Rundstedt was born in Aschersleben, Province of Saxony. He joined the German Army in 1892, then entered Germany′s elite military academy in 1902. On 22 January 1902, he married Luise Bila von Götz (d. 1952) and they had one child, Hans Gerd von Rundstedt (1903–1948). Rundstedt was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal on 19 July 1940.