Prince Konrad of Brasland

Prince Konrad of Brasland (1885-1948) was the son of Prince Simeon of Brasland.

As a child he was very religious, and his parents encouraged this. When he was 18, he entered into a seminary to become a priest. However, a scandal erupted in 1907 when he announced to his parents that he would leave the novitiate and marry a commoner girl, Maria Keissler, the daughter of a school teacher. Prince Simeon and Princess Annunciata were shocked and told their son that they would not approve the match. Konrad decided to go against his parents' wishes and made all the necessary dealings to leave his religious status. He and Maria left Brasland and settled in France, where they married in 1908. King Frederick IV stripped the prince from his titles, and he became 'Konrad Balkronn'. He worked as a theology teacher in Paris and the family lived with very limited means.

Konrad and Maria had five children: Robert (born 1909), Annunciata (born 1910; unmarried), Lazarus (born and died 1912), Sophie (born 1913) and Maria (1915-1936).

Back in Brasland, Konrad's older brother Robert died, leaving the family under deep sorrow. Princess Annunciata decided it was time to make amends with her youngest son, and started to help the couple financially. With the years, Prince Simeon also came to reconcile with Konrad, and he convinced the King to allow their son to return to Brasland. In 1914 the family finally came back to Markund, although they were not received at Court. It would be only in 1918, after Frederick IV's death, that Konrad was again received at the palace. His cousin, King Frederick V, who had been his childhood friend, granted him the title Count von Kulheim, which could be inherited by his male line descendants.

The family settled in Kulheim Castle, where Konrad managed his father's properties. When Prince Simeon died in 1926, he inherited the estate, where he lived until his death in 1948.