county · Germany and Central Europe

Lordship of Schellenberg

1317 CE – 1719 CE (approx.) · capital Schellenberg

A small Rhine-valley lordship that the princes of Liechtenstein bought in 1699 and joined with Vaduz to create their principality.

Origins

The lordship took its name from the Schellenberg family, Bavarian ministeriales who settled in the Rhine valley in the 13th century and built castles on the Eschnerberg ridge. After they sold their rights in the early 14th century, the lordship passed to other houses, among them the barons of Brandis, the counts of Sulz and the County of Hohenems.

Rule and society

Schellenberg was a rural district of a few villages, including Eschen, Mauren and Gamprin, ruled by distant lords through a bailiff. Its peasants lived from farming and livestock and kept local assemblies. It was usually held together with the neighbouring County of Vaduz, and both were direct fiefs of the empire, a status that later proved valuable.

Decline and legacy

The heavily indebted counts of Hohenems sold Schellenberg in 1699 to Prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein, who wanted an imperial territory to win a seat in the Imperial Diet. In 1719 Emperor Charles VI united Schellenberg and Vaduz as the Principality of Liechtenstein, where it survives as the Unterland.

Lineage

Lordship of SchellenbergPrincipality of Liechtenstein 1719 CE – present

Connections (1)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Schellenberg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-schellenberg
MLA
“Lordship of Schellenberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-schellenberg. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Schellenberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-schellenberg.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Schellenberg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-schellenberg (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