Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

For other people named Karl Alexander, see Karl Alexander (disambiguation).
Karl Alexander
Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis
Period 13 November 1805 – 15 July 1827
Predecessor Karl Anselm
Successor Maximilian Karl
Born (1770-02-22)22 February 1770
Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire
Died 15 July 1827(1827-07-15) (aged 57)
Schloss Taxis, Dischingen, Kingdom of Württemberg
Burial St. Emmeram's Abbey
Spouse Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Issue Princess Charlotte Luise
Prince Georg Karl
Maria Theresia, Princess Esterházy of Galántha
Princess Luise Friederike
Maria Sophia, Duchess Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg
Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm
Full name
German: Karl Alexander
House Thurn and Taxis
Father Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Mother Duchess Auguste of Württemberg
Religion Roman Catholic

Karl Alexander of Thurn and Taxis,[1][2] full German name: Karl Alexander Fürst von Thurn und Taxis[1][2] (22 February 1770, Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire,[1][2] 15 July 1827, Schloss Taxis, Dischingen, Kingdom of Württemberg[1][2]) was the fifth Prince of Thurn and Taxis, head of the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post, and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 13 November 1805 until his death on 15 July 1827.[1] With the death of his father on 13 November 1805, he became nominal Generalpostmeister of the Imperial Reichspost until the resignation of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Early life

Karl Alexander studied at the Universities of Strasbourg, Würzburg, and Mainz and then subsequently went on a European tour. In 1797, he was appointed successor to his ailing father's position as Prinzipalkommissar at the Perpetual Imperial Diet in Regensburg. Karl Alexander also worked for the Thurn and Taxis postal empire, operating during a decline due to the gradual loss of territory as a result of the Napoleonic Wars.

Marriage and family

Karl Alexander married Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, fourth eldest child and third eldest daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and his wife Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, on 25 May 1789 in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[1][2] Karl Alexander and Therese had seven children:[1][2]

Continuation of the post

Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

After the end of the Holy Roman Empire, the Thurn and Taxis postal system continued to survive as a private company. Since 1806, Karl Alexander headed a private postal company, the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post. It existed first as a feud of some of the Confederation of the Rhine members, such as Baden, Bavaria, and Württemberg. Bavaria, however, nationalized the postal system two years later. After the Congress of Vienna, Karl Alexander took over the Hessian and Thuringian postal services, as well as those in the Hanseatic League cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck, and Schaffhausen. From 1820, the company began to prosper again, so Karl Alexander began to acquire large amounts of land holdings.

Acquisition of new land

According to the Confederation of the Rhine Act, agreed upon between Napoleon I of France and the Confederation of the Rhine princes, the Principality of Thurn and Taxis lost its independence and was mediatised in 1806. Since then, the Princes of Thurn and Taxis and hence Karl Alexander, depending on the territory, were subjects of either the King of Württemberg, or the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. In return, the House of Thurn and Taxis received the Imperial Abbey of St. Emmeram and associated territories in Regensburg. Karl Alexander also received as the family head of the House of Thurn and Taxis, Prussian possessions in the Grand Duchy of Poland. In 1822/23, he bought from the Count Kinsky and others the Burg Richenburg in Bohemia.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Styles of
Karl Alexander, 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 Darryl Lundy (16 Dec 2008). "Karl Alexander 5th Fürst von Thurn und Taxis". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Paul Theroff. "THURN und TAXIS". Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site. Retrieved 2009-06-23.

External links

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

Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Cadet branch of the House of Tassis
Born: 22 February 1770 Died: 15 July 1827
German nobility
Preceded by
Karl Anselm		 Prince of Thurn and Taxis
13 November 1805 – 15 July 1827 		Succeeded by
Maximilian Karl
Postal offices
Preceded by
Karl Anselm as Postmaster General of the Holy Roman Empire		 Postmaster General of the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post
1806 – 15 July 1827 		Succeeded by
Maximilian Karl
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