# Vatican City and Italy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vatican-city-and-italy/523349>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 2, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vatican-city-and-italy/523349 "2010-01-02T00:00:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vatican-city-and-italy/523349/21 "2010-01-03T00:42:24Z")

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> [@Polycarp](#):
>
> In passing, Lichtenstein gained full independence in 1806 in something similar – prior to that date, they were a fief of the Holy Roman Empire, no different from Bremen, Oldenburg, or Saxe-Altenberg. But the point was that the House of Lichtenstein held from the Emperors, not from the Habsburg Archdukes of Austria, even though they were the same people. So when the H.R.E. was dissolved in 1806, its suzerainty over Lichtenstein, a legal fiction, vanished, and the Princes of Lichtenstein owed allegi8ance to – no one! Hence they were independent.

The even more curious thing about Liechtenstein is that the current territory was an afterthought to the actual dynasty. They were by origin [Austrian barons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein_Castle) with extensive estates their and within the crown of Bohemia. So actually most of their wealth and importance came from their status as subjects of the Hapsburg dynasty, rather than the Emperor per se. Modern Liechtenstein ( based on the former princely states of Vaduz and Schellenberg ) were purchased purely to elevate the house of Liechtenstein to a higher official rank ( “count” ) that would allow them to hold office in the imperial reichstag. When the Hapsburg state was dissolved, all their vast lands were annexed - except that tiny little unimportant rump they had bought in the Alps.

History is strange sometimes :).

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