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Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Frankfurt, 21 Mar 1704 – Regensburg, 1773

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 21 Mar 1704

    Born in Frankfurt

  2. 1731–1769

    12 children are born

  3. 1773

    Dies in Regensburg

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partners

Children · 12

During his lifetime

He lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Frankfurt.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1700s · Alexander is born in Frankfurt

In the news1709

Great famine after the 1709 winter

A severe winter caused the Bodensee to freeze completely, leading to widespread crop failures and famine across Europe.

Getting around

River Travel by Ordinari Boats

Water transport was often more cost-effective; for example, the Ordinari boat from Regensburg to Vienna took at least a week to cover about 450 kilometers. Passengers often spent their nights on land during these boat journeys.

At the table

Simple meals of porridge, soup, and stew

Ordinary families commonly consumed grain-based porridges and soups for breakfast and dinner, while a hearty stew served as the main midday meal. Meat was expensive, so many households reserved it for special occasions like a Sunday roast.

War of the Spanish Succession. Europe’s powers fought for thirteen years over who would inherit the Spanish throne; a Bourbon kept it, and Britain gained Gibraltar.In Europe · 1701–1714

War of the Spanish Succession. Europe’s powers fought for thirteen years over who would inherit the Spanish throne; a Bourbon kept it, and Britain gained Gibraltar.

DavidDijkgraaf · CC0

What people wore

Sumptuary Laws Against Opulent Clothing

Authorities issued sumptuary laws to maintain social hierarchy, often banning lower classes from wearing gold, silver, pearls, silk, or costly furs, with violators risking fines or imprisonment.

Music

High fines for unauthorized trumpet playing

In the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, musicians who performed with unauthorized trumpets or kettledrums at public fairs or taverns faced a fine of fifty Reichsthaler.

Daily life

Simple and Frugal Home Interiors

Homes often had low ceilings, whitewashed walls, and floors made of stone or brick that were covered in sand. Rooms were sparsely furnished, and houses frequently lacked clocks, making time-keeping and domestic life simple and frugal.