Wilhelm von Mirbach

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Wilhelm Graf von Mirbach-Harff (2 July 1871 – 9 July 1918) was a German diplomat from Bad Ischl in Upper Austria.

Mirbach participated in the Russian-German negotiations in Brest-Litovsk from December 1917 to March 1918. He was appointed German ambassador to Russia in April 1918.

Mirbach was assassinated by Yakov Grigorevich Blumkin at the request of the Central Committee of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, who tried to incite a war between Russia and Germany. Blumkin entered Mirbach's residence in Moscow using forged papers and shot his victim at point blank range. Mirbach's assassination signaled the beginning of the revolt of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries in Moscow in 1918.

Mirbach was succeeded as German ambassador to Russia by Karl Helfferich.

[edit] Notes

Regarding personal names: Graf is a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin.