Karl Wilhelm Paul von Bülow (24 March 1846 – 31 August 1921) was a German

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

commanding the German 2nd Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

from 1914 to 1915.

Early life

Bülow was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 24 March 1846 into a distinguished

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n military family von Bülow, originally from

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

. He was a son of ''Marie'' Wilhelmine Friederike Johanna von Waldow (1817–1911) and Friedrich Heinrich Johann ''Paul'' von Bülow (1807–74), a Prussian Lieutenant colonel. His paternal grandfather was Karl Johann Heinrich von Bülow (1769–1813), a Prussian major and commander of the Leibgrenadier battalion who was killed at Groß-Görschen during the

German campaign of 1813 The German campaign () was fought in 1813. Members of the Sixth Coalition, including the German states of Austria and Prussia, plus Russia and Sweden, fought a series of battles in Germany against the French Emperor Napoleon, his marshals, and th ...

Career

He enlisted in the Prussian Army and was assigned to the 2nd Guards regiment of infantry in 1864. He saw action during the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

in 1866 and gained distinction at Königgrätz. Von Bülow served through the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870 as a junior officer, winning the Iron Cross Second Class. A Captain of the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the Imperial German Army, German Army, responsible for the continuous stu ...

in 1877, von Bülow was promoted to Colonel and assigned to the 9th Guards Regiment in 1894. In 1897, von Bülow was a major-general and became director of the Central Department in the German War Ministry. In 1900 he was promoted to lieutenant-general and in 1901 was appointed general commanding the Guards Division. He was Commander of the German III Corps from 1903 until his appointment as Inspector of the German 3rd Army in 1912.

World War I

Assigned to the German 2nd Army at the beginning of World War I in August 1914, von Bülow's army was part of the German force that invaded

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. He occupied

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

on 7 August and captured the fortress of

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

on 22–23 August. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, von Bülow defeated General

Charles Lanrezac Charles Lanrezac (31 July 1852 – 18 January 1925) was a French general, formerly a distinguished staff college lecturer, who briefly commanded the French Fifth Army at the outbreak of the First World War. His army, originally intended to stri ...

of the French Fifth Army at

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

on 23–24 August and again at Saint-Quentin on 29–30 August. As the 2nd Army and General Alexander von Kluck's 1st Army neared

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from 31 August to 2 September, von Bülow, concerned about the growing gap between the two armies, ordered Kluck to turn the 1st Army on his right towards him. This decision, however, resulted in Kluck's advancing south and east of Paris, instead of south and west as specified in the

Schlieffen Plan The Schlieffen Plan (, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on 4 August 1914. Schlieffe ...

. Von Bülow crossed the Marne on 4 September, but was ordered to retreat to the

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374. Geography The department borders No ...

after the successful counterattack by combined French and British forces against Kluck's 1st Army at the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

from 5–10 September. Von Bülow was believed by the German public to be responsible for the German failure to capture Paris. Von Bülow was promoted to

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

in January of the following year. He suffered a heart attack two months later and a month after that, on 5 April 1915, he was awarded the

Pour Le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

. He was allowed to retire in early 1916, living in Berlin until his death.

Personal life

In 1883, Bülow married Molly von Kracht in Potsdam. Together, they were the parents of one daughter and two sons, including diplomat (1891–1970).

Decorations and awards

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

with Chain (Prussia) – ''invested 18 January 1900'' * Order of the Crown, 1st class (Prussia) *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

of 1870, 2nd class (Prussia) * Service Cross (Prussia) * Military Merit Medal, 1st class (Prussia) * Cross of Merit, 1st class of the Princely

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

* Commander Second Class of the Order of Berthold I (Baden) * Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) * Grand Cross with the Crown in Gold of the House Order of the Wendish Crown (Mecklenburg) * Honorary Grand Cross of the House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis (Oldenburg) * Order of the Rue Crown (Saxony) * Commander of the Second Class of the

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

(Saxony) * Commander 2nd class of the Friedrich Order (Württemberg) * Commander of the Order of

Order of Leopold (Belgium) The Order of Leopold (, , ) is one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder, King Leopold I. It consists of a military, a ma ...

* Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit with Diamonds (Bulgaria) * Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(United Kingdom) * Grand Cross of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan) * Grand Officer of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

(Italy) * Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

* Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd class (Austria) * Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph * Commander of the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

* Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown (Romania) The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 1st class (Russia) * Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (Sweden) *

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

, 2nd class (Ottoman Empire) *

of 1914, 1st class * Hanseatic Cross (Lübeck) *

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

(4 April 1915) * Grand Commander of the Royal

with Swords (22 June 1916)

Notes

References

*Evans, M. M. (2004). Battles of World War I. ''Select Editions''. . * Barbara Tuchman, '' The Guns of August'', New York, 1972 *Hiss, O.C. ''Kleine Geschichte der geheimen Presse'', Berlin, 1946

External links

*
FirstWorldWar.com Who's Who: Karl von Bulow
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulow, Karl Von 1846 births 1921 deaths Karl von Bulow Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Field marshals of Prussia Field marshals of the German Empire German Army generals of World War I German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) Grand Crosses of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Military personnel from Berlin Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War Rape of Belgium perpetrators Recipients of the Hanseatic Cross (Lübeck) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Order of Franz Joseph Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)