Karl von Wedel

Karl, Prince of Wedel (German: Karl Fürst von Wedel; 5 February 1842 – 30 December 1919), born Karl Leo Julius Graf von Wedel, was a Prussian general and diplomat who served as the fourth Imperial Lieutenant (German: Reichsstatthalter) of the Reichsland of Alsace–Lorraine from 27 October 1907 until his resignation on 18 April 1914.

Formerly a soldier in the Hanoverian Army, Wedel entered the service of the Prussian Army after Hanover's defeat in the Austro-Prussian War, subsequently rising through the ranks. In addition to his military roles, he also served in various governmental posts before eventually succeeding Prince Hermann zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg as Reichsstatthalter. Wedel inherited from his predecessor a province troubled by conflict between French and German nationalists and the question of its place in the empire, though his open-minded disposition did much to ingratiate himself towards the Alsatians. It was under his auspices that the Constitution of 1911—which granted semi-statehood to Alsace–Lorraine—was enacted.

Wedel was forced to resign following the Zabern Affair, the incident severely damaging relations between Alsace–Lorraine and the rest of the German states, as well as tarnishing the reputation of the Kaiser and, by extension, Prussian militarism. He continued to carry out his diplomatic duties until Germany's defeat in the First World War and the November Revolution, after which he retired with his wife to Stora Sundby Castle in Sweden, where he died the following year. He is remembered as a liberal ruler and conciliator in the same vein as Edwin von Manteuffel and Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst.