Folke Bernadotte
| Folke Bernadotte | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
2 January 1895 , Sweden |
| Died | 17 September 1948 (aged 53) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Resting place | Northern Cemetery, Solna |
| Title | Count of Wisborg |
| Spouse(s) | Estelle Romaine Manville (m. 1928) |
| Children | Count Gustaf Eduard Bernadotte of Wisborg Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg Count Fredrik Oscar Bernadotte of Wisborg Count Bertil Oscar Bernadotte of Wisborg |
| Parent(s) |
Prince Oscar Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg Ebba Munck af Fulkila |
Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (Swedish: Greve af Wisborg; 2 January 1895 – 17 September 1948) was a Swedish diplomat and nobleman. During World War II he negotiated the release of about 31,000 prisoners from German concentration camps including 450 Danish Jews from the Theresienstadt camp. They were released on 14 April 1945. In 1945, he received a German surrender offer from Heinrich Himmler, though the offer was ultimately rejected.
After the war, Bernadotte was unanimously chosen to be the United Nations Security Council mediator in the Arab–Israeli conflict of 1947–1948. He was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948 by the militant Zionist group Lehi while pursuing his official duties. Upon his death, Ralph Bunche took up his work at the UN, but was removed from the post around six months after Bernadotte was assassinated, at the critical period of recognition of the fledgling state.
Folke Bernadotte was born in into the House of Bernadotte. He was the son of Count Oscar Bernadotte of Wisborg (formerly Prince Oscar of Sweden, Duke of Gotland) and his wife Ebba Munck af Fulkila. His grandfather was King Oscar II of Sweden.
Bernadotte attended school in Stockholm, after which he entered training to become a cavalry officer at the Royal Military Academy. He took the officer's exam in 1915, was commissioned a lieutenant in 1918, and subsequently was promoted to the rank of major.
...
Wikipedia