Eugen Alexander Franz, Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Eugen Alexander Franz Fürst von Thurn und Taxis was the first Prince of Thurn and Taxis, of the Imperial Reichspost, and Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis from 13 September 1676 until his death.
Background
Eugen Alexander Franz was the second son of Lamoral II Claudius Franz, Count of Thurn and Taxis and his wife Countess Anna Franziska Eugenia of Horn. After the death of his father, Eugen Alexander Franz succeeded to the positions of of the Imperial Reichspost and the Spanish Netherlands.
Career
The date of his birth is unknown, but Eugen Alexander Franz was baptised on 11 January 1652 in Brussels. In 1681, the last Habsburg King of Spain Charles II appointed Eugen Alexander Franz from a count to a prince, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor made him an Imperial prince in 1695. After the French occupation of the Spanish Netherlands during the War of the Spanish Succession, the new Spanish King Philip V, grandson of Louis XIV of France, deposed Eugen Alexander Franz as Post Master General of the Spanish Netherlands.
In 1702, he moved his postal system"s headquarters from Brussels to Frankfurt am Main where it originated.
Titles and styles 11 January 1652 – 13 September 1676: His Serene Highness The Hereditary Count of Thurn and Taxis 13 September 1676–1695: His Serene Highness The Count of Thurn and Taxis 1695 – 21 February 1714: His Serene Highness The Prince of Thurn and Taxis Honours.