Franz Joseph II

Franz Joseph II became Prince of Liechtenstein at age 32, succeeding his great-uncle Franz I. He inherited a small, impoverished principality facing pressure from Nazi Germany and the threat of absorption into the Greater German Reich.

Franz Joseph II kept Liechtenstein neutral throughout World War II, resisting pressure from Nazi Germany to join the Axis. He maintained diplomatic relations with both sides and protected the principality's sovereignty, though the country was economically dependent on Germany.

At the end of World War II, Franz Joseph II allowed approximately 500 Russian soldiers of the pro-German Russian Liberation Army to seek refuge in Liechtenstein. Despite Soviet demands for repatriation, he refused to extradite them, and most were eventually granted asylum in Argentina.

Franz Joseph II oversaw Liechtenstein's transformation from a poor agricultural state into a wealthy industrial and financial center. He attracted foreign investment, developed the manufacturing sector, and established low-tax policies that made the principality a tax haven.

Franz Joseph II signed the law granting women the right to vote in national elections, following a referendum that narrowly passed. Liechtenstein was one of the last European countries to introduce women's suffrage, a reform the prince had supported.