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{{short description|German diplomat}}
{{Infobox person
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
|name = Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg
{{Infobox officeholder
|image = Friedrich-Werner Erdmann Matthias Johann Bernhard Erich Graf von der Schulenburg.jpg
| name = Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg
|caption =
| image = Friedrich-Werner Erdmann Matthias Johann Bernhard Erich Graf von der Schulenburg.jpg
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1875|11|20|df=y}}
| caption =
|birth_place = ], ]
| office = ]
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1944|11|10|1875|11|20|df=y}}
| term_start = 1934
|death_place = ], ]
| term_end = 22 June 1941
|party =
| 1blankname = Führer
|spouse = Elisabeth von Sobbe (1908 - 1910)
| 1namedata = ]
|children = Christa-Wernfriedis von der Schulenburg
| predecessor = ]
|religion = ]
| successor = ''Relations severed''<br/>] (1956)
|other_names =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1875|11|20|df=y}}
|known_for =
| birth_place = ], ], ]
|occupation = Diplomat
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1944|11|10|1875|11|20|df=y}}
|nationality = German
| death_place = ], ], ]
| death_cause = ]
| party = ]
| spouse = Elisabeth von Sobbe (1908–1910)
| children = Christa-Wernfriedis von der Schulenburg
| other_names =
| known_for =
| occupation = ]
}} }}


'''Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg''' (20 November 1875 – 10 November 1944) was a German diplomat who served as the last German ambassador to the Soviet Union before ]. He began his ] career before ], serving as ] and ] in several countries. After the failed ] in 1944, Schulenburg was accused of being a co-conspirator and subsequently executed. '''Friedrich-Werner Erdmann Matthias Johann Bernhard Erich Graf<ref>{{German title Graf}}</ref> von der Schulenburg''' (20 November 1875 – 10 November 1944) was a German ] who served as the last German ] to the ] before ], the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, during ]. He began his ] career before ], serving as ] and ambassador in several countries.


After a prolonged conflict with the Nazi regime, he turned against the main ] and joined the conspiracy against ]. After the failed ] in 1944 to assassinate Hitler, Schulenburg was accused of being a co-conspirator and five months later executed.
==Diplomatic career==
]. ''Envoy F.W. GRAF SCHULENBURG. 1926*1930*1931'']]


He was a Knight of Justice of the ], which was regarded with disfavour by the Nazis.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Knights of Saint John in Germany |work=GREAT ORDERS OF CHIVALRY |url=http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/stjohn/johanger.htm |access-date=21 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930030139/http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/stjohn/johanger.htm |archive-date=30 September 2013 }}</ref>
Schulenburg was born in ], ] to Graf<ref>{{German title|Graf}}</ref> Bernhard von der Schulenburg. He studied law in ], ] and Berlin after a one-year stint in the military. In 1901, he joined the ]'s consular service as a junior lawyer (''Assessor''). By 1903, he was already the ] at Germany's ] in ], and in the years that followed, he found himself working at consulates in ], ], ] and ]. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, von der Schulenburg returned to the military, and after the ] was promoted to captain in October 1914 and put in charge of an ] battery. In 1915, he went as German liaison officer to the ] on the ]n Front. In 1916, he took over leadership of the ] in the struggle with ], until its collapse in 1917. During his time in the military, he received the ] and some high ] honours. After the German Empire's collapse, he was captured by the ] and interned on the Turkish island of Prinkipo (now called ]), returning to Germany in 1919. Von der Schulenburg returned to the Foreign Office Service and became consul in ].


== Diplomatic career ==
Baron Schulenburg served as the German ambassador to ]/] from 1922 to 1931 (when his visit to the ancient monuments at ] resulted in his engraving of his name at the ] seen in a photo in here. From 1931 to 1934 he served as the German ambassador to ]/] before being sent to ] as the last German envoy to the ] before the invasion of that country by Germany.
]. ''Envoy F.W. GRAF SCHULENBURG. 1926*1930*1931'']]


