Ralf Lütken

General Ralf Lütken (born 1950) is a senior Braslander Army officer.

Career

He grew up in the village of Obertamringen, in southwest Brasland. His father was a school teacher and his mother a housewife.

He joined the Army in 1971 and led a brilliant career. In 2006 he was promoted general, assuming as Deputy Chief of General Staff in the Royal Army, under General Alban Domenik's command. Lütken was known as a moderate who did not like to voice political opinions (unlike Domenik), but he and General Domenik had serious differences. He and Domenik agreed that the country was living a serious crisis politically, economically and socially, so they took extraordinary action in 2008 and deposed President Olav Palmerson, who had remained in power for ten years, dissolving Parliament and elections during the last six years.

General Domenik immediately showed his true colors and announced the creation of a nationalist state, associating himself with fascist groups. He proceeded to take control of the southern enclave dominated by the royalist forces. His troops easily defeated Larissa Henslen's rebels (she died during the confrontation), but Lütken took control of the situation and arrested Domenik, realizing he was leading the country to chaos. He immediately gathered the senior officers and obtained their loyalty, announceing that he would assume the interim leadership of the government and call for a plebiscite to decide the fate of Brasland, if it was going to remain as a republic or to restore the monarchy. In 2009 the people voted in favor of the monarchy, and General Lütken handed power to the new monarch, the young King George IV. He was praised for the smooth transition and granted a seat in the Crown Council.

In 2010 General Lütken was created Prince von Rüdenligg and Count von Lütken, with the style of Serene Highness (limited to the holder of the princely title). The comital title will pass to all his male line descendants, while the princely title is reserved for the head of the family. In an unprecedented move in more than 150 years, the King also granted him with a residence, Schloss Rüdenligg, and a large estate (ceded from his own private properties). Despite all these honours, he prefers to be called General Lütken.

Personal life

In 1977 he married Dorothea Supron. They had five children: Christiane (born 1978), Theodor (born 1980), Karl (born 1981), Lydia (born 1984) and Friedrich (born 1990).

Dorothea died in 2010, and in 2014 General Lütken remarried to Donata Hepp.