Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis (5 June 1926 – 14 December 1990) was a German businessman and head of the immensely wealthy, formerly princely Thurn und Taxis family from 1982 until his death.^[1][2][3]

Early life

Johannes was born in Regensburg, Germany, to Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and Infanta Maria Anna de Braganza.^[2] He had two older sisters and one younger brother.

Marriage and family

The Thurn and Taxis family came to massive media attention during the late-1970s through mid-1980s when Johannes married the younger Countess Mariae Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau, a member of a mediatised comital dynasty which still possessed large estates in Germany after World War I,^[2] but became refugees in Africa under the Nazi regime and fell on hard times. The couple's haut bohème lifestyle located them among the jet set and Princess Gloria's over-the-top appearance (characterized by bright hair color and flashy clothes) prompted Vanity Fair to describe her as "Princess TNT, the dynamite socialite", a sobriquet that stayed with her a long time.^[4] In the 1970s Johannes threw avant-garde parties and, because he was bisexual,^[5][6] he was often seen in gay discos.^[7]

On 31 May 1980 Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis, married his 4th cousin twice removed, Countess Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau. They are both descended from Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. They had three children:^[2]

• Maria Theresia Ludowika Klothilde Helene Alexandra (* 28 November 1980 in Regensburg),
• Elisabeth Margarethe Maria Anna Beatriz (* 24 March 1982 in Regensburg),
• Albert (II.) Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel (* 24 June 1983 in Regensburg).

Upon the death of his father in 1982, Johannes became the head of the Thurn and Taxis family. On 14 December 1990 he died, after two heart transplants within 2 days, in Munich-Großhadern. He left U.S. $500 million in debts and his widow sobered her lifestyle to master the fiscal responsibilities of probating his estate and securing what remained of her sons' fortune.^[4]

Honours

Dynastic honour

• House of Thurn und Taxis: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Parfaite Amitié^[8][9]

National honours

•  Germany: Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany^[8][10]
  • Saxonian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Rue Crown^[8][11][12]

Foreign honours

• Portuguese Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa^[8][13]
•  Italy
  • Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 3rd First Class^{[8][9][14][15]}
• Russian Imperial Family: Knight Grand Cordon of the Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus^[8][16][17]

Ancestry

Sources

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

• Wolfgang Behringer. Thurn und Taxis: Die Geschichte ihrer Post und ihrer Unternehmen. München/Zürich: 1990. ISBN 3-492-03336-9
• Martin Dallmeier and Martha Schad. Das Fürstliche Haus Thurn und Taxis, 300 Jahre Geschichte in Bildern. Regensburg: 1996. ISBN 3-7917-1492-9
• Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller. Mann für Mann. page 689

References

External links

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

• Thurn und Taxis family homepage
• Bild:Im Bett mit Gloria