Princess Maria Sophia of Thurn and Taxis (4 March 1800, Regensburg – 20 December 1870, Regensburg) was a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis, a Princess of Thurn and Taxis by birth, a member of the House of Württemberg, and a Duchess of Württemberg through her marriage to Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg — a German naturalist and explorer.

Family

Maria Sophia was the fifth child and fourth daughter of Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and his wife, Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was a younger sister of Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Maria Theresia, Princess Esterházy of Galántha.

Marriage and issue

Maria Sophia married her second cousin Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg, the fifth and youngest child of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and his wife, Princess Luise of Stolberg-Gedern., on 17 April 1827 in Regensburg. Maria Sophia and Paul Wilhelm had one son: Maria Sophia and Paul Wilhelm divorced on 2 May 1835. Following her divorce, Maria Sophia acquired Württembergisches Palais and its adjacent Herzogspark in Regensburg. She made her residence at the Württembergisches Palais until her death.

Ancestry