Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Alexander Ferdinand
Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Period 8 November 1739 – 17 March 1773
Predecessor Anselm Franz
Successor Karl Anselm
Born (1704-03-21)21 March 1704
Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire
Died 17 March 1773(1773-03-17) (aged 68)
Regensburg, Free Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire
Spouse Margravine Sophie Christine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Princess Charlotte Louise of Lorraine
Princess Maria Henriette Josepha of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen
Issue Princess Sophie Christine
Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Princess Luise Auguste Charlotte
Prince Friedrich August
Prince Ludwig Franz
Princess Maria Theresia
Princess Josephine
Prince Heinrich Alexander
Prince Franz Joseph
Princess Maria Anna Josepha
Princess Marie Elisabetha Alexandrina
Prince Maximilian Joseph
Full name
German: Alexander Ferdinand
House House of Thurn and Taxis
Father Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Mother Maria Ludovika Anna Franziska, Princess of Lobkowicz
Religion Roman Catholic

Alexander Ferdinand, Prince of Thurn and Taxis,[1][2] full German name: Alexander Ferdinand Fürst von Thurn und Taxis[1][2] (21 March 1704, Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire[1][2] 17 March 1773, Regensburg, Free Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire[1][2]) was the third Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Postmaster General of the Imperial Reichspost, and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 8 November 1739 until his death on 17 March 1773.[1][2] Karl Anselm served as Principal Commissioner (German: Prinzipalkommissar) at the Perpetual Imperial Diet in Frankfurt am Main and Regensburg for Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor from 1 February 1743 to 1745 and again from 1748 until 1773.

Early life

Alexander Ferdinand was the eldest child and only son of Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his wife Maria Ludovika Anna Franziska, Princess of Lobkowicz.[1][2]

Principal Commissioner

From 1 February 1743 to 1745, Alexander Ferdinand served as Principal Commissioner for Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor at the Perpetual Imperial Diet in Frankfurt am Main. When the Diet relocated to Regensburg under Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Alexander Ferdinand was reinstated as Principal Commissioner in 1748. It was for this reason that Alexander Ferdinand moved the principal residence of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from Frankfurt am Main to Regensburg. On 30 May 1754, Alexander Ferdinand was added to the College of Imperial Princes.

Marriages and family

A proposed bride was Johanna of Baden-Baden (1704–1726), only surviving daughter of the late Margrave of Baden-Baden and his wife (Regent of Baden-Baden from 1707) Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg but the match never materialised.

Alexander Ferdinand married Margravine Sophie Christine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, eldest daughter of George Frederick Charles, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and his wife Princess Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, on 11 April 1731 in Frankfurt am Main.[1][2] Alexander Ferdinand and Sophie Christine had five children:[1][2]

∞ 3 September 1753 Duchess Auguste of Württemberg (30 October 1734-4 June 1787)
∞ 1787 Elisabeth Hildebrand, Frau von Train

Alexander Ferdinand married secondly to Louise de Lorraine, third eldest daughter of Louis II of Lorraine-Brionne, Prince of Lambesc and his wife Jeanne Henriette de Durfort, on 22 March 1745 in Paris.[1][2]

Alexander Ferdinand married thirdly to Princess Maria Henriette Josepha of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen, daughter of Joseph William Ernest, Prince of Fürstenberg-Fürstenberg and his wife Countess Theresia Anna Maria Eleanore of Waldstein, on 21 September 1750 in Regensburg.[1][2] Alexander Ferdinand and Maria Henriette Josepha had seven children:[1][2]

∞ 20 August 1780 Ferdinand, Count of Ahlefeldt-Langeland
∞ 4 November 1790 Karl Joseph, Landgrave of Fürstenberg (26 June 1760-25 March 1799)
∞ Joseph, Baron of Lasaberg (died 15 March 1855)
∞ 6 June 1791 Princess Eleonore of Lobkowicz (22 April 1770-9 November 1834)
from this marriage the Czech branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis descends

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Styles of
Alexander Ferdinand, Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Reference style His Serene Highness
Spoken style Your Serene Highness
Alternative style Sir

Titles and styles

Honours

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Darryl Lundy (7 Jan 2009). "Alexander Ferdinand Prinz von Thurn und Taxis". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 2009-12-12. External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Paul Theroff. "THURN und TAXIS". Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site. Retrieved 2009-12-12.

External links

Media related to Alexander Ferdinand, Prince of Thurn and Taxis at Wikimedia Commons

Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Cadet branch of the House of Tassis
Born: 21 March 1704 Died: 17 March 1773
German nobility
Preceded by
Anselm Franz
Prince of Thurn and Taxis
8 November 1739 – 17 March 1773
Succeeded by
Karl Anselm
Postal offices
Preceded by
Anselm Franz
Postmaster General of the Holy Roman Empire
8 November 1739 – 17 March 1773
Succeeded by
Karl Anselm
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