Prince Johannes of Brasland

Prince Johannes of Brasland (1780-1853) was the son of King Paul I.

He was educated by private tutors and later started training in the Royal Army. His military career was cut short after a scandal with the wife of an officer. Instead, he went to live to the countryside where he devoted his time to painting. He bought a residence, Lix Castle, in the northeastern coast of Brasland.

The prince was very close to his sister Caroline and to his aunt, Queen Sophie, who thought of him as the son she never had. He frequently visited her at her countryside retreat. When she died, he inherited a large part of her fortune.

Johannes was considered the bohemian and eccentric member of the royal family. He rarely visited Court and spent his time painting and travelling, making incognito visits to Sabaristan, New Chalcedon and Cyretopolitania. His residence was filled with exotic antiques and furnitures, which caused widespread curiosity. Many courtiers wanted to visit it but the prince never accepted them at his home.

In 1833 he met the lovely Baroness Olga de Halkany, a beautiful but lonely girl who was also a painter. They fell in love, and despite her relatively low rank, the marriage was approved. They had a daughter, Sophie Helena, who was born in 1836. Sadly, in 1839 Princess Olga had an accident that left her body paralyzed. Johannes took care of her for five years, until her death in 1844, which devastated him. He spent his remaining days taking care of his daughter.

Prince Johannes died in 1853 at Lix Castle.