Wilhelm Eduard Freiherr von Schoen (Schön) (3 June 1851 – 24 April 1933) was a German

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He was especially known as German

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

at the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and as

State Secretary for Foreign Affairs The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs ( sv, Kabinettssekreterare) is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. , Jan Knutsson is State Secretary.German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. As one of Germany's leading diplomats he was appointed as Ambassador to France. He recommended for any ultimatum to Serbia to be supported in Vienna by the 'localization' of any possible conflict in the Balkans. Germany was determined to maintain the Teutonic alliance of the Central Powers at all costs and did not want an all out war. The assurance that Britain would stand by Russia and France, however, lent real fear to German foreign policy that Russian policy in the Balkans would immediately force to aid Serbia. Schoen ensconced in the sophisticated French capital sent a telegram of 26 June announcing to Berlin that France was ready to negotiate. Bilateral talks would bring the two blocks together in peace, but by 1 August, the French were standing pat with the response they would secure the "National Interest." Schoen could not face passing on the blackmail demand that France stay neutral in Germany's planned conflict. Schoen knew he had failed when the trend in assassinations spread to Paris. In the first week of August frantic efforts were made to stop the war at the

Quai d'Orsay The Quai d'Orsay ( , ) is a quay in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is part of the left bank of the Seine opposite the Place de la Concorde. The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole-France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai Branly west of t ...

which he visited 11 times in 7 days. Poincare had worked for appeasement or peace, but Schoen knew the Entente powers would not split. He dermurred, "My question is rather naive, for we know you have a treaty of alliance". Schoen was born in

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...

. He could speak several languages as well the German diplomatic corps, including French. His wife was a Belgian. He was distressed when he met Premier Rene Viviani by the news that the Americans were to take his embassy. Made worse by the fear of failure was the ultimatum he carried. Their solemn parting epitomised the reluctance to go to "a war to end all wars". He immediately returned to Berlin. He died in

Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...

, aged 81.

References

* ''Der Nationalismus im Leben der Dritten Republik'', Berlin 1920. (Mitautor) * ''Erlebtes: Beiträge zur politischen Geschichte der neuesten Zeit'', Stuttgart 1921. * ''The Memoirs of An Ambassador. A Contribution to the Political History of Modern Times'', London 1922, * ''Mémoires (1900-1914)'', Paris 1922. * ''Deutschland und die Schuldfrage'', Berlin 1924. * ''Kleiner Führer durch das Berchtesgadener Land'', Berchtesgaden 1925. * ''The German Declaration of War on France: The Question of Telegram Mutilations. Premier Poincaré versus Ambassador von Schoen'', USA 1927.

External links

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Biographie im Nordisk Familijebok von 1916
(Swedish) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoen, Wilhelm Von 1851 births 1933 deaths People from Worms, Germany Foreign Secretaries of Germany Ambassadors of Germany to France Ambassadors of Germany to Russia People from Rhenish Hesse Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order