Carl Helmke

Carl Helmke (1811 - 1885) was a German politician and military officer. He was the father of Elric Helmke. He is moslty known for his participation in the Donnersmarck Plot and his dishonorable discharge from the army during the Moroccan Barbary War in 1860. During his political career, he was a member of the Reactionary Faction, the Freikonservative Partei and the Preussische Vaterlandspartei.

Early life
Born some days before the Treaty of Paris, he was the son of a Prussian military officer. He joined the Prussian Staff College to pursue the path of his father. He later joined the Army and was an avid supporter of absolute monarchy. He was also known among his friends for taking bold risks. His specialty was with horses.

Political career
He was given the rank of Oberleutnant upon joining the army. In the 1835 elections, he stood for the Reactionary Faction and was elected into the Landtag. In 1838, he was briefly arrested for his involvement in the Donnersmarck Plot, but was acquitted when it became clear he was under the impression of following orders and thus unaware that a crime was being committed. He was the only man with proven connections to the plot to have not been imprisoned or executed. After the trials which came to be known as Donnersmarck trials, he swore to never have a private dinner inside someone’s house during unofficial meetings. In 1840 his son, Elric Helmke, was born. In 1848, he became a member of the FkP, but left during the reactionary split in 1855 and joined the PVP. In 1855, he was briefly appointed as Minister of the Royal House.

Military career
In 1857, he was promoted to Generalmajor and assumed control over the I. Kolonial Korps. He was shipped out to Grand-Bassam in the German Ivory Coast and led the war effort against Warri in 1858. However, during the Moroccan Barbary War from 1859 to 1860, Helmke left his troops behind to lead a scouting mission in Rabat. After this was reported to Berlin by Karl Jürgen Krieger, Carl Helmke was courtmartialled for negligence of duty and unauthorized removal and was dishonorly discharged from the army. Shortly thereafter, he was kicked from the PVP. Carl spent the rest of his days out of the public eye. He died in 1885 as a result of a mysterious disease, shortly after having heard the news of his son's victories over the Soviets.