Background
Von Xylander was born in Mainz as son of Hauptmann Otto Ritter und Edler von Xylander and his wife Rosalia, née Wagenseil.
Von Xylander was born in Mainz as son of Hauptmann Otto Ritter und Edler von Xylander and his wife Rosalia, née Wagenseil.
He joined as an officer aspirant the 1st Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment "King" of the Bavarian army on September 21, 1874. In the rank Portepéefähnrich he was transferred to Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment on March 17, 1875. In 1876 he was advanced to Sekondlieutenant.
After 1885 he visited the war academy in Munich, became Premierlieutenant in 1886, and was adjutant of the District Command Munich afterwards from 1889 to 1890.
In 1890 he became company commander in the Infantry Lifeguards Regiment, became Hauptmann in 1891, and after September 1893 he became officer of the general staff In the rank of a major he was transferred to the 3rd Division in November 1897.
Afterwards he was battalion commander in the Infantry Lifeguards Regiment from the end of October 1898 until February 1899. In March 1901 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant.
From August 1901 to March 1904 he was head of department in the General Staff of the Army, since May 1903 in the rank of an Oberst, afterwards commander of the 1st Infantry Lifeguards Regiment "King" until September 1905, before he was director of the War Academy and of the Artillery and Engineer School in Munich from September 29, 1905 to December 29, 1907.
While he was director of the War Academy, he became major general in April 1906. In the following years he was commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade from December 1907 to November 1908, Chief of the General Staff and inspector of military training institutions from November 1908 to April 1912 (promoted to lieutenant general in March 1910), and divisional commander of the 6th Division from April 1912 to March 1913, before he got the command of the I Corps, in the rank of General der Infanterie since March 1913. Foreign his merits he was multiple awarded.
Two decades after his retirement, in the Third Reich, he became Grand Chancellor (Grosskanzler) of the Military Order of Max Joseph from May 15, 1933 until his death on May 22, 1940.
He died in Munich.
