Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Alexander Ferdinand von Thurn und Taxis ( born March 21, 1704 Frankfurt am Main, † March 17, 1773 in Regensburg ) was the third Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Generalerbpostmeister. In the period from 1743 to 1745 and from 1748 to his death he was the principal commissioner Perpetual Reichstag.

Life

Alexander Ferdinand was the eldest son of Prince Anselm Franz von Thurn und Taxis. After he was already prepared intensively at a young age on his later post as Generalerbpostmeister, he graduated from law school. In 1731 he married Margravine Sophie Christine Louise of Brandenburg- Bayreuth, a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia, who died in 1739. In 1745 he married Princess Charlotte Louise de Lorraine, Countess of Lambesc († 1747 ) and 1750 third wife Princess Maria Henriette Josepha of Fürstenberg - Stühlingen.

In the period from 1739 until his death he served as Generalerbpostmeister the Holy Roman Empire Head of the Imperial Imperial post, and the post- leased in the Austrian Netherlands.

After the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI. 1740 had died, Alexander Ferdinand set against the heiress Maria Theresa and instead supported, including financially, the choice of the Bavarian Elector Karl Albrecht Wittelsbach to the new Emperor Charles VII. According to the 1742 Kaiser made ​​choice of Charles VII, he moved with his an entourage of two postmasters, two postal managers, six Postoffizianten and two couriers to Mannheim contrary to escort him to the coronation city of Frankfurt am Main. After the relocation of the Perpetual Imperial Diet of Regensburg to Frankfurt and the resignation of Prizipalkommissars Joseph Wilhelm Ernst von Fürstenberg- Stühlingen struck him before the emperor in summer 1742 to take over the office. When the Viennese court learned of this, the governor of the Austrian Netherlands, where the Thurn and Taxis were 1725 tenant of Postgeneralat should it arrest, but this was averted by negotiations of the Mainz spiritual electors to the House of Habsburg.

Under Charles VII Ferdinand Alexander took over with decree of 1 February 1743 to the year 1745 for the first time the office of the principal Commissioner at Perpetual Reichstag. This office as deputy to the emperor at Perpetual Reichstag was very expensive and a contributory organization, as it was connected simultaneously with elaborate ceremonial duties. Although Charles VII could not repay the debt to Thurn and Taxis, but brought an action on July 2, 1744, the fief of Reichspostgeneralats to the throne fief.

After the sudden death of the Emperor Charles VII in January 1745 and the election of Maria Theresa's husband, Francis Stephen of Lorraine to Emperor Franz I. of Perpetual Diet of Frankfurt was shifted back to Regensburg, and Alexander Ferdinand lost his position. Only after extensive negotiations with the Viennese court and concessions in the area of ​​mail, such as to relocate the establishment of black cabinets for letter surveillance and commitment from Frankfurt to Regensburg, he was again appointed the principal commissioner on January 15, 1748 by Francis I.. For this reason, in the same year was the relocation of the residence of the Thurn and Taxis from Frankfurt to Regensburg.

With his solemn entry in Regensburg on March 1, 1748 began Alexander Ferdinand second term leadership as principal commissioner and deputy of the emperor at the Perpetual Diet. The Regensburg court life was markedly different from that in Frankfurt, by emphasizing his role as principal commissioner in particular. He was responsible for the scatter and amusements of the envoy to the Diet sessions, Galasoupers hosted, maintained its own Hofmusikkapelle and convened several musicians and composers to his court. He also maintained a court theater, in which especially the French comedy was maintained.

On May 30, 1754 Alexander Ferdinand von Thurn und Taxis was added in 1723 due to the acquired imperial rule Eglingen in the kingdom prince college, though he did not have a principality and a " prince without land " was in the sense of the old Lehnwesens by Wolfgang Behringer. For example, protested various estates of the Empire, when the emissary of the House of Thurn and Taxis gave his vote in polls in Perpetual Reichstag.

After his death in 1773, his son from his first marriage Karl Anselm, the Office of the Commissioner Generalerbpostmeisters and principal.

Progeny

From his first marriage

• Sophie Christine (1731-1731)
• Karl Anselm (1733-1805) ∞ 1 with Augusta Elisabeth Duchess of Württemberg, 2nd ( morganatic ) Elisabeth Hildebrand Train
• Luise Auguste Charlotte (1734-1735)
• Friedrich August (1736-1755)
• Ludwig Franz Karl Lamoraal Joseph (1737-1738)

From his third marriage

• Maria Theresia (1755-1810) ∞ Ferdinand Graf von Ahlefeld - Langeland - Rixingen
• Josephine (* 1759, died young )
• Henry Alexander (* 1762, died young )
• Maria Anna Josepha (1766-1805)
• Maria Elisabeth (1767-1822) ∞ 1 Karl Joseph Prince Alois von Furstenberg; 2 Joseph Freiherr von Lassberg
• Maximilian Joseph (1769-1831) ∞ Maria Eleonora Princess of Lobkowicz, founder of the Bohemian line and progenitor of the Italian Principi della Torre e Tasso, Dukes of Duino (since 1923)