Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg
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.
Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 November 1875 Kemberg, Saxony-Anhalt, German Empire |
| Died | 10 November 1944 (aged 68) Plötzensee Prison, Berlin, Nazi Germany |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
| Spouse | Elisabeth von Sobbe (1908–1910) |
| Children | Christa-Wernfriedis von der Schulenburg |
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.