Alfred von Schlieffen 1833 – 1913

Biography

The Prussian military’s master strategist, Alfred von Schlieffen rose from Berlin’s officer ranks to become one of Europe’s most influential military minds. Climbing steadily through the ranks of the German army, he ultimately secured the continent’s most powerful military position: Chief of the General Staff and Field Marshal. His decades of service spanned the nineteenth century’s most dramatic military transformations, cementing his reputation as a visionary thinker who shaped the strategic doctrine of his era.

Von Schlieffen’s eighty-year life was virtually synonymous with military service. Born into Berlin’s military establishment in 1833, he devoted the bulk of his existence to Prussian defense and strategic planning, earning the highest honors his nation could bestow. When he passed away in his native Berlin on January 4, 1913, his legacy was honored with a burial at the Invalids’ Cemetery—Berlin’s most prestigious military resting place. He left behind a career defined by unwavering commitment to excellence and the weighty responsibilities of commanding a continental power.