The title of the "first post company in the world" is widely attributed to the Thurn und Taxis family, who established a revolutionary, systematic, and cross-European postal service.
Here’s the story of how it was born:
The Roots: The Roman Cursus Publicus
Before the "post company," the Roman Empire had the Cursus Publicus (the "public way"). This was a state-run courier and transportation service for official government communications, not for the public. It collapsed with the Roman Empire, and for centuries, reliable long-distance communication in Europe was fragmented and unreliable.
The Birth of the Thurn und Taxis Postal System (15th Century)
The real breakthrough came from the House of Thurn und Taxis, a noble family from Bergamo (in modern-day Italy).
The Founders: The story begins with Francesco Tasso (later Germanized to Franz von Taxis) and his brother Janetto.
The Patron: In 1490, they were hired by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. However, the system truly took off under his son, Maximilian I.
The First Contract (1505): This is the pivotal moment. Franz von Taxis negotiated a formal contract with Philip the Handsome, son of Maximilian I. The contract stipulated that the Taxis family would establish a permanent postal relay network with fixed schedules to connect Maximilian I's vast territories (the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Spain).
The Revolutionary System: The Thurn und Taxis system wasn't just a few messengers; it was a true logistical network.
Relay Stations (Post Houses): They set up stations along major routes where fresh riders and horses were kept. A rider would carry the mail to the next station, hand it off to a fresh rider, and return to his home station. This was incredibly efficient and allowed mail to travel 24/7.
Fixed Schedules: For the first time, you could predict when a letter would arrive. The service was remarkably fast—a letter could travel from Brussels to Innsbruck (about 700 km / 435 miles) in just 5.5 days.
Open to the Public (for a fee): While initially for imperial and royal messages, a key to their success was that they also carried private mail for paying customers. This made it the first truly public postal service in Europe.
Why is Thurn und Taxis considered the "first"?
Permanence and Reliability: It was a continuous, organized network, not a one-off messenger.
Public Service: It was available to private citizens and merchants, fueling commerce and personal communication.
Business Model: It was run as a profitable enterprise under a contractual agreement with a state, a model that would be copied worldwide.
Scale: It eventually grew to cover most of Central Europe, becoming an essential infrastructure for the continent for over 400 years.
Other Important Early Examples
While Thurn und Taxis is the most famous "first," it's important to note other early systems:
Marco Polo's China: In the 13th century, the Yuan Dynasty under Kublai Khan had an extensive courier network with relay stations, which Marco Polo described with amazement. However, this was a state monopoly for official use, not a public company.
Ancient Persia: The Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE) had a royal road with mounted couriers, but again, this was solely for the state.
University Messengers: In medieval Paris and other university cities, so-called "private" postal systems were set up by students and monks to send messages home. These were small-scale and informal.
Summary
The first post company in the world was born out of a combination of royal need, entrepreneurial spirit, and logistical genius.
Who: The Thurn und Taxis family.
When: The key contract was signed in 1505.
How: By creating a contract with the Holy Roman Emperor to establish a permanent, reliable, relay-based postal network that was also open to the public for a fee.
This innovation laid the groundwork for every national postal service that followed, making Thurn und Taxis a legendary name in the history of communication.