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

Wilfersdorf

Wilfersdorf is a town in the district of Mistelbach in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....

, in what is now Lower Austria

Lower Austria

Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...

. During the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...

, he went to Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, where he was the Chief Intendant and Prime Minister of the Archduke Karl, who became Emperor Charles VI

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...

 after the sudden death of his brother in 1711. Florian returned to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 for Charles's coronation. He was the Imperial Chief Intendant and Chairman of the Secret Council until he died in 1721.

In 1719, Charles VI created the new principality of Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...

 from the domains of Schellenberg

Schellenberg

Schellenberg is a municipality in the lowland area of Liechtenstein, on the banks of the Rhine. , it has a population of 952 and covers an area of .-Early history:...

 and Vaduz

Vaduz

Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop....

, 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

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

 are the only states of the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 that still exist.

He was the 591st Knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

 of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

 in Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. He died at Vienna in 1721.

Marriage and issue

Anton Florian married Eleonore Barbara, Countess of Thun-Hohenstein

Thun-Hohenstein

Thun und Hohenstein, also known as Thun-Hohenstein, is a family which belonged to the historical Bohemian and Austrian nobility. One branch of the family has dwelled at Děčín , Bohemia, for more than 200 years....

 (4 May 1661 – 10 February 1723) on October 15, 1679. They had 11 children, most of whom died in early childhood:

• Prince Franz Augustin (1680–1681)
• Princess Eleonore (1681–1682)
• Princess Antonia Maria Eleonore (12 January 1683 – 19 December 1715)
• Prince Karl Joseph Florian (b. and d. 1685)
• Prince Anton Ignaz Joseph (1689–1690)
• Joseph Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein (27 May 1690 – 17 December 1732)
• Prince Innozenz Franz Anton (1693–1707)
• Princess Maria Karoline Anna (23 August 1694 – 16 April 1735)
• Prince Karl Joseph (1697–1704)
• Princess Anna Maria Antonie
  Anna Maria of Liechtenstein
  Anna Maria of Liechtenstein , was a princess consort of Liechtenstein; married 19 April 1718 to her cousin prince Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein.- Sources :...
  
   (1699–1753); married her cousin, Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein
• Princess Maria Eleonore (1703 – 18 July 1757); married Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau
  Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau
  Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, , was plenipotentiary minister of the Austrian Netherlands and became Governor-General ad interim from ....
  
  

Ancestry