Sophia Magdalena Scholl (9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943) was a German student, active within the White Rose

White Rose

The White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...

 non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

. She was convicted of high treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

 after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans

Hans Scholl

Hans Fritz Scholl was a founding member of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany.-Biography:...

. As a result, they were both executed

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

 by guillotine

Guillotine

The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...

.

Since the 1970s, Scholl has been celebrated as one of the great German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 heroes who actively opposed the Third Reich during the Second World War.
Scholl's father, Robert

Robert Scholl

Robert Scholl was a Württembergian politician and father of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Scholl was a liberal and a critic of the Nazi regime. He also co-founded the All-German People's Party after the war.-Personal life:...

, was the mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Forchtenberg am Kocher when she was born.