Karl Friedrich Justus Emil von Ibell

Carl Friedrich Justus Emil von Ibell (29 October 1780 – 6 October 1834) was a senior government official (Amtmann) who famously survived an assassination attempt in 1819,

Life

Family provenance The Ibell family had originated in France, but they were Protestants, and so following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 they left their homeland to build a new life in Germany. had worked on behalf of the Prince since 1772 with administrative responsibilities for Wehen and seven surrounding villages. His mother was born Christiane Dorothea Franziska Schmidt (1756-1823), the only daughter of Karl Ludwig Schmidt (1719-1756) who had, as a young man, been employed as a tutor at the court of Nassau-Usingen where his pupils had included Frederick Augustus, Duke of Nassau.

Early years Ibell was a delicate child, and for much of the time during his first nine years he was ill, after which his health improved, much to his parents' relief. Between 1793 and 1797 he attended the secondary school in nearby Idstein His "Schools Edict" of 24 March 1817, which reflected a lifelong commitment to education, provided a structure for basic schooling and made school attendance compulsory.

On 1 July 1819 President Ibell received a visit at his home from a 28-year-old pharmacist called Karl Löning. The measures were a long way from the liberal principles espoused by Ibell himself. The incident left Ibell deeply shaken and in 1820 he retired into private life. Ibell was quickly forced by his illness to return home to his home in Unterliederbach where he died a few weeks later.