebrated on 5. April 1921 in Tegernsee.[1]

Wedding of Prince Karl Aloys of Liechtenstein and Elisabeth, Duchess of Urach and Countess of Württemberg

They had four children:

Ancestry

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References

  1. ^ a b c d "Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Abt. Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart - Findbuch GU 122: Elisabeth Prinzessin von und zu Liechtenstein geb. Fürstin von Urach Gräfin von Württemberg (1894-1962) - Einleitung". www2.landesarchiv-bw.de. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Mitglieder der Regierung des Fürstentums Liechtenstein 1862–2021". www.regierung.li.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wanger, Harald (31 December 2011). "Liechtenstein, Karl von (1878–1955)". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  4. ^ Quaderer, Rupert (31 December 2011). "Novemberputsch 1918". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  5. ^ Weltkrieg, Erster (31 December 2011). "Erster Weltkrieg". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. ^ Marxer, Roland (31 December 2011). "Neutralität". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  7. ^ Quaderer, Rupert (31 December 2011). "Novemberputsch 1918". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  8. ^ Leipold-Schneider, Gerda (31 December 2011). "Beck, Wilhelm". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. ^ Wille, Herbert (31 December 2011). "Verfassung". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Liechtenstein". www.angelfire.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
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