Schulenburg was born in ], in the ] ], to ] Bernhard Friedrich Wilhelm von der Schulenburg, he was from the ] ], which was part of the ] (or old nobility). Friedrich-Werner was distantly related to the 17th-Century ] ] ] ] and was a cousin to ]. After one year serving in the army, he studied law in ], ], and Berlin, and in 1901 joined the ]'s consular service as a junior ] (''Assessor''). By 1903, he had been appointed as ] at Germany's ] in ], and in the years that followed he found himself working at consulates in ], ], ], and ]. With the outbreak of the ] in 1914, Schulenburg returned to the military, and after the ] was promoted to captain in October 1914 and put in charge of an ] battery. In 1915, he was posted as German liaison officer to the ] on the ]n Front. In October 1915, he arrived in Erzurum and succeed ] as the German Vice Consul.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Kaiser|first=Hilmar|title=Armenian genocide and the Shoah|date=2002|publisher=Chronos|isbn=978-3-0340-0561-6|editor-last=Kieser|editor-first=Hans-Lukas|pages=144|language=en|editor-last2=Schaller|editor-first2=Dominik J.}}</ref> In 1916, he took over the command of the ] in the struggle against the ] until its collapse in 1917. During his time in the military, he received the ] and some high ] honours. After the German Empire's collapse, he was captured by the ] and interned on the Mediterranean island of Prinkipo (now called ]). He returned to Germany in 1919. Schulenburg was then reinstated in the Foreign Office Service and became German consul in ].
==Noble estate==
]
In the 1930s, von der Schulenburg acquired the ''Burg Falkenberg'', a castle in the ]. He had it converted and renovated to serve as a ]. This monumental work was undertaken between 1936 and 1939.


Schulenburg served as the German ambassador to ] from 1922 until 1931, when his visit to the ancient monuments at ] resulted in his name being engraved at the ]. He joined the ] in 1934. From 1931 to 1934, he served as the German ambassador to ] before he was posted to ] as the last German envoy to the ] before the invasion of that country by Germany in 1941.
==Resistance activities==
After World War I, von der Schulenburg got his diplomatic career going again, becoming, among other things, an ] to ] and ]. In 1934, he was appointed German ambassador to the ]. Von der Schulenburg favoured an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union, and was instrumental in bringing about the August 1939 ]. After the ], despite the ], he used his position as the most senior ambassador in Moscow to allow Polish diplomats (including ambassador ]) to leave the Soviet Union, when the Soviets tried to arrest them. To the last, he tried to thwart the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941 through means such as hinting at the country's military strength and the unassailability of its industrial reserves. He is as having said to ] on the morning of the German attack on the Soviet Union: "For the last six years I've personally tried to do everything I could to encourage friendship between the Soviet Union and Germany. But you can't stand in the way of destiny."


== Noble estate ==
After the aggression began on 22 June 1941, von der Schulenburg was interned for a few weeks, and transferred to the Soviet-Turkish border. Thereafter, von der Schulenburg was assigned leader of the Russia Committee, a Foreign Office post with no political influence that neutralized him. Later he would make his influence felt in the military opposition, to reach a quick peace agreement in the east. He was ready and willing to negotiate even with ] in the plotters' names. In the plans for the overthrow, Friedrich-Werner von der Schulenburg was tentatively foreseen as the new foreign minister.
]
In the 1930s, Schulenburg acquired the ''Burg Falkenberg'', a castle in the ]. He had it converted and renovated to serve as a home for his retirement. This monumental work was undertaken between 1936 and 1939.


== Resistance activities ==
After the failure of the ] on 20 July 1944, he was arrested and charged with ]. On 23 October 1944, the '']'' ("People's Court") sentenced him to death. He was hanged on 10 November 1944 at ] Prison in Berlin.
After the First World War, Schulenburg got his diplomatic career going again, becoming, among other things, an ] to ] and ]. In 1934, he was appointed German ambassador to the ]. Schulenburg favoured an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union, and was instrumental in bringing about the ] of August 1939. After the ], despite the ], he used his position as the most senior ambassador in Moscow to allow Polish diplomats (including ambassador ]) to leave the Soviet Union, when the Soviets tried to arrest them.


Schulenburg was kept in the dark about Germany's planned invasion of the Soviet Union. He knew for certain that the invasion would take place only a few hours before it was launched, when Foreign Minister ] cabled him a message to read to Soviet Foreign Minister ] justifying the invasion. He, however, got suspicions of what his government was planning to do in the spring of 1941. To the last, he tried to thwart any talk of invasion by such means as hinting at the Soviet Union's military strength and the unassailability of its industrial reserves. He is quoted as having said to Molotov on the morning of the attack: "For the last six years I've personally tried to do everything I could to encourage friendship between the Soviet Union and Germany. But you can't stand in the way of destiny."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113044954/http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/episode-1/ep1_stalin_ignores_warnings.html |date=13 November 2012 }} at pbs.org</ref> A few weeks before the invasion, Schulenburg tried to warn the Soviet Ambassador to Germany ] of his suspicions, but Dekanozov dismissed the evidence of military preparations as false ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=BEEVOR.|first=ANTONY|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1237525231|title=STALINGRAD|date=2021|publisher=LITERA MEDIA GROUP|isbn=978-606-33-7148-6|oclc=1237525231}}</ref>
==Marriage==
He married from 1908 to 1910 Elisabeth von Sobbe (], 14 March 1875 - ], 6 July 1955), and had an only daughter:
*Christa-Wernfriedis Hanna Margarete Engelberta Gräfin von der Schulenburg (], 29 December 1908 - ?), married to Max Wolfgang, Freiherr von Lindenfels (], 12 July 1908 - ], 28 November 1982)


