Johannes von Thurn and Taxis
Johannes | |||||
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Prince of Thurn and Taxis | |||||
![]() Johannes in 1981. | |||||
Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis | |||||
Period | 26 April 1982 – 14 December 1990 | ||||
Predecessor | Karl August | ||||
Successor | Albert II | ||||
Born | Schloss Höfling, Regensburg, Bavaria, Weimar Republic | 5 June 1926||||
Died | 14 December 1990 Munich, Germany | (aged 64)||||
Burial | Gruftkapelle, St. Emmeram's Palace, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | Princess Maria Theresia Princess Elisabeth Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis | ||||
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House | Thurn and Taxis | ||||
Father | Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis | ||||
Mother | Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholic |
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 from 1982 until his death.[1][2][3]
Early life
Johannes was born at Schloss Höfling 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
In the 1970s Johannes threw avant-garde parties and, because he was bisexual,[4][5] he was often seen in gay discos.[6] 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,[2] 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.[7] The couple had three children:[2]
- 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.[8][9] 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.[7]
Honours
Dynastic honours
Dynastic orders of non-reigning families:
- House of Thurn und Taxis: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Parfaite Amitié[10][11]
- Saxon Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Rue Crown[10][12][13]
- Portuguese Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa[10][14]
- Russian Imperial Family: Knight Grand Cordon of the Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus[10][15][16]
National and foreign honours
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[10][17]
- Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 3rd First Class[10][11][18][19]
Ancestry
Sources
Styles of Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis | |
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![]() | |
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
- ^ Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain. Clearfield, 2002, Baltimore, US. p. 516. ISBN 0-8063-5172-1.
- ^ a b c d Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels: Furstliche Hauser Band XIX. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag. 2011. pp. 365, 367, 369, 382–383, 385–386. ISBN 978-3-7980-0849-6.
- ^ In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution. Styles such as majesty and highness were not retained. Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gloria in Extremis, Horacio Silva, New York Times Style Magazine, 6 December 2008
- ^ "The Conversion of Gloria TNT".
- ^ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller. Mann für Mann. page 689
- ^ a b "The Conversion of Gloria TNT". Colacello, Bob. Vanity Fair (magazine). June 2006. retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ Tutzing, Jana Stegemann (14 September 2014). "Hochzeits-Ausflug in die Provinz" – via Sueddeutsche.de.
- ^ "Hochzeit im Hause Thurn und Taxis - Maria Theresia heiratet Hugo Wilson". 13 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Alamy, Orders shown at Johannes funeral
- ^ a b RoyaltyGuide, Johannes seen wearing the Necklet and medal
- ^ seen wearing the sash and star of the order
- ^ http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwCYQz2eY-I/VBs16zzsIpI/AAAAAAAAOKY/xtBji0ymeU4/s1600/Scan0040.jpg
- ^ wearing the Grand Cross' star on his stomach
- ^ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/412712753323873814/
- ^ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uWBHkd4c3U/UIBnJftxRpI/AAAAAAAAIJ4/GQbD7kZ7ZHE/s1600/28s4gmr.jpg
- ^ "Celebrity Pictures and Stock Photos | ImageCollect".
- ^ Royal Magazin
- ^ http://c8.alamy.com/comp/CPW6HX/thurn-taxis-johannes-prince-of-561920-14121990-german-businessman-CPW6HX.jpg
External links
Media related to Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis at Wikimedia Commons
- 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
- LGBT businesspeople from Germany
- 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