Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (5 June 1926 – 14 December 1990) was a German businessman and head of the
House of Thurn und Taxis
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (german: link=no, Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the '' Briefadel''. It was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the ...
from 1982 until his death.
[Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain. Clearfield, 2002, Baltimore, US. p. 516. .]
Early life
Johannes was born at
Schloss Höfling in
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
,
Germany, to
Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and
Infanta Maria Anna de Braganza.
He had two older sisters and one younger brother.
Marriage and family
In the 1970s Johannes threw
avant-garde parties and, because he was bisexual, he was often seen in gay discos. Before he was married, his "constant companion" was
Princess Henriette von Auersperg, later von Bohlen und Halbach.
On 31 May 1980 he married the much younger
Countess Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau (born 1960). The pair were fourth cousins twice removed, both descended from
Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The Schönburg-Glauchaus were a
mediatised branch of the
Schönburg dynasty of
counts, which still possessed large estates in Germany after World War I,
but became refugees in Africa under the Nazi regime and fell on hard times. The couple attracted massive media attention into the mid 1980s, with a ''
haut bohème'' lifestyle locating them among the
jet set and the 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.
The couple had three children:
* ''
Maria Theresia Ludowika Klothilde Helene Alexandra'' (born 28 November 1980 in Regensburg). On 13 September 2014, she married
Hugo Wilson, a British artist, in
Tutzing, Germany. They have two daughters.
** Mafalda Beatrix Maria Wilson (born 21 August 2015).
** Maya Romy Alexandra Wilson (born 22 September 2017).
* ''
Elisabeth Margarethe Maria Anna Beatriz'' (born 24 March 1982 in Regensburg).
* ''
Albert (II.) Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel'' (born 24 June 1983 in Regensburg).
Upon the death of his father in 1982, Johannes became the head of the Thurn and Taxis family. He died on 14 December 1990 after two unsuccessful
heart transplants within two days, in
Munich-
Großhadern. With a legacy of U.S. $500 million in debts, his widow was forced to simplify her way of life to master the fiscal responsibilities of probating his estate and securing what remained of her husband's fortune.
Honours
Dynastic honours
Dynastic orders of non-reigning families:
*
House of Thurn und Taxis
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (german: link=no, Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the '' Briefadel''. It was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the ...
: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of Parfaite Amitié
The Order of Parfaite Amitié (german: Orden de Parfaite Amitié; literally meaning the 'Order of Perfect Friendship') is a dynastic order of knighthood of the princely House of Thurn and Taxis.
History
The order was founded during the reign o ...
[Alamy]
Orders shown at Johannes funeral
/ref>
National and foreign honours
* Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Ancestry
Sources
* Wolfgang Behringer
Wolfgang Behringer (born 17 July 1956 in Munich) is a German historian specialising in the witchcraft beliefs of Early Modern Europe. He has worked at the University of Munich, University of York and the University of Bonn as well as published mul ...
. ''Thurn und Taxis: Die Geschichte ihrer Post und ihrer Unternehmen''. München/Zürich: 1990.
* Martin Dallmeier Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
and Martha Schad. ''Das Fürstliche Haus Thurn und Taxis, 300 Jahre Geschichte in Bildern''. Regensburg: 1996.
* Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller
Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller is a German historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events ...
. ''Mann für Mann''. page 689
References
External links
Thurn und Taxis family homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johannes Of Thurn And Taxis, Prince
1926 births
1990 deaths
Hereditary Princes of Thurn and Taxis
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Knights of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Knights of Malta
Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian)
LGBT royalty
20th-century German businesspeople
German LGBT businesspeople
German billionaires
German landowners
20th-century Christians
20th-century Roman Catholics
German Roman Catholics
LGBT Roman Catholics
German people of Portuguese descent
German people of Austrian descent
German people of Liechtenstein descent
German people of Hungarian descent
German people of French descent
German people of Spanish descent
German people of Italian descent
Burials at the Gruftkapelle, St. Emmeram's Abbey