After the German invasion began on 22 June 1941, Schulenburg was interned by the Soviets for a few weeks and was transferred to the Soviet-Turkish border for repatriation. Thereafter, Schulenburg was assigned as leader of the Russia Committee, a Foreign Office post with no political influence, to neutralize him.
==See also==
*]
*]
*]


He later joined the conspiracy to overthrow Hitler in the hope of reaching a quick peace agreement in the east. He was ready and willing to negotiate even with ] on behalf of the plotters. Had they been successful in overthrowing Hitler, Schulenburg would have been a high-ranking official in the Foreign Office; some sources had him listed as foreign minister.
==Notes==
After the failure of the ] on 20 July 1944, Schulenburg was arrested and charged with ]. On 23 October 1944, the '']'' ("People's Court") sentenced him to death, and he was hanged on 10 November 1944 at ] in Berlin.

== Marriage ==
He married from 1908 to 1910 Elisabeth von Sobbe (], 1875–1955), and had a daughter:
*Christa-Wernfriedis Hanna Margarete Engelberta Gräfin von der Schulenburg (1908–1993), married to Max Wolfgang, Freiherr von Lindenfels (1908–1982)

== See also ==
*]
*]
*]

== References ==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


*] "Two German Ambassadors: Dirksen and Schulenburg" pages 477–511 from ''The Diplomats 1919–1939'' edited by ] and ], Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1953.
==References==
*] "Two German Ambassadors: Dirksen and Schulenburg" pages 477-511 from ''The Diplomats 1919-1939'' edited by ] and ], Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1953.


==External links== == External links ==
{{commons category|Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg}} {{Commons category|Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg}}
*{{DNB portal|118999036|TYP=}} *{{DNB portal|118999036|TYP=}}
* *
* *


{{s-start}} {{s-start}}
{{s-dip}} {{s-dip}}
{{succession box {{succession box
| title = German Ambassador to Soviet Union | title = German Ambassador to Soviet Union
| years = 1934-1941 | years = 1934–1941
| before = Rudolf Nadolny | before = ]
| after = | after = no replacement
}} }}
{{s-end}} {{s-end}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=45102228}} {{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME = Schulenberg, Friedrich Werner von der
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = German diplomat
| DATE OF BIRTH = 20 November 1875
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ]
| DATE OF DEATH = 10 November 1944
| PLACE OF DEATH = ], ]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulenberg, Friedrich Werner von der}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Schulenberg, Friedrich Werner von der}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
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] ]
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Latest revision as of 05:03, 30 July 2024

German diplomat

Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg
German ambassador to the Soviet Union
In office
1934 – 22 June 1941
FührerAdolf Hitler
Preceded byRudolf Nadolny
Succeeded byRelations severed
Wilhelm Haas (1956)
Personal details
Born(1875-11-20)20 November 1875
Kemberg, Saxony-Anhalt, German Empire
Died10 November 1944(1944-11-10) (aged 68)
Plötzensee Prison, Berlin, Nazi Germany
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Political partyNazi Party
SpouseElisabeth von Sobbe (1908–1910)
ChildrenChrista-Wernfriedis von der Schulenburg
OccupationDiplomat

Friedrich-Werner Erdmann Matthias Johann Bernhard Erich Graf von der Schulenburg (20 November 1875 – 10 November 1944) was a German diplomat who served as the last German ambassador to the Soviet Union before Operation Barbarossa, the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, during World War II. He began his diplomatic career before World War I, serving as consul and ambassador in several countries.

After a prolonged conflict with the Nazi regime, he turned against the main Nazi Party and joined the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. After the failed 20 July plot in 1944 to assassinate Hitler, Schulenburg was accused of being a co-conspirator and five months later executed.

He was a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John, which was regarded with disfavour by the Nazis.

Diplomatic career

Inscription on the ancient statue at the entrance of Persepolis. Envoy F.W. GRAF SCHULENBURG. 1926*1930*1931

Schulenburg was born in Kemberg, in the Prussian Province of Saxony, to Count Bernhard Friedrich Wilhelm von der Schulenburg, he was from the Brandenburgish House of Schulenburg, which was part of the Uradel (or old nobility). Friedrich-Werner was distantly related to the 17th-Century Saxon Generalfeldmarschall Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg and was a cousin to Friedrich Graf von der Schulenburg. After one year serving in the army, he studied law in Lausanne, Munich, and Berlin, and in 1901 joined the Foreign Office's consular service as a junior civil servant (Assessor). By 1903, he had been appointed as vice-consul at Germany's consulate general in Barcelona, and in the years that followed he found himself working at consulates in Lemberg, Prague, Warsaw, and Tbilisi. With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Schulenburg returned to the military, and after the First Battle of the Marne was promoted to captain in October 1914 and put in charge of an artillery battery. In 1915, he was posted as German liaison officer to the Ottoman Army on the Armenian Front. In October 1915, he arrived in Erzurum and succeed Max Scheubner-Richter as the German Vice Consul. In 1916, he took over the command of the Georgian Legion in the struggle against the Russian Empire until its collapse in 1917. During his time in the military, he received the Iron Cross and some high Ottoman honours. After the German Empire's collapse, he was captured by the British and interned on the Mediterranean island of Prinkipo (now called Büyükada). He returned to Germany in 1919. Schulenburg was then reinstated in the Foreign Office Service and became German consul in Beirut.

