The roots of the Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein reach back to the late Middle Ages. In 1342, the County of Vaduz came into being, and in 1379 its owners were granted important privileges of jurisdiction (freedom from foreign judges). From 1396 to 1719, imperial immediacy was confirmed more than 25 times by the emperors. From 1500, the sovereigns were recognized as imperial estates. Over some 300 years the dynasties changed five times. With the exception of the Princes of Liechtenstein, all of them were economically too weak to ensure continuity over a longer period of time. This was only possible for the Princes of Liechtenstein, who bought the domain of Schellenberg in 1699 and the County of Vaduz in 1712. Greater continuity and thus the centuries-long existence of the small but immediate county was made possible by the Holy Roman Empire, its laws and its institutions.
The County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg were granted imperial immediacy by the Emperor as early as the second half of the 14th century. The rulers were entitled to exercise high jurisdiction ("blood jurisdiction"), which was the core of the rights of a sovereign state. Subsequently, the dynasties changed about every hundred years. The imperial privileges were always transferred to the new rulers and were confirmed by the emperor again and again. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Princes of Liechtenstein received the title of Imperial Princes from the Emperor, but this title alone did not yet give them the right to participate in the Imperial Diet. For this they needed a territory that was placed under the direct ("immediate") authority of the Empire. After decades of repeated efforts, Prince Johann Adam I was able to buy the Lordship of Schellenberg in 1699 and the County of Vaduz in 1712. These two domains were located far from their other possessions in Austria, Moravia and Bohemia. They were economically almost insignificant, but they had the status of imperial immediacy. At the request of Prince Anton Florian of Liechtenstein, Emperor Charles VI united the two domains and elevated them to the Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein. This gave the Princes the right for "seat and vote" on the Imperial Diet, and secured them a distinguished place among the high nobility in Vienna.