Karl von Isenborn

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Karl, Prince von Isenborn (1836-1908) was a Braslander nobleman. He was the son of Prince Konrad von Isenborn, and the heir to his uncle, Prince Viktor III von Isenborn.

Born in 1836, he was not expected to become head of the House of Isenborn, as his uncle married that same year. However, that marriage was childless, so Karl was prepared from a very young age to assume the responsibilities of managing the vast Isenborn fortune. Karl's father died in 1850, leaving him as his uncle's only heir. He served in the Army with distinction and later studied Law at the University of Markund. His uncle wanted him to join the ranks of the Liberal Party, which he did reluctantly, as his real sympathies lay with the Conservatives. He was elected for Parliament in 1854, and served for twenty years.

In 1877 his uncle died, and Karl became Prince (Fürst) of Isenborn. The next year, he left the Liberal Party and joined the Conservatives. During his previous political career, he had been accused of being an agent of the latter party to undermine the Liberal Party's structure. This accusation is unfounded, as Karl did it only to please his uncle and ensure that his succession to the family headship would go smoothly and without problems. As a Conservative, he donated very generously to finance political campaigns.

He got married in 1862 to Princess Marie Valerie von Lorensberg. They had eight children: Elisabeth (b. 1863), Maria (1864-1866), Konrad (b. 1866), Pauline (b. 1867), Ludwig (b. 1870), Ferdinand (1871-1891), Viktor (b. 1873) and Eloise (b. 1875).

Karl was a supporter of the 1891 coup d'etat by King Frederick IV. He believed it was the only way of restoring order in Brasland and put an end to the corrosive tensions between the Crown and Parliament. He in 1892 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, a position he held until 1900. At the end of his tenure, he was given the Order of St Nicholas, after which he considered his public life had ended, and retired to Schloss Isenborn, a neoclassic palace built by his grandfather near the ruins of Burg Isenborn.

He died in 1908, and was succeeded by his son Konrad.