Early reign in
Balzers, 8 May 1938 On 31 March 1938,
Franz I made Franz Joseph his
regent following the
Anschluss of
Austria. Franz I then moved to Feldsberg (
Valtice),
Czechoslovakia, and on 25 July, he died while at one of his family's castles. Franz Joseph II formally succeeded him as the
Prince of Liechtenstein. Although officially Franz stated that he had given the regency to Franz Joseph due to his old age, it was speculated that he did not wish to remain in control of Liechtenstein if
Nazi Germany were to invade, primarily because his wife,
Elisabeth von Gutmann was of Jewish relation. Upon becoming
Prince of Liechtenstein in 1938, Franz Joseph settled permanently in the principality, making him the first ruling prince to live there full-time. while personally tying the country as closely as possible to
Switzerland during the war in hopes of retaining Liechtenstein's neutrality. He visited the
Swiss Federal Council in April 1938 and again in 1943, along with to
Victor Emmanuel III of Italy in November 1941. Franz Joseph oversaw the formation of a coalition government between the
Progressive Citizens' Party and the
Patriotic Union that would prevent government
deadlock and help retain Liechtenstein's neutrality. in
Berlin, 2 March 1939 In March 1939 he along with
Josef Hoop paid an official visit to
Berlin where they met
Adolf Hitler and
Joachim von Ribbentrop where they discussed safeguarding Liechtenstein's independence and neutrality while maintaining good relations. Franz Joseph later reminisced on the visit and stated that Hitler showed little interest in them and that it only took place in order to "flatter Hitler's ego". Despite this, he periodically sent congratulatory letters to Hitler throughout the war, such as the thwarting of the
20 July plot, of which he briefly replied. In 1945 all the family's estates in
Czechoslovakia and
Poland were expropriated without compensation by the
Third Czechoslovak Republic and the
Provisional Government of Poland. Just before the end of the war, Franz Joseph granted political asylum to
First Russian National Army pro-Axis pro-emperor
Vladimir White emigres led by General
Boris Smyslovsky, who were being cared for by the
Liechtenstein Red Cross. On 16 August 1945, the
Soviet Union sent a delegation to Liechtenstein in an attempt to repatriate the Russians, which was refused despite increasing Soviet pressure to participate in the repatriation program. Eventually the government of
Argentina offered the Russians asylum, and about a hundred people left. Franz Joseph played a role in maintaining Liechtenstein's diplomatic relations. He and Georgina von Wilczek hosted
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,
Charles III (then
Prince of Wales) and
Anne, Princess Royal in the
Vaduz Castle on 29 December 1965 and again for Prince Philip and
Elizabeth II in April 1980. , 1988During his reign, women received voting rights for the first time, following
a referendum on the topic (among men only) in 1984. That same year, he appointed
Maria Foser as the first woman Deputy Government Councillor for Social Affairs. He exercised his veto power just once, in 1985, against a
new hunting law that would have granted increased rights to hunters. He explained this by saying “It was a silly law. It would have turned every garden into a shooting ground". He died on 13 November 1989, 26 days after his wife, after suffering from poor health. He was succeeded by his son, who became Hans-Adam II. ==Marriage and children==