Karel Lavrič

Karel Lavrič, also spelled Laurič or Lauritsch (1 November 1818 – 3 March 1876), was a Carniolan liberal politician and lawyer from the Austrian Littoral.

[1] Born Karel Edvard Lavrič to an upper-middle-class family in the southern Carniola town of Prem (now part of the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica), his father worked as an Austrian district judge.

During this period, he engaged in several successful projects to improve the position of the economically backward Karst region, including a large-scale afforestation program.

Influenced by the theories of Sismondi, Bluntschli and Karl von Rotteck, he believed in the need of connecting economic reformism with liberal political institutions in a decentralized state.

Following the example of Daniel O'Connell's monster meetings, Lavrič helped organizing mass public rallies in support of the program of United Slovenia.

His conservative opponents launched many attacks against his personality, ridiculing his idealism and exploiting his Protestant faith in an overwhelmingly and devoutly Roman Catholic constituency.

The split reached its climax in 1873, when the local Slovene nationalists failed to gain a seat in the Austrian Parliament due to their internal divisions.

His staunch liberalism and universalism gained him the respect of the Italian politicians in the region; one of their most radical leaders, Carlo Favetti, publicly praised Lavrič's patriotism and personal integrity, referring to him as the "Slovenian Garibaldi".