http://www.eurohistory.com/thurn.html
The history of an enterprising family
By Art Beéche
Very few princely families have been able to play such an important role in
Europe without ever appearing as actors in the main stage of history. The
dynasty of the Princes of Thurn und Taxis is such a family. The family's
fortunes prospered along those of the imperial court at Vienna. For more
than 300 years, the Thurn und Taxis held the monopoly over imperial
communications and post between Vienna and the far flung Habsburg
possessions that formed the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
The Thurn und Taxis had humble beginnings in the XVth century. Emperor
Frederick III celebrated half a century on the throne in 1490, then decided
to strengthen the communications system within his empire. The Habsburgs had
recently acquired Tyrol, and in the coming years would also incorporate
Burgundy and the Low Countries to their expanding empire. Frederick III knew
that without effective communication it would be impossible to govern the
expanding Habsburg lands. With this task in mind, the emperor offered a
communications monopoly to the Thurn und Taxis family, which had already
proved its efficiency in providing support to the empire's communications.
It was then that Franz von Thurn und Taxis obtained the mail monopoly over
all the Habsburg lands. For the next three centuries the name Thurn und
Taxis was synonymous with transportation and communications. It was also
synonymous with wealth as the Thurn und Taxis prospered greatly from their
services to the Habsburgs.
The Thurn und Taxis originated from the region of Bergamo in Italy. Their
letters of nobility were granted by Emperor Maximilian I in 1512 in
recognition for services given to the Habsburg family. Emperor Charles V
confirmed his grandfather's granting in 1534. According to the Almanac de
Gotha, the Thurn und Taxis family were made Barons of the Empire in 1608.
Almost two decades later, Emperor Ferdinand II elevated the family to Counts
of the Empire in 1624. They were made princes by the Spanish Court in 1681
in recognition for their services. Finally, the Thurn und Taxis received
their princely title in the Holy Roman Empire in the 1695 from Emperor
Leopold I of Habsburg.
No other enterprise could guarantee transportation and communications with
the reliability provided by the Thurn und Taxis. By the end of the XVIIIth
century it took five days for a letter to travel from Brussels to Innsbruck,
while it took forty hours to travel from Brussels to Paris. It was a
performance record that only the Thurn und Taxis system could match. The
family used a horse relay system that allowed for uninterrupted travel from
one European capital to another. It was Napoleon Bonaparte who first
attacked the Thurn und Taxis monopoly. And as the XIXth century progressed,
the family gradually lost it completely. The loss of the mail monopoly did
little to affect the power of the Thurn und Taxis for by then, the family
had diversified into a myriad other enterprises from foodstuffs to banking
to railroads. Their wealth was vast and very few other European families
could match it.
The Thurn und Taxis not only profited in their many enterprises. Their
matrimonial alliances were also a source of great pride and achievement.
From their origin in Bergamo to becoming the couriers of the imperial court
in Vienna, the family also expanded its relations through the palaces of the
German nobility. One of the first prominent matrimonial alliances of the
family was that of Eugene-Alexander, I Prince of Thurn and Taxis, to
Princess Anna of Fürstenberg. His successor, Anselm-Franz, married into
another renowned princely family when he wed Princess Maria of Lobkowicz at
the beginning of the XVIIIth century. The Third Prince of Thurn and Taxis,
Alexander-Ferdinand, continued these successful matrimonial alliances by
marrying Sophia Chistianne of Brandenburg. His heir, the Fourth Prince
married Duchess Augusta of Wurttemberg. Karl-Alexander, the Fifth Prince of
Thurn und Taxis was married to Duchess Theresa of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a
relative of Queen Charlotte, wife of George III of Great Britain. The family
reached the pinnacle in 1858 when Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Thurn und
Taxis, married Duchess Helene in Bavaria, sister of Empress Elisabeth of
Austria. Helene in fact, was initially chosen as Emperor Franz Joseph's
bride, yet her vivacious and lovely younger sister attracted the young
emperor's eye and conquered his heart. Nonetheless, Maximilian of Thurn und
Taxis could count the Austrian emperor as a brother-in-law.
Prince Johannes and Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis (1982)
The marriage of Maximilian and Helene was a success as the couple found
satisfaction with each other. Unfortunately for Helene, her husband died
unexpectedly in 1867 leaving her with four young children: Louisa,
Elisabeth, Maximilian and Albert. The children were raised primarily at the
family's
