WolfgangFreiherr von Stetten (born 22 January 1941) is a German lawyer and politician of theChristian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). He served as Member of Parliament (theBundestag) from 1990 to 2002. He represented the constituency ofSchwäbisch Hall – Hohenlohe, and was succeeded by his sonChristian von Stetten.^[1]

Wolfgang von Stetten was born in Niederwartha, now part of Cossebaude district ofDresden, to a father that was KIA as pilot in theBattle of Crete later the same year. He earned a doctorate in law in 1972, with the dissertationDie Rechtsstellung der freien unmittelbaren Reichsritterschaft, ihre Mediatisierung und ihre Stellung in den neuen Landen. From 1974 to 1984, he was a judge, and from 1984 to 1991, he served as Professor of Law at Heilbronn College. He is a member of the noble Franconian Stetten family, and owns his family seat, Schloss Stetten, inKünzelsau.

As a member of parliament, von Stetten served on the Committee on Legal Affairs and asCDU/CSU spokesman for several years. He founded the German-Baltic Parliamentary Association in 1991 and served as its chair to 2002. The association supported the independence of the Baltic countries from the Soviet Union, and their membership inNATO and theEuropean Union. From 1997 to 2001, he served as President ofStudienzentrum Weikersheim. He has been the LithuanianConsul in Baden-Württemberg since 2004. He is also an active member of several charitable societies.

In the debate about the outlawing ofmarital rape in Germany von Stetten stated: "Marriage is a sexual union and in principle obliges to have conjugal intercourse. Refusal from the beginning may be grounds for annulment, later refusal grounds for divorce. Part of married life is also to overcome the partner's unwillingness. The husband is not out to commit a crime - some men are simply more brutal."^[2]

• 1989 Freiherr-vom-Stein-Medaille
• 1990Federal Cross of Merit
• 1996 Lithuanian Order of Gedimino
• 1996 EstonianOrder of the Cross of Terra Mariana First Class
• 2002 LatvianOrder of the Three Stars Third Class
• 2003 Honorary citizen of Kelme, Lithuania

• Wolfgang von Stetten in theGerman National Library catalogue

• 1941 births
• German barons
• Members of the Bundestag for Baden-Württemberg
• Members of the Bundestag 1998–2002
• Members of the Bundestag 1994–1998
• Members of the Bundestag 1990–1994
• Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Living people
• Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class
• Honorary consuls for Lithuania
• Members of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany

• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from May 2023