Charles I (Liechtenstein)

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Charles I of Liechtenstein

Karl I von Liechtenstein (* 1569 probably in Feldsberg ; † February 12, 1627 in Prague ) came from the House of Liechtenstein , which is one of the oldest aristocratic families in Austria and derives its name from the ancestral castle of Liechtenstein Castle near Mödling in Lower Austria . In 1592 he was the treasurer of Archduke Mathias of Austria, was a Protestant, but converted to Catholicism in 1599 , subsequently becoming chief magistrate of Moravia, in 1600 chief courtier of Emperor Rudolf II repeatedly one of his lenders, since 1604 governor in Moravia and in 1608 in the Princes raised. On the side of the Catholic League, Karl von Liechtenstein played an important, but not undisputed role at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War after the Battle of White Mountain near Prague.

biography

He was the son of Hartmann II von Liechtenstein- Feldsberg (1544–1585) and his wife Anna Maria von Ortenburg (1547–1601), granddaughter of Count Ulrich II von Ortenburg .

Karl von Liechtenstein was brought up in the Evangelical Lutheran faith together with Karl von Žerotín in Basel and Geneva , but converted to Catholicism in 1599, like his two brothers Maximilian and Gundaker . Following this denominational reorientation, Emperor Rudolf II appointed him to the Imperial Court in Vienna as Chief Steward . Linked to this office was the chairmanship of the Privy Council , to which he belonged until 1607. In the Habsburg fraternal dispute between Emperor Rudolf II and Archduke Matthias , Karl von Liechtenstein joined the archduke's side, who elevated him to the hereditary prince's status in 1608 .

In 1613 Charles acquired the Duchy of Opava in Silesia . During the uprising of the Evangelical Lutheran rulers, the class uprising in Bohemia , Prince Karl I supported Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg and, after the Battle of White Mountain won for the Emperor in 1620, led the arrest and on June 21, 1621 the execution of the Insurgents on the Old Town Square in Prague. In 1622 he became governor and viceroy of Bohemia and in 1623 he was enfeoffed with the Duchy of Jägerndorf in Silesia. His social advancement continued.

Prince Karl von und zu Liechtenstein was the first of his family to receive the Order of the Golden Fleece . Furthermore, the emperor legitimized the settlement of the credit debts that he had with Karl von Liechtenstein, the annexation of so-called "rebel estates", expropriated land of the former rulers, which enormously expanded the princely land holdings.

Karl von Liechtenstein took part in a financial campaign that was very advantageous for him and for other shareholders, but this resulted in a deterioration in the coins and, as a result, inflation . In the emergency situation there was a famine and many acts of violence, which are considered a bad time in the history of Bohemia. At that time, from 1620 to 1627, at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War , the prince lived in the Liechtenstein Palace on Lesser Town Square in Prague.

Tomb of Karl I of Liechtenstein in the royal crypt in Vranov

Already in 1606, long before his death, Karl regulated the succession in the principality in his will so that his eldest son would become the next prince and Karl's brothers should be paid off. His grave is in the crypt of the House of Liechtenstein in the Paulan monastery in Vranov (Moravia).

family

Karl was married to Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora .

Children came from marriage

  1. Heinrich ( died young , after 1612).
  2. Anna Maria von Liechtenstein (1597–1638) ∞ Maximilian II von Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg (1596–1655).
  3. Franziska Barbara (1604–1655) ∞ Werner Wenzel de T'Serclaes Tilly (1599–1653).
  4. Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein (1611–1684), ∞ Johanna Beatrix von Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg (1626–1676).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ [1] Place of birth and death according to NDB
  2. ^ Genealogical page on Anna Maria von Ortenburg
  3. ^ History of the House of Liechtenstein ( Memento of the original dated December 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed July 7, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fuerstenhaus.li
predecessor Office successor
- Prince of Liechtenstein
1608–1627 		Karl Eusebius of Liechtenstein
Johann Georg von Brandenburg-Jägerndorf Duke of (Troppau) Jägerndorf
1623–1627 		merged with the title of
Prince of Liechtenstein
personal data
SURNAME Charles I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince of Liechtenstein
DATE OF BIRTH 1569
PLACE OF BIRTH unsure: Feldsberg
DATE OF DEATH February 12, 1627
Place of death Prague