Count Jacob Hannibal of Hohenems could still not pay his debts and his property was put up for sale to cover what he owed. On February 22 1712, Prince Johann Adam von und zu Liechtenstein bought the county of Vaduz for 290,000 Gulden. This with the county of Schellenberg gave him a seat and a vote in the Imperial government.
On June 16, 1712, Prince Hans Adam died. He is remembered because of his achievements, especially adding the precious stone of the Principality of Liechtenstein to his family’s crown.
As Prince Hans Adam had no sons when he died, his great-nephew Aton Florian (1656-1721) should have become the reigning Prince. The Prince’s will, however, stated that Prince Wenzel (1696-1772) was to inherit the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg. There were protracted negotiations between the two aspiring princes, which was not settled until 1718. In the meantime, Prince Wenzel ruled the two counties. His agent, a man called Harprecht, administered the area and seemed to care little for the inhabitants. He worked ceaselessly to erode the functions of the “Landammaner” and increase the authority and fortune of the Prince at the expense of the people.
On March 12, 1718, the emperor sanctioned an agreement to an exchange by the two princes. Aton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein and ruler of Vaduz and Schellenberg while Josef Wenzel got the large county of Rumburg and the promissory notes for the 250,000 guilders loaned to the Swabian League. Wenzel however would rule the little country again in 1748.
Once more the people of the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg gather to swear allegiance to a new ruler. On September 5, 1718 they swore the oath of allegiance before the Prince’s detested emissary, Harprecht, in Vaduz. A new coat of arms and colors replaced the old ones in Vaduz Castle.
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