Birth of Liechtenstein

Long ago, there were many small states in Europe where big countries like Germany are today that were ruled by the Holy Roman Empire but more or less by wealthy families who were local to the area. One of these families was the Counts of Hohenems who, by the end of the 18th century, found themselves bankrupt so to alleviate their financial troubles, the Lordship of Schellenberg and the County of Vaduz was sold to the House of Liechtenstein. The House of Liechtenstein took their name from their home castle, Liechtenstein Castle which is in the lower part of Austria and near Vienna. The two lords then brought their two lands together to create Liechtenstein in January 1719 which was and still is ruled by a prince, making it a principality. It became a sovereign state in 1806. Despite the changing political landscape around it, Liechtenstein was never annexed because it was too insignificant and not troublesome enough for its bigger neighbours to deal with. Today, Liechtenstein lies between Switzerland and Austria.