The most significant historical achievement of the Thurn und Taxis family is the organization of the imperial postal system. Franz von Taxis was the first to establish a well-organized courier service in Italy and at the turn of the 16th century laid the foundation for the development of an international postal system. A letter could be transported between Innsbruck and Brussels in 5½ days. In 1615, Emperor Mathias rewarded the services of the family by granting the position of imperial postmaster general as an hereditary right in the male line of succession. The 17th century marked a period of social advancement for the Thurn und Taxis. Within the century, the family rose from the status of imperial free baron (1608) to the status of hereditary imperial count (1624), and in 1695 under Emperor Leopold I, to imperial prince.

In 1748, Emperor Franz I named Prince Alexander Ferdinand as principal commissioner, the imperial representative at the Perpetual Diet in Regensburg. The Princes of Thurn und Taxis held this costly and prestigious position until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the emperor’s conditions was a move of the family residence from Frankfurt to Regensburg.