County of Thurn and Taxis | ||||||||
Grafschaft Thurn und Taxis | ||||||||
State of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||
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Capital | Regensburg | |||||||
Government | Principality | |||||||
Historical era |
Middle Ages Early modern period |
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• | Raised to Briefadel | 1512 | ||||||
• | Raised to Freiherren | 1608 | ||||||
• | Hereditary Imperial Postmaster General | 1615 |
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• | Raised to County | 1624 | ||||||
• | Granted princely rank (Spanish Court) | 1681 |
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• | Princely county | 1695 | ||||||
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Mediatised to Bavaria |
1806 | ||||||
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Postal monopoly nationalised |
1867 |
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Thurn and Taxis |
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Extended family
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The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (German: Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis; IPA: [ˈtuːɐ̯n ʊnt ˈtaksɪs]) 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 and became well known as the owner of breweries and builder of many castles. The current head of the house is HSH Albert II, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The family is one of the wealthiest in Germany and has resided at St. Emmeram Castle in Regensburg since 1748.
The Tasso family (from the Italian word for "badger") was a Lombard family in the area of Bergamo. The earliest records place them in Almenno in the Val Brembana around 1200 before they fled to the more distant village of Cornello to escape feuding between Bergamo's Guelf Colleoni and the Ghibelline Suardi families. Around 1290, after Milan had conquered Bergamo, Omodeo Tasso organized 32 of his relatives into the Company of Couriers (Compagnia dei Corrieri) and linked Milan with Venice and Rome. The recipient of royal and papal patronage, his post riders were so comparatively efficient that they became known as bergamaschi throughout Italy.