Prince Karl of Auersperg

He was the eldest son of Wilhelm II of Auersperg (1782–1827) and, his second wife, Friederike Luise Wilhelmine Henriette von Lenthe. His paternal grandparents were Wilhelm I of Auersperg and Leopoldine von Waldstein-Wartenberg. His maternal grandparents were Carl Levin Otto von Lenthe and Henriette Friederike Wilhelmine Sophie Bennigsen von Banteln (a daughter of Count Levin August von Bennigsen). The 8th Prince of Auersperg, Karl Wilhem, was heir to one of the most prominent princely families of the Holy Roman Empire, whose Imperial Estate was mediatized in the Austrian Empire following the German Mediatisation of the post-revolutionary era. He became head of the princely House at the age of thirteen on the death of his father, Wilhelm II, in 1827. == Career ==

As a member of the German-Liberal Party, Karl represented the landed nobility in the Bohemian Landtag (provincial assembly) during the 1840s and took a conspicuous part in defending the constitutional system against Prince Metternich's Vormärz regime, which was becoming increasingly unpopular throughout the Austrian Empire and ultimately culminated in the German revolutions of 1848–1849. In the following decade, after the resignation of Metternich as first minister and the abdication of Emperor Ferdinand I in favour of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Karl remained largely absent from public life. Constitutional era On the advent of the new constitutional era in 1861, Franz Joseph I established a bicameral Imperial Council in the Austrian Empire and appointed Karl as the first President of the House of Lords. Karl became the longest serving president over his three terms in office (1861–1867, 1896–1870, 1871–1879). In 1861 Karl also rejoined the Bohemian Landtag where he served intermittently as Oberstlandmarschall (supreme provincial marshal) of Bohemia and as chairman of the Landesausschuss (state committee) until 1883. After his retirement, Karl worked as a zealous supporter of the policies of his brother, Prince Adolf of Auersperg, who served as Prime Minister of Austria from 1871 to 1879. ==Personal life==

Karl's central estates were Vlašim in Bohemia and Gottschee in Carniola, while his primary seat in Austria was in Upper Austria. His residence in Prague was the Auersperg Palace (), an early Baroque building opposite Wallenstein Palace in Malá Strana. In 1904, the palace was bought from the Auersperg family by the Land Committee of the Kingdom of Bohemia and utilized by state authorities throughout the 20th century. Following the Velvet Revolution, it was integrated into the parliamentary seat of the Chamber of Deputies. In 1851, he married Countess Ernestine Festetics de Tolna, daughter of Count Ernő János Vilmos. As he died without issue, he was succeeded as Prince of Auersperg by his nephew, Karl, 9th Prince of Auersperg. == Honours ==

• Knight of the Golden Fleece, 1852 (Austrian Empire) • Grand Cross of St. Stephen, 1863 (Austrian Empire) == Gallery ==

File:CarlosAuersperg.jpg|Portrait File:Auersperg-Fuersten-Wappen.png|Coat of Arms of the Princely House of Auersperg File:Malá Strana Aueršperský palác 1.jpg|Auersperg Palace in Prag File:Vlašim (okres Benešov) (6.).jpg|Vlašim Castle File:Losensteinleithen Schloss.JPG|Schloss Losensteinleithen == See also ==