[1] 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.

Von Bülow served through the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 as a junior officer, winning the Iron Cross Second Class.

A Captain of the German General Staff 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.

Together, they were the parents of one daughter and two sons, including diplomat Vicco von Bülow-Schwante [de] (1891–1970).