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The Counts of Hohenems 1613-1712

© James Foster Robinson

When Ludwig, the last of the Counts of Sulz, sold Vaduz and Schellenburg to his son-in-law, Count Kaspar of Hohenems, the people of Liechtenstein were to experience a century of war, pestilence, famine and evil. By 1613, France had cut off the communications routes from Italy to Burgundy and Flanders, forcing the Spanish to use the passes of the Central Alps in the Habsburg territories in Italy and Tyrol. This route used the Splugen Road that ran down the east side of the Rhine River in the Liechtenstein Valley. Across the river on the west side was the Protestants of Grisons in the Engadin, the Pratigau (the Landquart valley) and Chur who were allies of France. They controled the road between the Lusiensteig and Splugen. Thus the stage was set for a steady stream of invasions, famines and epidemics.

The Counts of Hohenems were at the zenith of their power and as allies of the Austrians wanted to set up a buffer state between Austria and Switzerland. They paid taxes to both the Holy Roman Empire and the Swabian League. In 1614, the subjects of Count Kaspar complained vehemently about the high rate of taxation. After some discussion, they came to a mutual agreement. This argument was aprelude to the Thirty Years War.

In 1618 the disagreements between Catholics and Protestants broke out into war. The fighting raged sporadically in various places between different groups and countries. Austrian troops occupied the Luziensteig in 1620. In the following year Graubunden and Austria went to war against each other. Even though the two counties took no part, they were not spared. Both sides sent troops thought the valley, looting and plundering the inhabitants. The misery and poverty caused by the fighting continued after a peace treaty was signed in 1622. Crops failed, bread became scarce and there was no wine left for the people to down their sorrows in. To make matters worse, that same year, the people of the Pratigau rebelled against the Austrian Emperor. They captured the Luziensteig, and plundered all the villages of Vaduz County before they were defeated near Feldkirch.

Then it got even worse. The Black Plague broke out around 1634 swepting Europe and killing thousands. Many of the inhabitants of the valley fled into the mountains in the vain hope of escaping the contagion. War continued to surge back and forth over the region. Finally the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg were forced to join the war on the Austrian side in order to survive.

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