Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Prince Johannes
11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis
Period 26 April 1982 - 14 December 1990
Predecessor Prince Karl August
Successor Prince Albert II
Born (1926-06-05)5 June 1926
St. Emmeram's Palace, Regensburg, Bavaria, Weimar Republic
Died 14 December 1990(1990-12-14) (aged 64)
Munich, Germany
Burial Gruftkapelle, St. Emmeram's Palace, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
Spouse Countess Mariae Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau
(m. 1980; his death 1990)
Issue Princess Maria Theresia
Princess Elisabeth
Prince Albert II, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Full name
German: Johannes Baptista de Jesus Maria Louis Miguel Friedrich Bonifazius Lamoral
House Thurn and Taxis
Father Prince Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Mother Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal
Religion Roman Catholic

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]

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

National honours

Foreign honours

Ancestry

Sources

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

References

  1. ↑ Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain. Clearfield, 2002, Baltimore, US. p. 516. ISBN 0-8063-5172-1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 "The Conversion of Gloria TNT". Colacello, Bob. Vanity Fair (magazine). June 2006. retrieved 26 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Gloria in Extremis, Horacio Silva, New York Times Style Magazine, 6 December 2008
  6. ↑ http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/06/princesstnt200606
  7. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller. Mann für Mann. page 689
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alamy, Orders shown at Johannes funeral
  9. 1 2 RoyaltyGuide, Johannes seen wearing the Necklet and medal
  10. ↑ http://imagecollect.com/picture/prince-photo-2254969/archival-pictures-globe-photos-49698
  11. ↑ seen wearing the sash and star of the order
  12. ↑ http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwCYQz2eY-I/VBs16zzsIpI/AAAAAAAAOKY/xtBji0ymeU4/s1600/Scan0040.jpg
  13. ↑ wearing the Grand Cross' star on his stomach
  14. ↑ Royal Magazin
  15. ↑ http://c8.alamy.com/comp/CPW6HX/thurn-taxis-johannes-prince-of-561920-14121990-german-businessman-CPW6HX.jpg
  16. ↑ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/412712753323873814/
  17. ↑ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uWBHkd4c3U/UIBnJftxRpI/AAAAAAAAIJ4/GQbD7kZ7ZHE/s1600/28s4gmr.jpg

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

Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Cadet branch of the House of Tassis
Born: 5 June 1926 Died: 14 December 1990
German nobility
Preceded by
Karl August		 Prince of Thurn and Taxis
26 April 1982 – 14 December 1990 		Succeeded by
Albert II
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