Schulenburg served as the German ambassador to Iran from 1922 until 1931, when his visit to the ancient monuments at Persepolis resulted in his name being engraved at the Gate of All Nations. He joined the Nazi Party in 1934. From 1931 to 1934, he served as the German ambassador to Romania before he was posted to Moscow as the last German envoy to the Soviet Union before the invasion of that country by Germany in 1941.

Noble estate

Burg Falkenberg today

In the 1930s, Schulenburg acquired the Burg Falkenberg, a castle in the Upper Palatinate. He had it converted and renovated to serve as a home for his retirement. This monumental work was undertaken between 1936 and 1939.

Resistance activities

After the First World War, Schulenburg got his diplomatic career going again, becoming, among other things, an envoy to Tehran and Bucharest. In 1934, he was appointed German ambassador to the Soviet Union. Schulenburg favoured an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union, and was instrumental in bringing about the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 1939. After the Soviet invasion of Poland, despite the state of war between Germany and Poland, he used his position as the most senior ambassador in Moscow to allow Polish diplomats (including ambassador Wacław Grzybowski) to leave the Soviet Union, when the Soviets tried to arrest them.

Schulenburg was kept in the dark about Germany's planned invasion of the Soviet Union. He knew for certain that the invasion would take place only a few hours before it was launched, when Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop cabled him a message to read to Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov justifying the invasion. He, however, got suspicions of what his government was planning to do in the spring of 1941. To the last, he tried to thwart any talk of invasion by such means as hinting at the Soviet Union's military strength and the unassailability of its industrial reserves. He is quoted as having said to Molotov on the morning of the attack: "For the last six years I've personally tried to do everything I could to encourage friendship between the Soviet Union and Germany. But you can't stand in the way of destiny." A few weeks before the invasion, Schulenburg tried to warn the Soviet Ambassador to Germany Vladimir Dekanozov of his suspicions, but Dekanozov dismissed the evidence of military preparations as false British propaganda.

After the German invasion began on 22 June 1941, Schulenburg was interned by the Soviets for a few weeks and was transferred to the Soviet-Turkish border for repatriation. Thereafter, Schulenburg was assigned as leader of the Russia Committee, a Foreign Office post with no political influence, to neutralize him.

He later joined the conspiracy to overthrow Hitler in the hope of reaching a quick peace agreement in the east. He was ready and willing to negotiate even with Joseph Stalin on behalf of the plotters. Had they been successful in overthrowing Hitler, Schulenburg would have been a high-ranking official in the Foreign Office; some sources had him listed as foreign minister. After the failure of the attempt on Hitler's life on 20 July 1944, Schulenburg was arrested and charged with high treason. On 23 October 1944, the Volksgerichtshof ("People's Court") sentenced him to death, and he was hanged on 10 November 1944 at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin.

Marriage

He married from 1908 to 1910 Elisabeth von Sobbe (Burg bei Magdeburg, 1875–1955), and had a daughter:

  • Christa-Wernfriedis Hanna Margarete Engelberta Gräfin von der Schulenburg (1908–1993), married to Max Wolfgang, Freiherr von Lindenfels (1908–1982)

See also

References

  1. Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as 'Count', not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
  2. "The Knights of Saint John in Germany". GREAT ORDERS OF CHIVALRY. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  3. Kaiser, Hilmar (2002). Kieser, Hans-Lukas; Schaller, Dominik J. (eds.). Armenian genocide and the Shoah. Chronos. p. 144. ISBN 978-3-0340-0561-6.
  4. Stalin ignores warnings Archived 13 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine at pbs.org
  5. BEEVOR., ANTONY (2021). STALINGRAD. LITERA MEDIA GROUP. ISBN 978-606-33-7148-6. OCLC 1237525231.
  • Schorske, Carl "Two German Ambassadors: Dirksen and Schulenburg" pages 477–511 from The Diplomats 1919–1939 edited by Gordon A. Craig and Felix Gilbert, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1953.

External links

Diplomatic posts
Preceded byRudolf Nadolny German Ambassador to Soviet Union
1934–1941 		Succeeded byno replacement
Categories: